--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started out, all I knew was that I…" description: "\"“When I started out, all I knew was that I was not going to stay where I'd been. I was going to change. I was going to make my part of the world into s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg" --- # When I started out, all I knew was that I was not going to… ![“When I started out, all I knew was that I was not going to stay where I'd been. I was going to change. I was going to make my part of the world into something that I wanted–not wait, hope, or beg for the world to start to want me.” quote by Jeff Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg) > ““When I started out, all I knew was that I was not going to stay where I'd been. I was going to change. I was going to make my part of the world into something that I wanted–not wait, hope, or beg for the world to start to want me.”” [Jeff Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/) ## 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 resolves to leave their past, reshape their world, and pursue desires without waiting for external validation. **In simple terms:** Leave the past, shape your world. Key Takeaway Act now to create your desired future. Themes determination self‑empowerment change Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career change - entrepreneurship - artistic pursuits - social movements Key Concepts personal growth goal setting visionary thinking Questions to Reflect On - What will you change today? - How will you sustain motivation? A Different Perspective Changing the world requires resources and support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-going-265834/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Diy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diy/) [Empowerment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowerment/) [Going Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-change-241886/) [Knew Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-going-261301/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Started Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-knew-2809676/) [Wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [When we started, we knew the show was going to be hit or miss, and we needed to find a core audience to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-ackles/when-we-started-we-knew-the-show-was-going-to-be-hit-or-miss-and-we/) [Jensen Ackles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-ackles/) > [When I started, nobody knew what the Paralympics were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanni-grey-thompson/when-i-started-nobody-knew-what-the-paralympics-were/) [Tanni Grey-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanni-grey-thompson/) > [This is where your life is at this very moment. Now, maybe this is a good spot. But if its not, its only going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-jay-taylor/this-is-where-your-life-is-at-this-very-moment-now-maybe-this-is-a/) [T Jay Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-jay-taylor/) > [I could not have done anymore, I had pushed myself to a limit that I had never touched before and that's definitely going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-stojko/i-could-not-have-done-anymore-i-had-pushed-myself-to-a-limit-that-i/) [Elvis Stojko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-stojko/) > [I'm not going to change. I'm not going to start clubbing or going out in limos. I'm laid-back, and I'm going to stay that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-prior/i-m-not-going-to-change-i-m-not-going-to-start-clubbing-or-going-out/) [Mark Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-prior/) > [You know, small children take it as a matter of course that things will change every day and grown-ups understand that things change sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/you-know-small-children-take-it-as-a-matter-of-course-that-things/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“We're going to change. We're going to throw out what's worse in us and keep what's best. But come hell or high water, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/we-re-going-to-change-we-re-going-to-throw-out-what-s-worse-in-us-and/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) > [Unless we make the change ourselves, nothing is going to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/unless-we-make-the-change-ourselves-nothing-is-going-to-change/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [You don't implement change easily in Japan unless you explain very clearly why you need to do this change, how you're going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/you-don-t-implement-change-easily-in-japan-unless-you-explain-very/) [Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/) > [You will never or can never change where you are going until you change what you are doing, and you will never change what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/you-will-never-or-can-never-change-where-you-are-going-until-you/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [If you're going to be a Christian, you're going to change. You're going to lose some old friends, not because you want to, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/if-you-re-going-to-be-a-christian-you-re-going-to-change-you-re-going/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [Basketball's so much like life: if something's going great, you wait a minute, it will change. If something's going bad, you wait a minute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-duncan/basketball-s-so-much-like-life-if-something-s-going-great-you-wait-a/) [Tim Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-duncan/) > [“And certain things around us will change, become easier or harder, one thing or the other, but nothing will ever really be any different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/and-certain-things-around-us-will-change-become-easier-or-harder-one/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [There's always going to be something from one season to the next that's going to be a challenge, that's going to have change, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mccourty/there-s-always-going-to-be-something-from-one-season-to-the-next-that/) [Jason McCourty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mccourty/) > [If Egypt were going to change, it is going to change through the young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/if-egypt-were-going-to-change-it-is-going-to-change-through-the-young/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) ## More by Jeff Mach > [“Give me the ridiculous, because it's a gateway to the sublime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/give-me-the-ridiculous-because-it-s-a-gateway-to-the-sublime/) [Jeff Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/) > [“I don't make monsters. Definitions make monsters. You make definitions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/i-don-t-make-monsters-definitions-make-monsters-you-make-definitions/) [Jeff Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/) > [“The farther removed you are from people actually shooting at you, the more you forget that cannons can do something to you other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/the-farther-removed-you-are-from-people-actually-shooting-at-you-the/) [Jeff Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/) [Explore all 4 Jeff Mach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I started out, all I knew was that I was not going to stay where I'd been. I was going to change. I was going to make my part of the world into something that I wanted–not wait, hope, or beg for the world to start to want me.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeff Mach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i-was-not-going-to-stay-where/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i-was-not-going-to-stay-where/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/jeff-mach-69711_change_when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i_1180940.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started out, all I knew was that I was not going to stay where I'd been. I was going to change. I was…” — Jeff Mach", "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": "Jeff Mach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When I started out, all I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i-was-not-going-to-stay-where/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/when-i-started-out-all-i-knew-was-that-i-was-not-going-to-stay-where/#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 } } ] } ```