--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was in therapy for six years and then…" description: "\"I was in therapy for six years and then stopped. You get hardwired at adolescence, like a caterpillar that pupates and re-assembles itself as an insect..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/grayson-perry-3535_adolescence_i-was-in-therapy-for-six-years-and-then_1773204.png" --- # I was in therapy for six years and then stopped. You get… ![“I was in therapy for six years and then stopped. You get hardwired at adolescence, like a caterpillar that pupates and re-assembles itself as an insect. It's very hard to change after that.” quote by Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/grayson-perry-3535_adolescence_i-was-in-therapy-for-six-years-and-then_1773204.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/grayson-perry-3535_adolescence_i-was-in-therapy-for-six-years-and-then_1773204.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/grayson-perry-3535_adolescence_i-was-in-therapy-for-six-years-and-then_1773204.png) > “I was in therapy for six years and then stopped. You get hardwired at adolescence, like a caterpillar that pupates and re-assembles itself as an insect. It's very hard to change after that.” [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes how early experiences shape lasting patterns, making later change difficult. **In simple terms:** Early experiences hardwire behavior, making change tough. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and work around ingrained patterns. Themes development change neuroplasticity Mood thoughtful introspective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - education - career shifts - relationship dynamics - personal growth Key Concepts psychology habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What habits are hard‑wired? - How can you re‑wire them? A Different Perspective Change is possible with deliberate effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) [Adolescence Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence-like-1003612/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hardwired Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardwired-adolescence-1797041/) [Insect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insect/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/) [Therapy Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy-years-1507971/) [Years Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-stopped-1797042/) ## Related quotes > [Adolescence is like having only enough light to see the step directly in front of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/adolescence-is-like-having-only-enough-light-to-see-the-step-directly/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Infancy is the realm conveyed to us in dreams which look backward to the past. Adolescence, more like a work of art, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/infancy-is-the-realm-conveyed-to-us-in-dreams-which-look-backward-to/) [Louise J. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-j-kaplan/) > [I've had a prolonged adolescence, like a lot of my generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/i-ve-had-a-prolonged-adolescence-like-a-lot-of-my-generation/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [Adolescence is like cactus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/adolescence-is-like-cactus/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I've done therapy over the years and it has helped me to be a better person and it pushes me to be a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aroldis-chapman/i-ve-done-therapy-over-the-years-and-it-has-helped-me-to-be-a-better/) [Aroldis Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aroldis-chapman/) > [I was in group therapy for years but it wasn't the same thing. It was more about growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kellerman/i-was-in-group-therapy-for-years-but-it-wasn-t-the-same-thing-it-was/) [Sally Kellerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kellerman/) > [I would say that I began with a very edgy, very driven personality and after a sufficient amount of therapy over many, many years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-would-say-that-i-began-with-a-very-edgy-very-driven-personality-and/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [What saddens me is seeing patients who have been going to therapy for years and years with no change, but they keep going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/what-saddens-me-is-seeing-patients-who-have-been-going-to-therapy-for/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [We broke up in '91, but we didn't fade out, we didn't burn ourselves out, we were on pause for 26 years. We stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-yella/we-broke-up-in-91-but-we-didn-t-fade-out-we-didn-t-burn-ourselves-out/) [DJ Yella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-yella/) > [I did like Test, and he was a guy I kept in touch with for years after we stopped working together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-did-like-test-and-he-was-a-guy-i-kept-in-touch-with-for-years-after/) [Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/) > [Already for thirty-five years he had not stopped talking and almost nothing of fundamental value had emerged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/already-for-thirty-five-years-he-had-not-stopped-talking-and-almost/) [James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/) > [“ He Stopped Loving Her Today He said I'll love you 'til I die She told him you'll forget in time As the years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-v-braddock-c-putman-jr/he-stopped-loving-her-today-he-said-i-ll-love-you-til-i-die-she-told/) [R. V. Braddock C. Putman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-v-braddock-c-putman-jr/) > [I did psychotherapy for about six years. I stopped going regularly when I'd finished 'Elemental,' which I think probably says something. I think I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-orzabal/i-did-psychotherapy-for-about-six-years-i-stopped-going-regularly/) [Roland Orzabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-orzabal/) > [I'm quite comfortable looking at myself in movies, probably because I've been doing it for so long, since I was a kid. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-m-quite-comfortable-looking-at-myself-in-movies-probably-because-i/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I did not have the moments of so-called normal people during adolescence, like going out with friends, enjoying good times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylian-mbappe/i-did-not-have-the-moments-of-so-called-normal-people-during/) [Kylian Mbappe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylian-mbappe/) ## More by Grayson Perry > [“Because I am a transvestite, people often assume that this gives me a special insight into the opposite gender. But this is rubbish: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/because-i-am-a-transvestite-people-often-assume-that-this-gives-me-a/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [We have this idea that seriousness is of higher value. But surely there is more human pleasure and delight in time spent with humour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/we-have-this-idea-that-seriousness-is-of-higher-value-but-surely/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [“An artist's job is to make new clichés.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/an-artist-s-job-is-to-make-new-clich-s/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Well, within my business, visual art, the intake is 75 per cent female and yet you look at who has showed their work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/well-within-my-business-visual-art-the-intake-is-75-per-cent-female/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [For me, earnestness is the greatest crime an Englishman can commit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/for-me-earnestness-is-the-greatest-crime-an-englishman-can-commit/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [And it's been one of my big sort of campaigns throughout my career, really, is to sort of make art accessible but without dumbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/and-it-s-been-one-of-my-big-sort-of-campaigns-throughout-my-career/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [The basic premise of taste, as Stephen Bayley, the cultural critic, said, is that taste is that which does not alienate your peers. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/the-basic-premise-of-taste-as-stephen-bayley-the-cultural-critic-said/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Well, intellectual importance is directly linked to financial value in the art world. I mean, thats the thing you really want - museum quality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/well-intellectual-importance-is-directly-linked-to-financial-value-in/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Some people will have working-class, front-room grandma taste that is better than other people's. I went to stately homes that are a bit duff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/some-people-will-have-working-class-front-room-grandma-taste-that-is/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [You cant be an artist without going to art school. Its impossible. Art schools like being plunged into a sheep dip that inoculates you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/you-cant-be-an-artist-without-going-to-art-school-its-impossible-art/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [You don't work in a vacuum. If you're a visual artist you work in a visual culture. If you're a pop musician you listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/you-don-t-work-in-a-vacuum-if-you-re-a-visual-artist-you-work-in-a/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [I was very excited when the Holburne Museum proposed a show of my ceramics from the 80s and early 90s as it would also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/i-was-very-excited-when-the-holburne-museum-proposed-a-show-of-my/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [My tapestries are woven on a computer-controlled loom. I design them on Photoshop. I recently did some digitally-routed woodcuts because I wanted the woodcut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/my-tapestries-are-woven-on-a-computer-controlled-loom-i-design-them/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [I haven't been to Oxbridge. I haven't even been to a London art school. My qualifications are pretty meagre for such a brief, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/i-haven-t-been-to-oxbridge-i-haven-t-even-been-to-a-london-art-school/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Art is a process. Its expressing yourself and doing something, and throwing yourself into it and getting better at it and trying again. Thats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/art-is-a-process-its-expressing-yourself-and-doing-something-and/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) [Explore all 128 Grayson Perry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) ## More Adolescence quotes > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [The donning of the ear buds marks the beginning of teen life, when children set off on their own for the passage through adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-donning-of-the-ear-buds-marks-the-beginning-of-teen-life-when/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/adolescence-is-when-the-very-worst-and-best-impulses-in-the-human/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [Most adults would not dream of belittling, humiliating, or bullying (verbally or physically) another adult. But many of the same adults think nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/most-adults-would-not-dream-of-belittling-humiliating-or-bullying/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [ I remember realizing, when I did Little Women \[1994\], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-women-1994-that-that-was-the/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Content without style is propaganda or adolescence. Style without content is decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/content-without-style-is-propaganda-or-adolescence-style-without/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Adolescence is interesting. I mean, all of life is interesting and all of life is transitionary. But I think there is an exponential growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/adolescence-is-interesting-i-mean-all-of-life-is-interesting-and-all/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) [Browse all 787 Adolescence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was in therapy for six years and then stopped. You get hardwired at adolescence, like a caterpillar that pupates and re-assembles itself as an insect. 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