--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember growing up, people would say…" description: "\"I remember growing up, people would say, 'You could be president!' Well, for a black kid looking at that, it wasn't until Obama became president that y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/jimmie-allen-6209_growing-up_i-remember-growing-up-people-would-say-y_726825.jpg" --- # I remember growing up, people would say, 'You could be… ![“I remember growing up, people would say, 'You could be president!' Well, for a black kid looking at that, it wasn't until Obama became president that you were like, 'Maybe it can really happen.'” quote by Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/jimmie-allen-6209_growing-up_i-remember-growing-up-people-would-say-y_726825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/jimmie-allen-6209_growing-up_i-remember-growing-up-people-would-say-y_726825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/jimmie-allen-6209_growing-up_i-remember-growing-up-people-would-say-y_726825.jpg) > “I remember growing up, people would say, 'You could be president!' Well, for a black kid looking at that, it wasn't until Obama became president that you were like, 'Maybe it can really happen.'” [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing a role model in a high office shows that barriers can be broken, inspiring personal ambition. **In simple terms:** Seeing a role model shows possibilities. Key Takeaway Seek mentors and envision yourself in those roles. Themes representation inspiration ambition Mood hopeful empowering Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - education - community activism - personal goal setting Key Concepts social mobility racial progress leadership Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing a Black president affect your goals? - What barriers remain despite representation? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic obstacles beyond representation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I just always think, 'Do I like it?' And if I like it, maybe other people will come and like it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-just-always-think-do-i-like-it-and-if-i-like-it-maybe-other-people/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I have some stuff that I've been working on the past year or two, but I haven't put anything together into songs or anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-khan/i-have-some-stuff-that-i-ve-been-working-on-the-past-year-or-two-but/) [King Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-khan/) > [“Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/take-a-lover-who-looks-at-you-like-maybe-you-are-magic/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [I'll take that as you like it? Maybe not...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ll-take-that-as-you-like-it-maybe-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Maybe I'm over you. maybe i've moved one. maybe I like someone else. but maybe I'm a perfectly good liar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/maybe-i-m-over-you-maybe-i-ve-moved-one-maybe-i-like-someone-else-but/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [“You'd like that," "maybe." "There's no maybe. You would. Just like you liked it in the kitchen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/you-d-like-that-maybe-there-s-no-maybe-you-would-just-like-you-liked/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“Maybe I’m better like this. Maybe I could live my life in my own world, and then simply leave it when it’s time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-i-m-better-like-this-maybe-i-could-live-my-life-in-my-own-world/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I never had that thing about being black. If the whole world was like that, maybe there would be more harmony and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-turner/i-never-had-that-thing-about-being-black-if-the-whole-world-was-like/) [Tina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-turner/) > [Maybe I'm over you. Maybe I've moved on. Maybe I like someone else, but maybe, I'm just a really good liar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-i-m-over-you-maybe-i-ve-moved-on-maybe-i-like-someone-else-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm always like, "Maybe I can drive the car. I can still fly the plane!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-na-wen/i-m-always-like-maybe-i-can-drive-the-car-i-can-still-fly-the-plane/) [Ming-Na Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-na-wen/) > [“You're the one I like. Maybe love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-evans-welch/you-re-the-one-i-like-maybe-love/) [Jenna Evans Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-evans-welch/) > [“I sort of kind of said something a little like that but maybe not clearly enough to sound like that... But it's what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-eva-swatek/i-sort-of-kind-of-said-something-a-little-like-that-but-maybe-not/) Mary Eva Swatek > [“you take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-mcconnell/you-take-a-lover-who-looks-at-you-like-maybe-you-are-magic/) Marty Mcconnell > [“But I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to do all the “date” things with someone like the young man currently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-kennedy/but-i-couldn-t-help-but-wonder-what-it-would-be-like-to-do-all-the/) [Sloane Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-kennedy/) > [If we could learn even a little to like ourselves, maybe our cruelties and angers might melt away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-we-could-learn-even-a-little-to-like-ourselves-maybe-our-cruelties/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## More by Jimmie Allen > [I wanted to be a dad. But I never wanted to get married. Alexis changed that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-wanted-to-be-a-dad-but-i-never-wanted-to-get-married-alexis-changed/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I realized for me and my mental health, I needed to be doing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-realized-for-me-and-my-mental-health-i-needed-to-be-doing-something/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [My dad and my mom told me, 'Don't just think there's one way to be successful.' Remember, there's more than one way to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/my-dad-and-my-mom-told-me-don-t-just-think-there-s-one-way-to-be/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I always wanted to be like a darker-complected Keith Urban, but I don't play the guitar that well. And I'm a little taller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-always-wanted-to-be-like-a-darker-complected-keith-urban-but-i-don/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [When you feel like you're isolated and you're on your own, you feel hopeless and who knows what those hopeless thoughts can turn into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/when-you-feel-like-you-re-isolated-and-you-re-on-your-own-you-feel/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [As long as you work hard, you're consistent, show up every day and you're good to people, there are tons of opportunity no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/as-long-as-you-work-hard-you-re-consistent-show-up-every-day-and-you/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I believe the right lyric and melody can soar beyond the clouds to the ears of the heavens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-believe-the-right-lyric-and-melody-can-soar-beyond-the-clouds-to/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [All my dad listened to was country music, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/all-my-dad-listened-to-was-country-music-you-know/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [Kanye is my favorite hip hop artist of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/kanye-is-my-favorite-hip-hop-artist-of-all-time/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I always wanna align myself with people I respect. I always wanna take a step back and think, 'How is this person as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-always-wanna-align-myself-with-people-i-respect-i-always-wanna-take/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [My Grammy nomination didn't come from hip-hop, didn't come from R&B, didn't come from rock - it came from my success in country music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/my-grammy-nomination-didn-t-come-from-hip-hop-didn-t-come-from-r-b/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I feel like life is about being a good parent but also doing what you love because doing what you love inspires your kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-feel-like-life-is-about-being-a-good-parent-but-also-doing-what-you/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [Everything that I write, I somehow tie it back into who I am and how I grew up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/everything-that-i-write-i-somehow-tie-it-back-into-who-i-am-and-how-i/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [We got a chance to represent Black country artists for younger Black kids who want to do country but don't feel anyone out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/we-got-a-chance-to-represent-black-country-artists-for-younger-black/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I like my coffee about the color of my skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-like-my-coffee-about-the-color-of-my-skin/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) [Explore all 99 Jimmie Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) ## More Growing up quotes > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [We all got driven out of Manhattan. It was a very conducive place for artists when I was growing up, and now it's definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/we-all-got-driven-out-of-manhattan-it-was-a-very-conducive-place-for/) [Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wasn't a kid growing up thinking, 'One day I'll get an Oscar and make a speech.' That wasn't on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/i-wasn-t-a-kid-growing-up-thinking-one-day-i-ll-get-an-oscar-and-make/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [I was young, but to me that was underground music. I had never heard anything like Venom or any of that stuff growing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pajo/i-was-young-but-to-me-that-was-underground-music-i-had-never-heard/) [David Pajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pajo/) > [I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-didn-t-grow-up-thinking-of-movies-as-film-or-art-but-as-movies/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [How am I supposed to make life choices when I still use my fingers to count and sing the whole alphabet to see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-am-i-supposed-to-make-life-choices-when-i-still-use-my-fingers-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Grow up? Get herself straightened out? Her mind reeled from the verbal battering. No matter what she did, her father would tell her she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/grow-up-get-herself-straightened-out-her-mind-reeled-from-the-verbal/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) [Browse all 7,738 Growing up quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember growing up, people would say, 'You could be president!' 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