--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wonder, if I count long enough, whether…" description: "\"“I wonder, if I count long enough, whether I can go back in time, all the way to the beginning of eighth grade, before I was weird and before anyone no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg" --- # I wonder, if I count long enough, whether I can go back in… ![“I wonder, if I count long enough, whether I can go back in time, all the way to the beginning of eighth grade, before I was weird and before anyone noticed me and before I opened my mouth and talked to Roamer and before they called me “freak” and I was awake all the time and everything felt okay…” quote by Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg) > ““I wonder, if I count long enough, whether I can go back in time, all the way to the beginning of eighth grade, before I was weird and before anyone noticed me and before I opened my mouth and talked to Roamer and before they called me “freak” and I was awake all the time and everything felt okay and somewhat normal, whatever normal is, and people actually looked at me—not to stare, not to watch for what I’d do next, but looked at me like, Oh hey, what’s up, man, what’s up, buddy?”” [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A yearning to return to a simpler, unnoticed past where one felt normal and accepted. **In simple terms:** Wanting to go back to a time feeling normal. Key Takeaway .brace present self, seek authentic connections. Themes nostalgia identity acceptance Mood reflective hopeful Type personal conversational When to use this quote - school life - personal growth - friendship - self‑esteem Key Concepts self‑reflection social anxiety memory Questions to Reflect On - What does “normal” mean to you? - How can you create acceptance now? A Different Perspective The past cannot be reclaimed; focus on present healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eighth grade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighth-grade/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“It's weird, how much he's noticed me. Like the attention he's paid to my hunting. 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Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-stevens/) > [I don't know why, but if I was walking down the street, the same people who called me freak would probably ask for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/i-don-t-know-why-but-if-i-was-walking-down-the-street-the-same-people/) [Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/) > [ It was nerve-wracking \[to unleash 'Life of Pi' to the world\]. The first show to the journalists, that was the first one, so I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/it-was-nerve-wracking-to-unleash-life-of-pi-to-the-world-the-first/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [“Wait,” Wes says. “Are you to imply that our dear Chameleon is once again having premonitions by way of pottery?” “I’d appreciate it if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-faria-stolarz/wait-wes-says-are-you-to-imply-that-our-dear-chameleon-is-once-again/) [Laurie Faria Stolarz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-faria-stolarz/) > [When you come to Germany as a Jew you have an uneasy feeling, but I've always felt okay in Berlin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/when-you-come-to-germany-as-a-jew-you-have-an-uneasy-feeling-but-i-ve/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [I was called a freak because I was so engrossed in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/i-was-called-a-freak-because-i-was-so-engrossed-in-music/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [I felt okay for the first 45 seconds, and then my vision grew fussy. My lungs felt like deflated balloons. I would have sucked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/i-felt-okay-for-the-first-45-seconds-and-then-my-vision-grew-fussy-my/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [I've been promoted, relegated, won big trophies, gone months without scoring, played for my country at World Cups, been bought, sold, loaned, and called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/i-ve-been-promoted-relegated-won-big-trophies-gone-months-without/) [Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/) > [I gave myself permission to feel and experience all of my emotions. In order to do that, I had to stop being afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-gave-myself-permission-to-feel-and-experience-all-of-my-emotions-in/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [“Avian was home and made me feel secure and right. Everything felt okay when I was with Avian. But at the same time, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keary-taylor/avian-was-home-and-made-me-feel-secure-and-right-everything-felt-okay/) [Keary Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keary-taylor/) > [In eighth grade, when I was just the school weirdo, my drama teacher put me in a play, and we came up with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-middleditch/in-eighth-grade-when-i-was-just-the-school-weirdo-my-drama-teacher/) [Thomas Middleditch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-middleditch/) > [“If the day had gone as planned, it would have faded into the sky unmarked, swallowed without a trace along with the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-day-had-gone-as-planned-it-would-have-faded-into-the-sky/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was in eighth grade, I got the nickname Bean. It was from one of the seniors on the team. She called me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breanna-stewart/when-i-was-in-eighth-grade-i-got-the-nickname-bean-it-was-from-one-of/) [Breanna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breanna-stewart/) ## More by Jennifer Niven > [The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/the-problem-with-people-is-they-forget-that-most-of-the-time-it-s-the/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“I am disappearing, maybe I'm already gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-am-disappearing-maybe-i-m-already-gone/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Sometimes, Ultraviolet, things feel true to us even if they’re not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/sometimes-ultraviolet-things-feel-true-to-us-even-if-they-re-not/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Stars on the sky, stars on the ground. It's hard to tell where the sky ends and the earth begins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/stars-on-the-sky-stars-on-the-ground-it-s-hard-to-tell-where-the-sky/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Who cares for Algebra? Who delights in solving math? I only want to live my life Along the creative path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/who-cares-for-algebra-who-delights-in-solving-math-i-only-want-to/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Sorry wastes time. You have to live your life like you'll never be sorry. It's easier just to do the right thing from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/sorry-wastes-time-you-have-to-live-your-life-like-you-ll-never-be/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“I expect some fast reply, something flirty and flip, but instead he doesn't look up, just reaches for my hand and keeps reading. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-expect-some-fast-reply-something-flirty-and-flip-but-instead-he/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“You shouldn't spend all your time worrying about the love that leaves, because then you might overlook the love that was always there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/you-shouldn-t-spend-all-your-time-worrying-about-the-love-that-leaves/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“There's more to you than meets the eye”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/there-s-more-to-you-than-meets-the-eye/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Maybe it isn't the room that's different. Maybe it's me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/maybe-it-isn-t-the-room-that-s-different-maybe-it-s-me/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“You’re probably better at math than I am, because pretty much everyone’s better at math than I am, but it’s okay, I’m fine with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/you-re-probably-better-at-math-than-i-am-because-pretty-much-everyone/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“lovely is a lovey word that should be used more often”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/lovely-is-a-lovey-word-that-should-be-used-more-often/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Since I stopped writing, I read more than ever. Other people's words, not my own - my words are gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/since-i-stopped-writing-i-read-more-than-ever-other-people-s-words/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/it-s-my-experience-that-people-are-a-lot-more-sympathetic-if-they-can/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Be careful with that heart of yours”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/be-careful-with-that-heart-of-yours/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) [Explore all 162 Jennifer Niven quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) ## More Eighth grade quotes > [When I was in eighth grade, I got the nickname Bean. It was from one of the seniors on the team. She called me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breanna-stewart/when-i-was-in-eighth-grade-i-got-the-nickname-bean-it-was-from-one-of/) [Breanna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breanna-stewart/) > [“If the day had gone as planned, it would have faded into the sky unmarked, swallowed without a trace along with the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-day-had-gone-as-planned-it-would-have-faded-into-the-sky/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In eighth grade, when I was just the school weirdo, my drama teacher put me in a play, and we came up with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-middleditch/in-eighth-grade-when-i-was-just-the-school-weirdo-my-drama-teacher/) [Thomas Middleditch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-middleditch/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [When I was in school, in eighth grade, someone recognized something in me. She was an English teacher, and we read a play out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/when-i-was-in-school-in-eighth-grade-someone-recognized-something-in/) [David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/) > [“But back then we had to amuse ourselves, and fighting seemed to be all we had. Looking back, it was good for us. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/but-back-then-we-had-to-amuse-ourselves-and-fighting-seemed-to-be-all/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [In eighth grade, I went to home school, but it was a program meant for stay-at-home moms, and both my parents worked, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-lago/in-eighth-grade-i-went-to-home-school-but-it-was-a-program-meant-for/) [Scotty Lago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-lago/) > [I would never be popular. I didn't want to be; I liked being shy. I'd never be the smartest or the hottest or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-would-never-be-popular-i-didn-t-want-to-be-i-liked-being-shy-i-d/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I was one of those weird kids who didn't really speak or smile. I remember my teachers would call home and ask if everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessia-cara/i-was-one-of-those-weird-kids-who-didn-t-really-speak-or-smile-i/) [Alessia Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessia-cara/) > [My mothers dad dropped out of the eighth grade to work. He had to. By the time he was 30, he was a master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/my-mothers-dad-dropped-out-of-the-eighth-grade-to-work-he-had-to-by/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [I grew up in Sydney, Australia, and I started doing acting classes when I was in eighth grade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/i-grew-up-in-sydney-australia-and-i-started-doing-acting-classes-when/) [Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/) > [I played football in eighth grade, and even though I had a passion for it, it turned out I'm no good at playing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-mathews/i-played-football-in-eighth-grade-and-even-though-i-had-a-passion-for/) [Ross Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-mathews/) > [I was not good in school. I could never read very fast or very well. I got tested for learning disabilities, for dyslexia. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/i-was-not-good-in-school-i-could-never-read-very-fast-or-very-well-i/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [I was going to different neighborhoods around Brooklyn battling cats back in - this started in '82, so that's like eighth grade. Maybe 13, 14.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-daddy-kane/i-was-going-to-different-neighborhoods-around-brooklyn-battling-cats/) [Big Daddy Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-daddy-kane/) > [Marriage and fatherhood heighten the disillusion that we all think we are born handy. We confidently believe that we can fix things around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/marriage-and-fatherhood-heighten-the-disillusion-that-we-all-think-we/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) [Browse all 119 Eighth grade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighth-grade/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I wonder, if I count long enough, whether I can go back in time, all the way to the beginning of eighth grade, before I was weird and before anyone noticed me and before I opened my mouth and talked to Roamer and before they called me “freak” and I was awake all the time and everything felt okay and somewhat normal, whatever normal is, and people actually looked at me—not to stare, not to watch for what I’d do next, but looked at me like, Oh hey, what’s up, man, what’s up, buddy?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer Niven" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether-i-can-go-back-in-time-all-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eighth grade" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether-i-can-go-back-in-time-all-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/jennifer-niven-2493_eighth-grade_i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether_2514591.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wonder, if I count long enough, whether I can go back in time, all the way to the beginning of eighth…” — Jennifer Niven", "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": "Jennifer Niven", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I wonder, if I count long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether-i-can-go-back-in-time-all-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-wonder-if-i-count-long-enough-whether-i-can-go-back-in-time-all-the/#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 } } ] } ```