---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're young, you do dumb things. I…"
description: "\"When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't understand why some other athletes never were extended that same excuse.\" — Jemele Hill"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg"
---

#  When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't…

![“When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't understand why some other athletes never were extended that same excuse.” quote by Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg)

> “When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't understand why some other athletes never were extended that same excuse.”

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Points out that youth often excuses mistakes, while others are held to higher standards.

**In simple terms:** Young people get leniency; others face stricter judgment.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for fair expectations.

Themes

sports justice age bias

Mood

critical analytical

Type

opinion social commentary

When to use this quote

- coaching
- team dynamics
- media commentary

Key Concepts

fairness accountability

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we ensure consistent standards across ages?
- What impact does this have on athlete development?

A Different Perspective

Age-based double standards persist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Athletes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes/) [Athletes Extended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes-extended-1631256/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand/) [Understand Athletes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-athletes-1230368/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-dumb-883448/)

## Related quotes

> [The general public does not really understand what athletes do away from competition time. They know there will be some exertion involved, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanni-grey-thompson/the-general-public-does-not-really-understand-what-athletes-do-away/)

[Tanni Grey-Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanni-grey-thompson/)

> [We understand that athletes aren't necessarily role models, but we at least expect them to abide by the basic laws of the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pawlenty/we-understand-that-athletes-aren-t-necessarily-role-models-but-we-at/)

[Tim Pawlenty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pawlenty/)

> [Young, dumb, lookin' in the mirror tryin' to figure out who I’m gonna be this year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/young-dumb-lookin-in-the-mirror-tryin-to-figure-out-who-i-m-gonna-be/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [I was young and dumb back in the '90s, but I had a lot of fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daly/i-was-young-and-dumb-back-in-the-90s-but-i-had-a-lot-of-fun/)

[John Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daly/)

> [You're young and dumb and quick at the tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-moe-dee/you-re-young-and-dumb-and-quick-at-the-tongue/)

[Kool Moe Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-moe-dee/)

> [To be old and wise you must first be young and dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas/to-be-old-and-wise-you-must-first-be-young-and-dumb/)

[Anas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anas/)

> [Young and dumb is something you gotta go through, but you've got to be a student.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/too-short/young-and-dumb-is-something-you-gotta-go-through-but-you-ve-got-to-be/)

[Too Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/too-short/)

> [We was young and we was dumb, but we had heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2pac/we-was-young-and-we-was-dumb-but-we-had-heart/)

[2Pac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2pac/)

> [The great thing about being young and dumb is that you don't know what you can't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/the-great-thing-about-being-young-and-dumb-is-that-you-don-t-know/)

[Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/)

> [I know you're young and dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-who/i-know-you-re-young-and-dumb/)

[The Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-who/)

> [How can we ruin something so perfect, so fluent We was young, We was dumb, We ain't know what we was doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-we-ruin-something-so-perfect-so-fluent-we-was-young-we-was/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being young and dumb, honestly, you pick up some bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-gasol/being-young-and-dumb-honestly-you-pick-up-some-bad-habits/)

[Marc Gasol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-gasol/)

> [Teenage love, we're young, dumb, &amp; naive. And that's why it hurts so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teenage-love-we-re-young-dumb-naive-and-that-s-why-it-hurts-so-much/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I've been young &amp; dumb, and if I were never called out on it I would now be older and dumber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-e-quinones-miller/i-ve-been-young-dumb-and-if-i-were-never-called-out-on-it-i-would-now/)

[Karen E. Quinones Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-e-quinones-miller/)

> [“I like em young, dumb, and hung." Reign the Radiant”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/i-like-em-young-dumb-and-hung-reign-the-radiant/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

## More by Jemele Hill

> [I prefer rappers who have something intelligent to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-prefer-rappers-who-have-something-intelligent-to-say/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Racism has never been outright gone in the history of this nation, but I think we've had moments where everybody has been really fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/racism-has-never-been-outright-gone-in-the-history-of-this-nation-but/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Yes, I do realize that men in sports media also face criticism and backlash, but the vitriol that is directed at women, especially women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/yes-i-do-realize-that-men-in-sports-media-also-face-criticism-and/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Just because I've written extensively about race doesn't render me incapable of making the same mistakes as the people I've written about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/just-because-i-ve-written-extensively-about-race-doesn-t-render-me/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [When you're a kid, you don't understand your parents are flawed people. You want them to be perfect, and when they aren't, it's hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/when-you-re-a-kid-you-don-t-understand-your-parents-are-flawed-people/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Although study after study shows black men are more likely to be victims of crime, rarely do they receive victim treatment. When black athletes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/although-study-after-study-shows-black-men-are-more-likely-to-be/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [It's something most people of color and most women have been burdened with their whole lives, having to suppress your natural emotion to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/it-s-something-most-people-of-color-and-most-women-have-been-burdened/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Shaq is like an oversized muppet, and who doesn't love muppets?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/shaq-is-like-an-oversized-muppet-and-who-doesn-t-love-muppets/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Trump delights in building his campaigns around white Americans' racial anxieties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/trump-delights-in-building-his-campaigns-around-white-americans/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Race impacts 90 percent of our society - and I'm probably undershooting that figure. I find this fascinating and like to address it when pertinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/race-impacts-90-percent-of-our-society-and-i-m-probably-undershooting/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [There was no excuse for Dallas Cowboys to lose to Washington. Rivalry or not, Redskins are a bad team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/there-was-no-excuse-for-dallas-cowboys-to-lose-to-washington-rivalry/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [I once wrote about Don Imus that 'speech is free, but consequences are not.' I never want to be the exception to that rule,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-once-wrote-about-don-imus-that-speech-is-free-but-consequences-are/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [A NASCAR guy can drop-kick another driver through his car window and it is just considered part of the sport. Hockey players drop their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/a-nascar-guy-can-drop-kick-another-driver-through-his-car-window-and/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [I just hope that my success is in some way influencing other outlets to really be much more purposeful in promoting, advancing and recruiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-just-hope-that-my-success-is-in-some-way-influencing-other-outlets/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [Anyone who generates opinion for a living is going to get plenty of feedback, positive or negative. Some people indeed don't like the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/anyone-who-generates-opinion-for-a-living-is-going-to-get-plenty-of/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

[Explore all 102 Jemele Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

## More Athletes quotes

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [Whether it's basketball, football, baseball, you like meeting other athletes to see how their jobs work, and everything like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-gaudreau/whether-it-s-basketball-football-baseball-you-like-meeting-other/)

[Johnny Gaudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-gaudreau/)

> [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/)

[Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/)

> [Professional athletes die twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/professional-athletes-die-twice/)

[Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/)

> [It's important for closet gay athletes everywhere, not just at the professional level, but more importantly athletes at the younger level in high school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fujita/it-s-important-for-closet-gay-athletes-everywhere-not-just-at-the/)

[Scott Fujita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-fujita/)

> [Theres that initial reticence for some athletes to take you seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-guerrero/theres-that-initial-reticence-for-some-athletes-to-take-you-seriously/)

[Lisa Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-guerrero/)

> [I think athletes in general, your days are numbered. Any time you can kind of learn and grow from an entrepreneurship standpoint and ownership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ingram-ii/i-think-athletes-in-general-your-days-are-numbered-any-time-you-can/)

[Mark Ingram II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ingram-ii/)

> [Athletes can not look the same and be great in their individual sport. The example I like to use is Gabby Douglas. She could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-carter/athletes-can-not-look-the-same-and-be-great-in-their-individual-sport/)

[Michelle Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-carter/)

> [“Athletes, we were supposed to just be there, and in class I made it a point that I was prepared for every exam, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-wilkens/athletes-we-were-supposed-to-just-be-there-and-in-class-i-made-it-a/)

[Lenny Wilkens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-wilkens/)

> [My guess is many top athletes, distance runners included, use performance-enhancing drugs, enough so that the problem must be tackled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rodgers/my-guess-is-many-top-athletes-distance-runners-included-use/)

[Bill Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rodgers/)

> [I always tell young athletes the same thing, 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, what must your top priority be? Running.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-gebrselassie/i-always-tell-young-athletes-the-same-thing-wherever-you-go-whatever/)

[Haile Gebrselassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-gebrselassie/)

> [The most important thing to me is to inspire all these athletes in the next generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobin-heath/the-most-important-thing-to-me-is-to-inspire-all-these-athletes-in/)

[Tobin Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobin-heath/)

> [Somewhere behind the athlete you have become, and hours if practice is a little girl who picked up a ball, fell in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/somewhere-behind-the-athlete-you-have-become-and-hours-if-practice-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Athletes love challenges, and golf is something you can never master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-horry/athletes-love-challenges-and-golf-is-something-you-can-never-master/)

[Robert Horry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-horry/)

> [My concentration level blocks out everything. Concentration is why some athletes are better than others. You develop that concentration in training and concentrate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-concentration-level-blocks-out-everything-concentration-is-why/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 601 Athletes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't understand why some other athletes never were extended that same excuse.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jemele Hill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-just-can-t-understand-why-some/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Athletes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-just-can-t-understand-why-some/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/jemele-hill-5269_athletes_when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-j_2564011.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you're young, you do dumb things. I just can't understand why some other athletes never were extended…” — Jemele Hill",
                "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": "Jemele Hill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you're young, you do dumb...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-just-can-t-understand-why-some/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/when-you-re-young-you-do-dumb-things-i-just-can-t-understand-why-some/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
