--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing that was very important to me…" description: "\"One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that that's where I belonged, and I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg" --- # One thing that was very important to me was that I felt… ![“One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that that's where I belonged, and I could fix things and move things. And no matter how many classrooms I went into where I was the only girl in the physics class or whatever, I never…” quote by Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg) > “One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that that's where I belonged, and I could fix things and move things. And no matter how many classrooms I went into where I was the only girl in the physics class or whatever, I never questioned the fact that I didn't belong there.” [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## 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 reflects on feeling at home in a small, hands‑on lab environment despite being a minority in larger academic settings, emphasizing confidence in personal fit over external validation. **In simple terms:** Confidence in one's niche despite minority status. Key Takeaway Belonging is self‑determined, not imposed by numbers. Themes identity confidence gender dynamics STEM self‑efficacy Mood determined reflective Type personal anecdote inspirational When to use this quote - first lab work - being the only woman in a physics class - navigating male‑dominated classrooms Key Concepts lab culture minority experience personal agency Practical Applications - Mentoring women in STEM - Designing inclusive lab environments Questions to Reflect On - How does personal confidence shape one's sense of belonging? - What structures can support minorities feeling valued in larger settings? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) ## Related quotes > [My first day in Chicago, September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/my-first-day-in-chicago-september-4-1983-i-set-foot-in-this-city-and/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I always knew I belonged on the other side of the lens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-ireland/i-always-knew-i-belonged-on-the-other-side-of-the-lens/) [Kathy Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-ireland/) > [The first time I saw you,' he says, 'I knew we belonged together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-first-time-i-saw-you-he-says-i-knew-we-belonged-together/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [“Even though I knew she never belonged to me, my heart didn't agree. The old man and the boy crouched as still as lizards.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-gillespie-fox/even-though-i-knew-she-never-belonged-to-me-my-heart-didn-t-agree-the/) Gail Gillespie-Fox > [“Even though I knew she never belonged to me, my heart didn't agree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-gillespie-fox/even-though-i-knew-she-never-belonged-to-me-my-heart-didn-t-agree/) Gail Gillespie-Fox > [I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-knew-i-belonged-to-the-public-and-to-the-world-not-because-i-was/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [In Northern Ireland, I truly, effortlessly, knew who I was. I knew where I belonged. I felt completely and utterly secure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/in-northern-ireland-i-truly-effortlessly-knew-who-i-was-i-knew-where/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [Even though I was manically overachieving and involved in everything, I still never felt like I belonged. That's definitely affected my whole life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-mitchell/even-though-i-was-manically-overachieving-and-involved-in-everything/) [Penelope Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-mitchell/) > [He would do things for he'd do for no one else, but while he'd empty the sky for her so she could spread her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/he-would-do-things-for-he-d-do-for-no-one-else-but-while-he-d-empty/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [When I was growing up, I never felt that I belonged anywhere because we never lived in a house for more than three months.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/when-i-was-growing-up-i-never-felt-that-i-belonged-anywhere-because/) [Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/) > [“I never felt like I belonged anywhere. But you make me feel like I belong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-felt-like-i-belonged-anywhere-but-you-make-me-feel-like-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acting became my best friend. When I auditioned to get into college, the teacher said you belong here, Mr. Klugman, and to hear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-klugman/acting-became-my-best-friend-when-i-auditioned-to-get-into-college/) [Jack Klugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-klugman/) > [“She is beyond me, but my love is pure, not base desire To her alone I belonged, I belong - even if mine she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umera-ahmed/she-is-beyond-me-but-my-love-is-pure-not-base-desire-to-her-alone-i/) [Umera Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umera-ahmed/) > [“We do not just belong to this universe, we are it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/we-do-not-just-belong-to-this-universe-we-are-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I've never been truly closeted on the air; it's just something I never really made a big deal out of because I never felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/i-ve-never-been-truly-closeted-on-the-air-it-s-just-something-i-never/) [Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/) ## More by Hope Jahren > [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“You and I are going to work our asses off, teach them shit over and over, risk our fucking lives for them, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/you-and-i-are-going-to-work-our-asses-off-teach-them-shit-over-and/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Men and women study things differently, and it's not because of our chromosomes. It's a product of our cultural conditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/men-and-women-study-things-differently-and-it-s-not-because-of-our/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [If every seed turned into a plant, we'd be living in a very different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/if-every-seed-turned-into-a-plant-we-d-be-living-in-a-very-different/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [The live oak can grow sturdily on the hottest hills of central California, contrasting dark green against the golden grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-live-oak-can-grow-sturdily-on-the-hottest-hills-of-central/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I grew up playing with kids who were the kids of people my parents grew up playing with, and they know me like nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-grew-up-playing-with-kids-who-were-the-kids-of-people-my-parents/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [The world breaks a little bit every time we cut down a tree. It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [For a tree, to endure four months of daylight is like you or I going without sleep for four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/for-a-tree-to-endure-four-months-of-daylight-is-like-you-or-i-going/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I feel like I'm the same scientist I was back when I couldn't get a grant. Now I'm that same person thinking that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-feel-like-i-m-the-same-scientist-i-was-back-when-i-couldn-t-get-a/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Plants are decisive to a fault. A stem produces a bud that flowers once and once only. It offers pollen that is either dispersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/plants-are-decisive-to-a-fault-a-stem-produces-a-bud-that-flowers/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Even a very little girl can wield a slide rule, the cursor serving as a haft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/even-a-very-little-girl-can-wield-a-slide-rule-the-cursor-serving-as/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“People will tell you that you have to know math to be a scientist, or physics or chemistry. They’re wrong. That’s like saying you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/people-will-tell-you-that-you-have-to-know-math-to-be-a-scientist-or/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [No matter how much funding I get, I'm always thinking, 'This is temporary. This is fragile. It could all end tomorrow, and how am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/no-matter-how-much-funding-i-get-i-m-always-thinking-this-is/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“Everybody does all kinds of shit that they don’t know why they do. They just know that they have to,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/everybody-does-all-kinds-of-shit-that-they-don-t-know-why-they-do/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [A cactus doesn't live in the desert because it likes the desert; it lives there because the desert hasn't killed it yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-cactus-doesn-t-live-in-the-desert-because-it-likes-the-desert-it/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) [Explore all 110 Hope Jahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## More Belong quotes > [How come I end up where I started How come I end up where I belong... You used to be alright What happened?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/how-come-i-end-up-where-i-started-how-come-i-end-up-where-i-belong/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I hate this feeling. Like Im here. But, Im not. Like someone cares. But, they dont. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-this-feeling-like-im-here-but-im-not-like-someone-cares-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As you know, in America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio, so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/as-you-know-in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. We are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-janssen/god-has-a-purpose-for-us-if-he-didn-t-we-wouldn-t-be-alive-in-the/) [Kenny Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-janssen/) > [I thought of how many places there are in the world that belong in this way to someone, who has it in his blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/i-thought-of-how-many-places-there-are-in-the-world-that-belong-in/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [I belong to a Bohri Muslim family, and for us, food is our biggest celebration. We are used to elaborate five- to six-course meals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushrat-bharucha/i-belong-to-a-bohri-muslim-family-and-for-us-food-is-our-biggest/) [Nushrat Bharucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushrat-bharucha/) > [“You need to belong to yourself, and let others belong to themselves too. You need to be free and detached from things and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/you-need-to-belong-to-yourself-and-let-others-belong-to-themselves/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [I want all of my films to belong to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-want-all-of-my-films-to-belong-to-me/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [“Your beliefs, and your beliefs alone, belong to you. You are the only one who is with you for your entire life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz-jr/your-beliefs-and-your-beliefs-alone-belong-to-you-you-are-the-only/) [Miguel Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz-jr/) > [Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/earth-does-not-belong-to-us-we-belong-to-earth/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [I think I know where you belong. I think I know its not with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-know-where-you-belong-i-think-i-know-its-not-with-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a compelling reason why I belong in the Hall of Fame, but I understand the argument against me. My career didn't go like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-warner/there-s-a-compelling-reason-why-i-belong-in-the-hall-of-fame-but-i/) [Kurt Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-warner/) Browse all 1,571 Belong quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that that's where I belonged, and I could fix things and move things. And no matter how many classrooms I went into where I was the only girl in the physics class or whatever, I never questioned the fact that I didn't belong there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hope Jahren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belong" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/hope-jahren-4468_belong_one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me_64827.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small…” — Hope Jahren", "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": "Hope Jahren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One thing that was very important...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/#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 } } ] } ```