--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We on our backs staring at the stars…" description: "\"“We on our backs staring at the stars above, Talking about what we going to be when we grow up, I said what you wanna be? She said, “Alive.” —OUTKAST, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jesmyn-ward-1426_moon_we-on-our-backs-staring-at-the-stars-abo_428811.jpg" --- # We on our backs staring at the stars above, Talking about… ![“We on our backs staring at the stars above, Talking about what we going to be when we grow up, I said what you wanna be? She said, “Alive.” —OUTKAST, “DA ART OF STORYTELLIN’ (PART I),” AQUEMINI” quote by Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jesmyn-ward-1426_moon_we-on-our-backs-staring-at-the-stars-abo_428811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jesmyn-ward-1426_moon_we-on-our-backs-staring-at-the-stars-abo_428811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jesmyn-ward-1426_moon_we-on-our-backs-staring-at-the-stars-abo_428811.jpg) > ““We on our backs staring at the stars above, Talking about what we going to be when we grow up, I said what you wanna be? She said, “Alive.” —OUTKAST, “DA ART OF STORYTELLIN’ (PART I),” AQUEMINI”” [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Youth aspirations are explored through dialogue, ending with a desire to truly feel alive. **In simple terms:** Young people seek purpose and vitality. Key Takeaway Pursue what makes you feel alive. Themes growth identity existence Mood hopeful introspective Type poetic musical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - creative projects - relationship building Key Concepts self‑realization dreams conversation Questions to Reflect On - What does being “alive” mean to you? - How can you align daily actions with that feeling? A Different Perspective Desire for aliveness may clash with practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) ## Related quotes > [Words aren't made — they grow,' said Anne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-aren-t-made-they-grow-said-anne/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Please get off me, please, I don't wanna to have something with you" (Well said, by a woman (The Wolf of Wall Street) ),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/please-get-off-me-please-i-don-t-wanna-to-have-something-with-you/) Deyth Banger > [You and me together, say, it's all I wanna do I said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugarland/you-and-me-together-say-it-s-all-i-wanna-do-i-said/) [Sugarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugarland/) > [I said, 'What you wanna be?' She said, 'Alive.' It made me think for a minute, then looked in her eyes ...I coulda died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-benjamin/i-said-what-you-wanna-be-she-said-alive-it-made-me-think-for-a-minute/) [Andre Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-benjamin/) > [“He must have been delightful," she said, "when he was alive!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-widdemer/he-must-have-been-delightful-she-said-when-he-was-alive/) [Margaret Widdemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-widdemer/) > [“YOU'RE ONLY PUTTING OFF THE INEVITABLE, he said. That's what being alive is all about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-re-only-putting-off-the-inevitable-he-said-that-s-what-being/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I lived," Dor said, "but I was not alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-lived-dor-said-but-i-was-not-alive/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“It’s what I’ve always said. To be alive is a reflection on one’s character.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shellabarger/it-s-what-i-ve-always-said-to-be-alive-is-a-reflection-on-one-s/) [Samuel Shellabarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shellabarger/) > [You aren't a hero and I'm not beautiful and we probably won't live happily ever after " she said. "But we're alive and together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-reeve/you-aren-t-a-hero-and-i-m-not-beautiful-and-we-probably-won-t-live/) [Philip Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-reeve/) > [“Jesus said, But I am "alive"! It's the same material but lighter, summer stuff, star-coil, Akhmatova's hair...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-valentine/jesus-said-but-i-am-alive-it-s-the-same-material-but-lighter-summer/) Jean Valentine > [We may not be all that bright, Jace said, but at least we are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/we-may-not-be-all-that-bright-jace-said-but-at-least-we-are-alive/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I saw it all of a sudden. That whether I liked it or not, the survivor and the artist was me, not her. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/i-saw-it-all-of-a-sudden-that-whether-i-liked-it-or-not-the-survivor/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [I asked her where she wanna be when she 25. She turned around and looked at me and said alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-asked-her-where-she-wanna-be-when-she-25-she-turned-around-and/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“The newspapers said nobody made it out alive." "Surely you didn't trust them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/the-newspapers-said-nobody-made-it-out-alive-surely-you-didn-t-trust/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) WRITER AND…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-can-only-be-said-to-be-alive-in-those-moments-when-our-hearts-are-2/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) ## More by Jesmyn Ward > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I think that voodoo as a spiritual tradition has been demonized for so long in popular culture. I wanted to write against that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-think-that-voodoo-as-a-spiritual-tradition-has-been-demonized-for/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [There's so much I love about home, but then there's a lot that I can acknowledge that I dislike about home. And acknowledging that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/there-s-so-much-i-love-about-home-but-then-there-s-a-lot-that-i-can/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“The dream of her was the glow of a spent fire on a cold night: warm and welcoming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/the-dream-of-her-was-the-glow-of-a-spent-fire-on-a-cold-night-warm/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [The first writer that I think of immediately that I studied with at Michigan is Peter Ho Davies. He was really important to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/the-first-writer-that-i-think-of-immediately-that-i-studied-with-at/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I feel like so much of what happened in the Delta over the decades since slavery was abolished seems much closer in the Delta,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-feel-like-so-much-of-what-happened-in-the-delta-over-the-decades/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Vines catch my arms, my head; we tear through until we break out into the clearing before the fence, the field, the barn, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/vines-catch-my-arms-my-head-we-tear-through-until-we-break-out-into/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Before all the little mean things she told me gathered and gathered and lodged like grit in a skinned knee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/before-all-the-little-mean-things-she-told-me-gathered-and-gathered/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [People give the South a bad rap. It's often stereotyped as backwards and close-minded and dogmatic, and all of those things have been true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/people-give-the-south-a-bad-rap-it-s-often-stereotyped-as-backwards/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [By the time I wrote my memoir, 'Men We Reaped,' I had been running from writing it for a long time. When the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/by-the-time-i-wrote-my-memoir-men-we-reaped-i-had-been-running-from/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I was a teenager, I was the only black girl at a small, private Episcopal school, where my tuition was paid by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-the-only-black-girl-at-a-small-private/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [She was the murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive, left us naked and bewildered as wrinkled newborn babies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/she-was-the-murderous-mother-who-cut-us-to-the-bone-but-left-us-alive/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I hope people who read my books feel empathy for us and really see us as complicated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-hope-people-who-read-my-books-feel-empathy-for-us-and-really-see-us/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I was writing my first novel, 'Where the Line Bleeds,' which had young black men as its main characters, I was very invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-writing-my-first-novel-where-the-line-bleeds-which-had/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Lot of folks was in there for stealing food because everybody was poor and starving, and even though White people couldn’t get your work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/lot-of-folks-was-in-there-for-stealing-food-because-everybody-was/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) [Explore all 242 Jesmyn Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## More Moon quotes > [“Because as the moon followed the sun, when Illium ascended to become an archangel, Aodhan would go with him as his second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/because-as-the-moon-followed-the-sun-when-illium-ascended-to-become/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [The moon of a bright silver, which dazzles by its shining, illumines a world which surely is no longer ours; for it resembles in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-loti/the-moon-of-a-bright-silver-which-dazzles-by-its-shining-illumines-a/) [Pierre Loti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-loti/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) Sylviek > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we can send a guy to the moon we can certainly go a quarter of a mile and not get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-prudhomme/if-we-can-send-a-guy-to-the-moon-we-can-certainly-go-a-quarter-of-a/) Don Prudhomme > [Never ignore a person who love you, care fot you,and misses you,because one day,you might wake up and realize, you lost the moon while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chou/never-ignore-a-person-who-love-you-care-fot-you-and-misses-you/) Chou > [There was only the broad square with the scattered dim moons of the street lamps and with the monumental stone arch which receded into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/there-was-only-the-broad-square-with-the-scattered-dim-moons-of-the/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-sky-was-a-sparkling-succession-of-black-diamonds-on-black-velvet/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) [Browse all 6,418 Moon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We on our backs staring at the stars above, Talking about what we going to be when we grow up, I said what you wanna be? 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