--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was an only child. It's a great…" description: "\"“I was an only child. It's a great disadvantage being an only child.”\" — Graham Greene" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg" --- # I was an only child. It's a great disadvantage being an… ![“I was an only child. It's a great disadvantage being an only child.” quote by Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg) > ““I was an only child. It's a great disadvantage being an only child.”” [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being an only child can limit social learning, but also foster independence. **In simple terms:** Only child has pros and cons. Key Takeaway Balance solitude with social experience. Themes family dynamics independence social skills Mood reflective analytical Type observational psychological When to use this quote - education - teamwork - parenting - self‑development Key Concepts Psychology developmental theory Questions to Reflect On - How can only children broaden their social world? - What strengths arise from solitude? A Different Perspective Social isolation may hinder empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ## Related quotes > [If the playing field is not level, if there's sign stealing going on and we're not participating ourselves, that really puts you at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-maddon/if-the-playing-field-is-not-level-if-there-s-sign-stealing-going-on/) [Joe Maddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-maddon/) > [Although spoken English doesn't obey the rules of written language, a person who doesn't know the rules thoroughly is at a great disadvantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/although-spoken-english-doesn-t-obey-the-rules-of-written-language-a/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [The great disadvantage of getting older is to be obliged to relive the salient economic events of one's youth, with nothing learned and nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/the-great-disadvantage-of-getting-older-is-to-be-obliged-to-relive/) [James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/) > [The great disadvantage of being in a rat race is that it is humiliating. The competitors in a rat race are by definition rodents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/the-great-disadvantage-of-being-in-a-rat-race-is-that-it-is/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) > [We fight to great disadvantage when we fight with those who have nothing to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-guicciardini/we-fight-to-great-disadvantage-when-we-fight-with-those-who-have/) [Francesco Guicciardini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-guicciardini/) > [The child and the great artist -- these alone receive the sensation fresh as it was at the beginning of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-sitwell/the-child-and-the-great-artist-these-alone-receive-the-sensation/) [Edith Sitwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-sitwell/) > [The great disadvantage of our present electoral system is that it freezes the pattern of politics, and holds together the incompatible because everyone assumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jenkins/the-great-disadvantage-of-our-present-electoral-system-is-that-it/) [Roy Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jenkins/) > [Living in London with one child was great, but when number two came along - an energetic little boy - the countryside beckoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/living-in-london-with-one-child-was-great-but-when-number-two-came/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [I've always wanted to be a mom. I had a great relationship with mine. I'm ready to pass on to my child all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-love-hewitt/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-a-mom-i-had-a-great-relationship-with-mine-i/) [Jennifer Love Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-love-hewitt/) > [I just want to have a great relationship with my child and have a great family dynamic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-spelling/i-just-want-to-have-a-great-relationship-with-my-child-and-have-a/) [Tori Spelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-spelling/) > [“A child has no great wish to perfect himself in the use of an instrument of torture, but make it a means to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pennac/a-child-has-no-great-wish-to-perfect-himself-in-the-use-of-an/) [Daniel Pennac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pennac/) > [A great estate is a great disadvantage to those who do not know how to use it, for nothing is more common than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/a-great-estate-is-a-great-disadvantage-to-those-who-do-not-know-how/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Keeping your ex close took three people who were willing to be incredibly generous, grown-up and mature. I give enormous credit to Michael and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/keeping-your-ex-close-took-three-people-who-were-willing-to-be/) [Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/) > [Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/give-a-little-love-to-a-child-and-you-get-a-great-deal-back/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [I would love to have a child. It would be great for me and such a positive message for all the girls out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/i-would-love-to-have-a-child-it-would-be-great-for-me-and-such-a/) [Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/) ## More by Graham Greene > [“Time gives poetry to a battlefield...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/time-gives-poetry-to-a-battlefield/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“What is cowardice in the young is wisdom in the old, but all the same one can be ashamed of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/what-is-cowardice-in-the-young-is-wisdom-in-the-old-but-all-the-same/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Hate is a lack of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/hate-is-a-lack-of-imagination/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. It is, one is told, the unforgivable sin, but it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-oneself-an-impossible-aim/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Knowledge was the great thing--not abstract knowledge in which Dr. Forester had been so rich, the theories which lead one enticingly on with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/knowledge-was-the-great-thing-not-abstract-knowledge-in-which-dr/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [With Your great schemes, You ruin our happiness like a harvester ruins a mouse's nest: I hate You, God, I hate You as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/with-your-great-schemes-you-ruin-our-happiness-like-a-harvester-ruins/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/heresy-is-only-another-word-for-freedom-of-thought/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“He had thought that home was something one possessed, but the things one had possessed were cursed with change; it was what one didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/he-had-thought-that-home-was-something-one-possessed-but-the-things/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Perhaps the comparison is closer to the Chinese cook who leaves hardly any part of a duck unserved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/perhaps-the-comparison-is-closer-to-the-chinese-cook-who-leaves/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“He said, ‘Oh god, help her. Damn me, I deserve it, but let her live forever.’ This was the love he should have felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/he-said-oh-god-help-her-damn-me-i-deserve-it-but-let-her-live-forever/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“A police photograph is like a passport photograph: the intelligence which casts a veil over the crude common shape is never recorded by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/a-police-photograph-is-like-a-passport-photograph-the-intelligence/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [ “I tossed up whether I'd see \[the critic\] or not: I knew too well the pompous phrases of his article, the buried significance he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-tossed-up-whether-i-d-see-the-critic-or-not-i-knew-too-well-the/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Success is more dangerous than failure, the ripples break over a wider coastline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/success-is-more-dangerous-than-failure-the-ripples-break-over-a-wider/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“But we do not love people for what they do for us. Love happens to us; it isn't created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/but-we-do-not-love-people-for-what-they-do-for-us-love-happens-to-us/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) [Explore all 550 Graham Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) [Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was an only child. It's a great disadvantage being an only child.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Graham Greene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadvantage-being-an-only-child/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadvantage-being-an-only-child/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/graham-greene-441_child_i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadva_2738442.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was an only child. It's a great disadvantage being an only child.” — Graham Greene", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Graham Greene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I was an only child. It's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadvantage-being-an-only-child/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-was-an-only-child-it-s-a-great-disadvantage-being-an-only-child/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```