--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When they were small and my wife really…" description: "\"When they were small and my wife really had no other responsibilities, except taking care of the family and all of us, it wasn't that big a deal. It wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/joe-mantegna-19015_big_when-they-were-small-and-my-wife-really_958391.jpg" --- # When they were small and my wife really had no other… ![“When they were small and my wife really had no other responsibilities, except taking care of the family and all of us, it wasn't that big a deal. It was fun. Hey, we're going to Moscow. We're going to Italy. We're going to Toronto. We're going to New York.” quote by Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/joe-mantegna-19015_big_when-they-were-small-and-my-wife-really_958391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/joe-mantegna-19015_big_when-they-were-small-and-my-wife-really_958391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/joe-mantegna-19015_big_when-they-were-small-and-my-wife-really_958391.jpg) > “When they were small and my wife really had no other responsibilities, except taking care of the family and all of us, it wasn't that big a deal. It was fun. Hey, we're going to Moscow. We're going to Italy. We're going to Toronto. We're going to New York.” [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He recalls a time when his wife had few duties beyond family care, allowing spontaneous travel and shared excitement, highlighting simplicity and joy. **In simple terms:** Life was simple and adventurous when responsibilities were few. Key Takeaway Cherish moments of freedom and shared adventure. Themes family dynamics spontaneity travel shared joy Mood nostalgic hopeful warm Type personal conversational inspirational When to use this quote - family vacations - planning trips together - appreciating simple times - budget travel - relationship bonding Key Concepts minimalism work‑life balance gratitude Questions to Reflect On - What simple joys can we create today? - How can we balance responsibilities with spontaneity? A Different Perspective Modern life often adds complexity, making such simplicity rare. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Italy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italy/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Moscow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moscow/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Responsibilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibilities/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [The tennis in Italy is going in the right direction and I think our goal is always to let this sport grow as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/the-tennis-in-italy-is-going-in-the-right-direction-and-i-think-our/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [Putin needs to understand and feel in his gut that if the Chechens get a nuclear bomb, they're going to Moscow first, they're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-t-allison/putin-needs-to-understand-and-feel-in-his-gut-that-if-the-chechens/) [Graham T. Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-t-allison/) > [There's one beneficial effect of going to Moscow. You come home waving the American flag with all your might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-tyler-moore/there-s-one-beneficial-effect-of-going-to-moscow-you-come-home-waving/) [Mary Tyler Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-tyler-moore/) > [Growing up, there wasn't much emphasis on being nice or naughty. As a family, there wasn't much discipline. It was more relaxed at home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isla-fisher/growing-up-there-wasn-t-much-emphasis-on-being-nice-or-naughty-as-a/) [Isla Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isla-fisher/) > [“it was that family wasn’t built by blood—it was built by love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittainy-c-cherry/it-was-that-family-wasn-t-built-by-blood-it-was-built-by-love/) [Brittainy C. Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittainy-c-cherry/) > [My relationship to all my family in Ireland is more to family as a whole. It wasn't that we had a very specific one-on-one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aoife-o-donovan/my-relationship-to-all-my-family-in-ireland-is-more-to-family-as-a/) [Aoife O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aoife-o-donovan/) > [“In fact, the only people he let anywhere near him were his family and her. 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It wasn't owned by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/the-nature-of-fashion-is-family-you-see-that-at-almost-every-house-it/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [My goal was to prove to my family I wasn't a dummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-goodell/my-goal-was-to-prove-to-my-family-i-wasn-t-a-dummy/) [Roger Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-goodell/) > [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/) [Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/) ## More by Joe Mantegna > [Actors are journeymen. We show up for work. We do the job and then we go. What goes on behind the scenes is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/actors-are-journeymen-we-show-up-for-work-we-do-the-job-and-then-we/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [You know the way I play golf, it's a good I do these things for charities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/you-know-the-way-i-play-golf-it-s-a-good-i-do-these-things-for/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [You can't bluff someone that's not paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/you-can-t-bluff-someone-that-s-not-paying-attention/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [I did plays and movies and whatever all over the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-did-plays-and-movies-and-whatever-all-over-the-place/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [There's good and evil going on. We have cops. 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I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. 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