--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are now as I wished we would be then." description: "\"“We are now as I wished we would be then.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg" --- # We are now as I wished we would be then. ![“We are now as I wished we would be then.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg) > ““We are now as I wished we would be then.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We become the people we imagined we would be, aligning present self with past aspirations. **In simple terms:** We become who we imagined. Key Takeaway Align actions with past dreams. Themes growth identity aspiration self‑realization literature Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type philosophical literary motivational When to use this quote - career planning - goal setting - self‑reflection - creative projects Key Concepts psychology personal development narrative Questions to Reflect On - What part of your past self still guides you? - How do you reconcile changed aspirations? A Different Perspective Past expectations can be unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [We are now as I wished we could be then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-could-be-then/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [In seeking an empire of liberty, Jefferson wished not only to expand the country's territorial holdings, but also to extend American institutions around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-seeking-an-empire-of-liberty-jefferson-wished-not-only-to-expand/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“As my eyes slide shut,I'm thinking about second chances,knowing that the one I wished for tonight is lying next to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/as-my-eyes-slide-shut-i-m-thinking-about-second-chances-knowing-that/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [I've come up in the scripted world, and I have wished there were more time slots for us to tell compelling scripted stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-macchio/i-ve-come-up-in-the-scripted-world-and-i-have-wished-there-were-more/) [Ralph Macchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-macchio/) > [For quite sometime, I've secretly wished for a bigger butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherlyn-chopra/for-quite-sometime-i-ve-secretly-wished-for-a-bigger-butt/) [Sherlyn Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherlyn-chopra/) > [Sometimes the soul takes pictures of the little things it has wished for, but never seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne/sometimes-the-soul-takes-pictures-of-the-little-things-it-has-wished/) [Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne/) > [“I should be sorry if I only entertained them. I wished to make them better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-frideric-handel/i-should-be-sorry-if-i-only-entertained-them-i-wished-to-make-them/) [George Frideric Handel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-frideric-handel/) > [I've never wished for people to recognise me or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diljit-dosanjh/i-ve-never-wished-for-people-to-recognise-me-or-anything/) [Diljit Dosanjh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diljit-dosanjh/) > [I am going to that country which I have all my life wished to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/i-am-going-to-that-country-which-i-have-all-my-life-wished-to-see/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“You're everything I ever wished for. I just didn't wish for much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james-west/you-re-everything-i-ever-wished-for-i-just-didn-t-wish-for-much/) [Peter James West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james-west/) > [“She wished he could make her somehow indelibly his; that they were still children so they could cut their fingers and mingle their blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-wished-he-could-make-her-somehow-indelibly-his-that-they-were/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“And I wished I could believe him. I wished with all that I had. And when you're eleven, you're on the cusp between still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/and-i-wished-i-could-believe-him-i-wished-with-all-that-i-had-and/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [Last night, I felt like I wished I wasn't Chad Johnson. Last night, I felt like I wished I wasn't good. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-ochocinco/last-night-i-felt-like-i-wished-i-wasn-t-chad-johnson-last-night-i/) [Chad Ochocinco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-ochocinco/) > [“I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-wished-as-it-were-to-procrastinate-all-that-related-to-my-feelings/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [It was an odd coincidence that my career took off the same decade as having babies. I often wished it had been different, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kaczmarek/it-was-an-odd-coincidence-that-my-career-took-off-the-same-decade-as/) [Jane Kaczmarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kaczmarek/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Wished quotes > [It was an odd coincidence that my career took off the same decade as having babies. I often wished it had been different, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kaczmarek/it-was-an-odd-coincidence-that-my-career-took-off-the-same-decade-as/) [Jane Kaczmarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kaczmarek/) > [“I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-wished-as-it-were-to-procrastinate-all-that-related-to-my-feelings/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [Last night, I felt like I wished I wasn't Chad Johnson. Last night, I felt like I wished I wasn't good. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-ochocinco/last-night-i-felt-like-i-wished-i-wasn-t-chad-johnson-last-night-i/) [Chad Ochocinco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-ochocinco/) > [“And I wished I could believe him. I wished with all that I had. And when you're eleven, you're on the cusp between still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/and-i-wished-i-could-believe-him-i-wished-with-all-that-i-had-and/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [“She wished he could make her somehow indelibly his; that they were still children so they could cut their fingers and mingle their blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-wished-he-could-make-her-somehow-indelibly-his-that-they-were/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“You're everything I ever wished for. I just didn't wish for much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james-west/you-re-everything-i-ever-wished-for-i-just-didn-t-wish-for-much/) [Peter James West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james-west/) > [I am going to that country which I have all my life wished to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/i-am-going-to-that-country-which-i-have-all-my-life-wished-to-see/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [I've never wished for people to recognise me or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diljit-dosanjh/i-ve-never-wished-for-people-to-recognise-me-or-anything/) [Diljit Dosanjh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diljit-dosanjh/) > [“I should be sorry if I only entertained them. I wished to make them better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-frideric-handel/i-should-be-sorry-if-i-only-entertained-them-i-wished-to-make-them/) [George Frideric Handel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-frideric-handel/) > [Sometimes the soul takes pictures of the little things it has wished for, but never seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne/sometimes-the-soul-takes-pictures-of-the-little-things-it-has-wished/) [Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne/) > [For quite sometime, I've secretly wished for a bigger butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherlyn-chopra/for-quite-sometime-i-ve-secretly-wished-for-a-bigger-butt/) [Sherlyn Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherlyn-chopra/) > [I've come up in the scripted world, and I have wished there were more time slots for us to tell compelling scripted stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-macchio/i-ve-come-up-in-the-scripted-world-and-i-have-wished-there-were-more/) [Ralph Macchio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-macchio/) > [“As my eyes slide shut,I'm thinking about second chances,knowing that the one I wished for tonight is lying next to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/as-my-eyes-slide-shut-i-m-thinking-about-second-chances-knowing-that/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [In seeking an empire of liberty, Jefferson wished not only to expand the country's territorial holdings, but also to extend American institutions around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-seeking-an-empire-of-liberty-jefferson-wished-not-only-to-expand/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“She wished she wasn’t jealous, but in quiet, weak moments, she desperately wanted to be like them. She wanted gentlemen to shoulder each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-joseph/she-wished-she-wasn-t-jealous-but-in-quiet-weak-moments-she/) [Annabel Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-joseph/) Browse all 333 Wished quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are now as I wished we would be then.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Wished" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f6/john-green-12_quote_we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then_2219670.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are now as I wished we would be then.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We are now as I wished...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-are-now-as-i-wished-we-would-be-then/#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 } } ] } ```