--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Growing up, I started to realize I was…" description: "\"Growing up, I started to realize I was surrounded by people who were passionately alive. Seventh Street felt raw, but I found it incredibly theatrical...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg" --- # Growing up, I started to realize I was surrounded by… ![“Growing up, I started to realize I was surrounded by people who were passionately alive. Seventh Street felt raw, but I found it incredibly theatrical.” quote by Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg) > “Growing up, I started to realize I was surrounded by people who were passionately alive. Seventh Street felt raw, but I found it incredibly theatrical.” [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes growing up surrounded by passionate people on Seventh Street, feeling both raw and theatrical, indicating a vibrant, artistic environment. **In simple terms:** A lively, artistic community shaped his upbringing. Key Takeaway Seek vibrant creative communities. Themes community art growth Mood reflective nostalgic Type memoir observational When to use this quote - neighborhoods - art festivals - creative collaborations Key Concepts urban studies sociology personal development Questions to Reflect On - How does environment influence creativity? - What draws you to theatrical settings? A Different Perspective May idealize past experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-raw-1047583/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Incredibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibly/) [Incredibly Theatrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibly-theatrical-662589/) [Passionately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionately/) [Passionately Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionately-alive-3634158/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raw/) [Raw Incredibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raw-incredibly-1883116/) [Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize/) [Seventh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventh/) [Seventh Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventh-street-3315365/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street/) [Surrounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrounded/) [Theatrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatrical/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [I could've shot the whole East Village, because it was and is my neighborhood. But Seventh Street is precious to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-could-ve-shot-the-whole-east-village-because-it-was-and-is-my/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [“She says things that genuinely move me. She lets her soul slip through her lips, and it’s always raw and incredibly sad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/she-says-things-that-genuinely-move-me-she-lets-her-soul-slip-through/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [Having grown up in a racist culture where 2 and 2 are not 5, I have found life to be incredibly theatrical and theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beah-richards/having-grown-up-in-a-racist-culture-where-2-and-2-are-not-5-i-have/) [Beah Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beah-richards/) > [“I was shaking so hard, I could barely get the door unlocked. I just got the door shut behind me when I sank to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-madison/i-was-shaking-so-hard-i-could-barely-get-the-door-unlocked-i-just-got/) [Dakota Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-madison/) > [“avoided him. He’d said one thing and, like a fool, I had believed him. Useless words. Stolen words. Tucking my knees into my chest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-knight/avoided-him-he-d-said-one-thing-and-like-a-fool-i-had-believed-him/) [Natasha Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-knight/) > [“Damen was panting. He was aware of his own insistent weight, and Laurent beneath him, pushed forward onto his elbows. Damen dropped his forehead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/damen-was-panting-he-was-aware-of-his-own-insistent-weight-and/) [C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/) > [“His skin felt raw, scrubbed too hard, and he wasn’t even wet yet. The rawness extended to his soul, made him feel naked far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabeth-albert/his-skin-felt-raw-scrubbed-too-hard-and-he-wasn-t-even-wet-yet-the/) [Annabeth Albert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabeth-albert/) > [And connected I had been. When the fish changed directions, I felt it. when it slowed or sped up, I felt that too. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-maxwell/and-connected-i-had-been-when-the-fish-changed-directions-i-felt-it/) [Jessica Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-maxwell/) > [“She felt raw, a painting that wasn't dry yet. One hard nudge and she'd smear all over the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-herring-blake/she-felt-raw-a-painting-that-wasn-t-dry-yet-one-hard-nudge-and-she-d/) [Ashley Herring Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-herring-blake/) > [I was in seventh grade at St. Matthew's. The teachers would tell me, 'God loves you,' and then whack a ruler across my hand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-prinze/i-was-in-seventh-grade-at-st-matthew-s-the-teachers-would-tell-me-god/) [Freddie Prinze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-prinze/) > [What our Seventh Generation will have is a consequence of our actions today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-laduke/what-our-seventh-generation-will-have-is-a-consequence-of-our-actions/) [Winona LaDuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-laduke/) > [Directing your first film is like showing up to the field trip in seventh grade, getting on the bus, and making an announcement, 'So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/directing-your-first-film-is-like-showing-up-to-the-field-trip-in/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [It wasn't until I got into seventh grade, I think, that I realized that doing plays might be a fun thing, and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-parnell/it-wasn-t-until-i-got-into-seventh-grade-i-think-that-i-realized-that/) [Chris Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-parnell/) > [In seventh grade, with some vague sense that I wanted to be a writer, I crouched in the junior high school library stacks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/in-seventh-grade-with-some-vague-sense-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [Creation's probably overrated. After all, God made the world in only six days and rested on the seventh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/creation-s-probably-overrated-after-all-god-made-the-world-in-only/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More by Josh Pais > [I created an online program that has audio lessons and PDF worksheets and two hours of video. So it's like a course you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-created-an-online-program-that-has-audio-lessons-and-pdf-worksheets/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [My process is I try to learn my lines so they're so solid I don't have to think about them or how I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/my-process-is-i-try-to-learn-my-lines-so-they-re-so-solid-i-don-t/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [Everyone feels a sense of ownership in creating a Lynn Shelton movie. Lynn chooses amazing people - including the crew. Every person there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/everyone-feels-a-sense-of-ownership-in-creating-a-lynn-shelton-movie/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I always worked pretty steadily. But maybe out of some kind of fear, I put the brakes on letting myself be as successful as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-always-worked-pretty-steadily-but-maybe-out-of-some-kind-of-fear-i/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I'm in this new Showtime series called 'Ray Donovan.' I play this guy Stu Feldman who runs Paramount Pictures, so the total opposite to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-m-in-this-new-showtime-series-called-ray-donovan-i-play-this-guy/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I want to do things that scare me, and also have a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-want-to-do-things-that-scare-me-and-also-have-a-good-time/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [My father was born in Amsterdam in a highly religious family. He was in Amsterdam, and he went into hiding right near where Anne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/my-father-was-born-in-amsterdam-in-a-highly-religious-family-he-was/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I teach a course called 'Committed Impulse,' and part of the work I do is to get people outside of their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-teach-a-course-called-committed-impulse-and-part-of-the-work-i-do/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I love to collaborate! That's totally my preference. And I feel like everything I do ends up being that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-love-to-collaborate-that-s-totally-my-preference-and-i-feel-like/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [When we shift back to feeling the sensations in our body and connect to what's in front of us, the creative channel opens up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/when-we-shift-back-to-feeling-the-sensations-in-our-body-and-connect/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I would say I'm quite happy in my life the majority of the time. Earlier in my life I was more questioning, overly trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-would-say-i-m-quite-happy-in-my-life-the-majority-of-the-time/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [Even though reality TV is very manipulated, it's all manipulated so that something real happens. And so, our job in this era is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/even-though-reality-tv-is-very-manipulated-it-s-all-manipulated-so/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I grew up in the East Village, in Alphabet City, when it was a very dangerous neighborhood. To survive there, I had to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-grew-up-in-the-east-village-in-alphabet-city-when-it-was-a-very/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I live mostly in New York, but I teach in both New York and L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-live-mostly-in-new-york-but-i-teach-in-both-new-york-and-l-a/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) > [I could've shot the whole East Village, because it was and is my neighborhood. But Seventh Street is precious to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/i-could-ve-shot-the-whole-east-village-because-it-was-and-is-my/) [Josh Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) [Explore all 18 Josh Pais quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/) ## More Alive quotes > [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 feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Growing up, I started to realize I was surrounded by people who were passionately alive. Seventh Street felt raw, but I found it incredibly theatrical.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Pais" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-surrounded-by-people-who-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-surrounded-by-people-who-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f85/josh-pais-29406_alive_growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-su_2827539.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Growing up, I started to realize I was surrounded by people who were passionately alive. Seventh Street felt…” — Josh Pais", "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": "Josh Pais", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-pais/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Growing up, I started to realize...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-surrounded-by-people-who-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-pais/growing-up-i-started-to-realize-i-was-surrounded-by-people-who-were/#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 } } ] } ```