--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there was a time machine and I could…" description: "\"If there was a time machine and I could tell my younger self what I'd be doing in 2020, there's no way I'd believe it.\" — Jonny Kim" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg" --- # If there was a time machine and I could tell my younger… ![“If there was a time machine and I could tell my younger self what I'd be doing in 2020, there's no way I'd believe it.” quote by Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg) > “If there was a time machine and I could tell my younger self what I'd be doing in 2020, there's no way I'd believe it.” [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A future self would be astonished by 2020 events, highlighting the unpredictability of life and personal evolution. **In simple terms:** Future self would be surprised by 2020. Key Takeaway Expect the unexpected in life. Themes change uncertainty future self-reflection technology Mood reflective curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - technology adoption - personal growth - historical analysis Key Concepts philosophy future studies personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How would you advise your younger self? - What lessons from 2020 can guide you now? A Different Perspective May underplay personal agency in shaping outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-machine/) [Younger self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-self/) ## Related quotes > [I would definitely tell my younger self not to be in a rush, on anyone else's timeline, and make sure that, along the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mya/i-would-definitely-tell-my-younger-self-not-to-be-in-a-rush-on-anyone/) [Mya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mya/) > [I would tell my younger self not to change for anyone. There's only one you, which makes you unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-cephas-jones/i-would-tell-my-younger-self-not-to-change-for-anyone-there-s-only/) [Jasmine Cephas Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-cephas-jones/) > [“I wish I could tell my younger self that sensitive people are as rare as hen's teeth, understand that you're different and that's okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-adel/i-wish-i-could-tell-my-younger-self-that-sensitive-people-are-as-rare/) [Sarah Adel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-adel/) > [One thing I wish I could tell my younger self: take photos of everyday life, not special occasions; later, that's what will be interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-thing-i-wish-i-could-tell-my-younger-self-take-photos-of-everyday/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [To my younger self, I would say not to be so hard on yourself. I think that you are your biggest critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-beer/to-my-younger-self-i-would-say-not-to-be-so-hard-on-yourself-i-think/) [Madison Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-beer/) > [The advice I'd give to my younger self? Stay in your own lane, maybe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-dynevor/the-advice-i-d-give-to-my-younger-self-stay-in-your-own-lane-maybe/) [Phoebe Dynevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-dynevor/) > [If I could talk to my younger self, I'd both give myself a slap and reassure myself that it's going really good in 2024,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pearson/if-i-could-talk-to-my-younger-self-i-d-both-give-myself-a-slap-and/) [Adam Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pearson/) > [“Advice to my younger self: 1 Start where you are with what you have 2 Try not to hurt other people 3 Take more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/advice-to-my-younger-self-1-start-where-you-are-with-what-you-have-2/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I'd probably say to my younger self, get yourself a whole collection of lawyers. Which is what I have now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-oldfield/i-d-probably-say-to-my-younger-self-get-yourself-a-whole-collection/) [Mike Oldfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-oldfield/) > [If I could talk to my younger self, I would just say that the path to great things is filled with a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/if-i-could-talk-to-my-younger-self-i-would-just-say-that-the-path-to/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [I write about times and places I would visit in a time machine, like ancient Rome or the Wild West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lawrence/i-write-about-times-and-places-i-would-visit-in-a-time-machine-like/) [Caroline Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lawrence/) > [“َA book is a time machine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jahangir-khosravi-shakib/a-book-is-a-time-machine/) jahangir khosravi shakib > [Obama remains frozen in his father's time machine. His anti-colonialism is the anti-colonialism of Africa in the 1950s: state confiscation of land, confiscatory taxation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/obama-remains-frozen-in-his-father-s-time-machine-his-anti/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [I think I'd just like to get in a time machine and travel and never come back. The '20s would be an incredible place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-webster/i-think-i-d-just-like-to-get-in-a-time-machine-and-travel-and-never/) [Victor Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-webster/) > [If we got into a time machine and went back to the 1700s, classical and baroque music would have been the equivalent of Beyonce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/if-we-got-into-a-time-machine-and-went-back-to-the-1700s-classical/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) ## More by Jonny Kim > [My only expectation, which I tell my kids very, very often, is that they follow their heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/my-only-expectation-which-i-tell-my-kids-very-very-often-is-that-they/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [For me... after having some intense wartime experiences where I lost a lot of good friends that I've loved, I made a promise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/for-me-after-having-some-intense-wartime-experiences-where-i-lost-a/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [You're going to learn a lot every time you fail. So embrace that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/you-re-going-to-learn-a-lot-every-time-you-fail-so-embrace-that/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [I didn't have the confidence from my childhood, but dreams are possible and all good things in life are hard to get, so persevere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/i-didn-t-have-the-confidence-from-my-childhood-but-dreams-are/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [My father was the classic epitome of a very hard immigrant-worker. He made up for his lack of education by working really hard... He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/my-father-was-the-classic-epitome-of-a-very-hard-immigrant-worker-he/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [Going into the Navy was the best decision I ever made in my life because it completely transformed that scared boy who didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/going-into-the-navy-was-the-best-decision-i-ever-made-in-my-life/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [I was good at school but I thought I sucked at everything else. I was socially scared of making relationships. High school was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/i-was-good-at-school-but-i-thought-i-sucked-at-everything-else-i-was/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [Don't let that hunger for the unknown go away. That curiosity is so important, so you should maintain that passion for what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/don-t-let-that-hunger-for-the-unknown-go-away-that-curiosity-is-so/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [My parents were South Korean immigrants who came to America in the early 80s for the hope of a better life for their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/my-parents-were-south-korean-immigrants-who-came-to-america-in-the/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [Once someone is no longer a threat, you look at them like anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/once-someone-is-no-longer-a-threat-you-look-at-them-like-anybody-else/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [I know certainly that my parents sacrificed a lot to come to America, and to... start a new life for their family and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/i-know-certainly-that-my-parents-sacrificed-a-lot-to-come-to-america/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [All things that are worthwhile are very difficult to obtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/all-things-that-are-worthwhile-are-very-difficult-to-obtain/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [Ego is probably one of the biggest poisons we can have - it's toxic to any environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/ego-is-probably-one-of-the-biggest-poisons-we-can-have-it-s-toxic-to/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [I live in Boston so I'm used to small spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/i-live-in-boston-so-i-m-used-to-small-spaces/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) > [I never want my children to ever feel like they need to be a SEAL, or that they need to go into medicine, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/i-never-want-my-children-to-ever-feel-like-they-need-to-be-a-seal-or/) [Jonny Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) [Explore all 32 Jonny Kim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there was a time machine and I could tell my younger self what I'd be doing in 2020, there's no way I'd believe it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonny Kim" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could-tell-my-younger-self-what-i-d/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could-tell-my-younger-self-what-i-d/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/jonny-kim-19754_believe_if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could_172370.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there was a time machine and I could tell my younger self what I'd be doing in 2020, there's no way I'd…” — Jonny Kim", "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": "Jonny Kim", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-kim/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there was a time machine...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could-tell-my-younger-self-what-i-d/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-kim/if-there-was-a-time-machine-and-i-could-tell-my-younger-self-what-i-d/#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 } } ] } ```