--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was so scared it was all going to be…" description: "\"“I was so scared it was all going to be gone by the time I got there. Ninth grade, tenth grade - can't this thing go any faster? In the magazine, there..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/750/james-st-james-18251_big-things_i-was-so-scared-it-was-all-going-to-be-g_1571468.jpg" --- # I was so scared it was all going to be gone by the time I… ![“I was so scared it was all going to be gone by the time I got there. Ninth grade, tenth grade - can't this thing go any faster? In the magazine, there were funny people with funny names like John Sex, who had wild white hair and a snake!-and didn't that just open up a kaleidoscope of new…” quote by James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/750/james-st-james-18251_big-things_i-was-so-scared-it-was-all-going-to-be-g_1571468.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/750/james-st-james-18251_big-things_i-was-so-scared-it-was-all-going-to-be-g_1571468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/750/james-st-james-18251_big-things_i-was-so-scared-it-was-all-going-to-be-g_1571468.jpg) > ““I was so scared it was all going to be gone by the time I got there. Ninth grade, tenth grade - can't this thing go any faster? In the magazine, there were funny people with funny names like John Sex, who had wild white hair and a snake!-and didn't that just open up a kaleidoscope of new possibilities? And how long the years are-endless! And the minutae of your daily life! So tedious, when there are BIG THINGS happening a thousand miles away. And when you go to bed at night, it's hard to believe those people, those fabulous, daunting people, are out there right now! So we wait, and we endure, and someday we will be there, and we will make it.”” [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anxiety about missing out on rapid cultural change and longing for future belonging **In simple terms:** Fear of missing out on fast‑moving culture Key Takeaway Embrace patience and stay present Themes anxiety longing culture future patience Mood reflective hopeful nostalgic Type personal motivational When to use this quote - college life - media consumption - personal growth - goal setting Key Concepts existentialism social dynamics time perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance excitement for future events with appreciation of today? - What small actions can make present moments feel meaningful? A Different Perspective The quote romanticizes distant excitement, which may cause disengagement from present life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-things/) [Daily life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [White hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-hair/) ## Related quotes > [It was like that all the time, in those years: an endless trip, a gaudy voyage. But powers decay. 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There’s nothing you could become that I haven’t already fallen in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-d-know-you-in-the-dark-he-said-from-a-thousand-miles-away-there-s/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [I love my friends and family, but I also love it when they can't find me and I can spend all day reading or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-love-my-friends-and-family-but-i-also-love-it-when-they-can-t-find/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“It's long past dark, and I don't see anyone walking tonight. Maybe Sundays are off-limits. Maybe my ninja girl even goes to bed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/it-s-long-past-dark-and-i-don-t-see-anyone-walking-tonight-maybe/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“The idea of living there, of not having to go back ever again to asphalt and shopping malls and modular furniture; of living there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-idea-of-living-there-of-not-having-to-go-back-ever-again-to/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“To have a girl two thousand miles away going to pieces over you, weeping at the mere memory of you, losing her appetite, losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/to-have-a-girl-two-thousand-miles-away-going-to-pieces-over-you/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“Before the war Sofya Levinton had once said to Yevgenia Nikolaevna Shaposhnikova, 'If one man is fated to be killed by another, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/before-the-war-sofya-levinton-had-once-said-to-yevgenia-nikolaevna/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [“Sometimes those we forgive continue being the jackasses that they always were and we accept them while keeping them approximately three thousand miles away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/sometimes-those-we-forgive-continue-being-the-jackasses-that-they/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [In our interdependent world, our neighbors are not only on our street, but can be ten thousand miles away on an island in rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achim-steiner/in-our-interdependent-world-our-neighbors-are-not-only-on-our-street/) [Achim Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/achim-steiner/) > [“The money that could have saved the Shuttle, and the money we send to random countries, that we use to remake unchangeable countries ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-money-that-could-have-saved-the-shuttle-and-the-money-we-send-to/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“So, fiancé is it, now? I guess it was easier to say than to say she is the woman who took off on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/so-fianc-is-it-now-i-guess-it-was-easier-to-say-than-to-say-she-is/) [Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/) > [Maybe it's important to open up I people- people who are right there with you, not some thousand miles away in another universe. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/maybe-it-s-important-to-open-up-i-people-people-who-are-right-there/) [Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/) > [“We had moved there, three years earlier, leaving behind our family home which was situated in the township of another state, over a thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kahler/we-had-moved-there-three-years-earlier-leaving-behind-our-family-home/) [Katrina Kahler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kahler/) ## More by James St. James > [So let's start at the very begining (a very good place to start...)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/so-let-s-start-at-the-very-begining-a-very-good-place-to-start/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“and so it came to pass that i was strapped to a gurney and covered in raw liver and slabs of beef that very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/and-so-it-came-to-pass-that-i-was-strapped-to-a-gurney-and-covered-in/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [I think that when you are a teenager, it's the smartest you will ever be in your life. 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Just spinning around, lost in their own little world. Doing so much, accomplishing so little. How sad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/drug-addicts-are-so-funny-that-way-just-spinning-around-lost-in-their/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“There are times when the world slips out of control. It's like an accident that is happening too quickly , and you can't stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/there-are-times-when-the-world-slips-out-of-control-it-s-like-an/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“We're like two peas in a pod""Pity the pod”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/we-re-like-two-peas-in-a-pod-pity-the-pod/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [I don’t know how you look at the inside of your head — what metaphor you choose — but for those of us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/i-don-t-know-how-you-look-at-the-inside-of-your-head-what-metaphor/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [Tease hair, not homos!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/tease-hair-not-homos/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“Funny, that no matter where you are in the world, there’s always someone eager to help you destroy yourself. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/funny-that-no-matter-where-you-are-in-the-world-there-s-always/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“And LO and BEHOLD, I was on BOTH the six AND eleven o’clock newscasts! AND all the commercials, as well! (‘Day of the drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/and-lo-and-behold-i-was-on-both-the-six-and-eleven-o-clock-newscasts/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [I can remember every outfit I wore to every party going back to 1983.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/i-can-remember-every-outfit-i-wore-to-every-party-going-back-to-1983/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) [Explore all 35 James St. James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) ## More Big things quotes > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/little-things-make-the-difference-everyone-is-well-prepared-in-the/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [I would not have lasted a minute, literally a minute, on this Earth without God and angels by my side, because I was born.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-would-not-have-lasted-a-minute-literally-a-minute-on-this-earth/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It's silly to have as one's sole object in life just making money, accumulating wealth. I work because I enjoy what I'm doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/it-s-silly-to-have-as-one-s-sole-object-in-life-just-making-money/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-dale-bell/show-me-a-man-who-cannot-bother-to-do-little-things-and-i-ll-show-you/) Lawrence Dale Bell > [ITS FUNNY HOW YOU CAN MAKE SILENT HAPPINESS TO OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR NONE SENSE ACTIONS. BECAUSE SOMETHINGS IT MAYBE LITTLE AS WE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/its-funny-how-you-can-make-silent-happiness-to-other-people-out-of/) NO VOICE > [The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-little-things-i-can-obey-but-the-big-things-how-we-think-what-we/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [The little things are being early to meetings and lifts, stretching and warming up - doing all these things consistently, the walk-throughs that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-herbert/the-little-things-are-being-early-to-meetings-and-lifts-stretching/) [Justin Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-herbert/) > [I promise you this: at the end of your days, you will discover that the things you now perceive to be the big things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/i-promise-you-this-at-the-end-of-your-days-you-will-discover-that-the/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“He wanted me to understand two big things: First, that nobody, no group, is above others. Public servants are obliged to level with everybody,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/he-wanted-me-to-understand-two-big-things-first-that-nobody-no-group/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“When it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are-no-accidents-everything/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [President Barack Obama is a doer. And we in America will do big things with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hunt/president-barack-obama-is-a-doer-and-we-in-america-will-do-big-things/) [Jim Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hunt/) > [There are experts in little things but there are no experts in big things. There are experts in this fact and that fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/there-are-experts-in-little-things-but-there-are-no-experts-in-big/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) [Browse all 748 Big things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was so scared it was all going to be gone by the time I got there. Ninth grade, tenth grade - can't this thing go any faster? In the magazine, there were funny people with funny names like John Sex, who had wild white hair and a snake!-and didn't that just open up a kaleidoscope of new possibilities? And how long the years are-endless! And the minutae of your daily life! So tedious, when there are BIG THINGS happening a thousand miles away. And when you go to bed at night, it's hard to believe those people, those fabulous, daunting people, are out there right now! 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