---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you grow up around it, I just…"
description: "\"When you grow up around it, I just watched my father work really hard. He wasn't around as much as I would have liked. And when I grew up, I understood..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg"
---

#  When you grow up around it, I just watched my father work…

![“When you grow up around it, I just watched my father work really hard. He wasn't around as much as I would have liked. And when I grew up, I understood why.” quote by Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg)

> “When you grow up around it, I just watched my father work really hard. He wasn't around as much as I would have liked. And when I grew up, I understood why.”

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Hard work and sacrifice often go unnoticed, shaping one's values and drive later in life.

**In simple terms:** Hard work shapes character.

Key Takeaway

Respect effort.

Themes

family work ethic gratitude

Mood

reflective appreciative

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- parenting
- career choices
- personal reflection
- mentorship

Key Concepts

sacrifice legacy values

Questions to Reflect On

- How does early observation of effort influence your goals?
- What sacrifices are you willing to make?

A Different Perspective

Hard work may not guarantee success.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [Earlier, even I used to think that I would be doing theatre all my life, but as I grew, I understood that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himani-shivpuri/earlier-even-i-used-to-think-that-i-would-be-doing-theatre-all-my/)

[Himani Shivpuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himani-shivpuri/)

> [I was a self-centered bore. I was masochistic, and only thought I was happy. When I woke up and said, "there must be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-grant/i-was-a-self-centered-bore-i-was-masochistic-and-only-thought-i-was/)

[Cary Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-grant/)

> [You know, we travelled a lot when I was a kid because my father was wherever the work was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/you-know-we-travelled-a-lot-when-i-was-a-kid-because-my-father-was/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [“watched a father slap his 8-year-old son in the face. I watched Adam fall to the floor and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/watched-a-father-slap-his-8-year-old-son-in-the-face-i-watched-adam/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [“He listened to his words fall as if from the mouth of another, and watched his father’s face, which received those words as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/he-listened-to-his-words-fall-as-if-from-the-mouth-of-another-and/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“As he watched his father, Tengo started to have doubts about the difference between a person being alive and being dead. Maybe there really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-he-watched-his-father-tengo-started-to-have-doubts-about-the/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The thing that influenced me most in relation to 'Nanny McPhee' were the Westerns I watched with my father. All the Spaghetti Westerns; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/the-thing-that-influenced-me-most-in-relation-to-nanny-mcphee-were/)

[Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/)

> [Jemu watched his father disappear. He didn't throw the coconut and he didn't cry. Never again would he know love for another human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/jemu-watched-his-father-disappear-he-didn-t-throw-the-coconut-and-he/)

[Kiran Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/)

> [“I watched your father killed before my eyes, she might have said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/i-watched-your-father-killed-before-my-eyes-she-might-have-said/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [I watched my own father, he went bankrupt and had problems with the IRS. He was living beyond his means, and I guess I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-storch/i-watched-my-own-father-he-went-bankrupt-and-had-problems-with-the/)

[Scott Storch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-storch/)

> [I don't mind expressing my opinions and speaking out against injustice. I would be doing this even if I wasn't a writer. I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayari-jones/i-don-t-mind-expressing-my-opinions-and-speaking-out-against/)

[Tayari Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayari-jones/)

> [I had five sisters and one brother, so having a big family is a given for me, but now being a father, and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-charvet/i-had-five-sisters-and-one-brother-so-having-a-big-family-is-a-given/)

[David Charvet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-charvet/)

> [My father would go to work and try to survive every day just to get home to my mother so they could be at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnathon-schaech/my-father-would-go-to-work-and-try-to-survive-every-day-just-to-get/)

[Johnathon Schaech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnathon-schaech/)

> [If we will but let our God and Father work His will with us, there can be no limit to His enlargement of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/if-we-will-but-let-our-god-and-father-work-his-will-with-us-there-can/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [I grew up watching my father work, and learning from him what good quality is. I took from him the passion to create beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-della-valle/i-grew-up-watching-my-father-work-and-learning-from-him-what-good/)

[Diego Della Valle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-della-valle/)

## More by Katey Sagal

> [I think I'm a soulful singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-think-i-m-a-soulful-singer/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [“Parenting has no guide book; we come to it with what came at us. It's only the conscious mind that can shift the paradigm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/parenting-has-no-guide-book-we-come-to-it-with-what-came-at-us-it-s/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [It's sort of the mixed blessing of being on television for so long in one thing; sometimes that backfires, in that you're not able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/it-s-sort-of-the-mixed-blessing-of-being-on-television-for-so-long-in/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [So you know, my plan was that I was going to make records, and be a rock star. And that's really what I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/so-you-know-my-plan-was-that-i-was-going-to-make-records-and-be-a/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [Generally, I find a lot to be grateful for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/generally-i-find-a-lot-to-be-grateful-for/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [You know, we travelled a lot when I was a kid because my father was wherever the work was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/you-know-we-travelled-a-lot-when-i-was-a-kid-because-my-father-was/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [I love to play gigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-love-to-play-gigs/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [I do tend to play characters that have a lot of costume and hair change. I sort of like the change of physicality thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-do-tend-to-play-characters-that-have-a-lot-of-costume-and-hair/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [Music is extremely intuitive, which acting too in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/music-is-extremely-intuitive-which-acting-too-in-a-different-way/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [I don't think Peg Bundy was very much like Katey Sagal. Definitely the wardrobe Gemma from Sons of Anarchy wears might be a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-don-t-think-peg-bundy-was-very-much-like-katey-sagal-definitely-the/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [I grew up listening to a lot of soul music, and a lot of folk music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-grew-up-listening-to-a-lot-of-soul-music-and-a-lot-of-folk-music/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [And then I think now we are - you know his - like I've always said. His spirit is so large that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/and-then-i-think-now-we-are-you-know-his-like-i-ve-always-said-his/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [My parents were very artistic, but busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/my-parents-were-very-artistic-but-busy/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [I think we respond well when we do something well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/i-think-we-respond-well-when-we-do-something-well/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [It was never about sort of being famous. I just wanted to be good at what I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/it-was-never-about-sort-of-being-famous-i-just-wanted-to-be-good-at/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

[Explore all 80 Katey Sagal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

## More Father quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/)

[Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

> [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/)

[Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/)

> [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/)

[Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/)

> [“I don’t know. We all have to bear things, Ari. All of us. Your father has to bear the war and what it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-we-all-have-to-bear-things-ari-all-of-us-your-father-has/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“This was, I sometimes thought, the last gift my father gave me. And the best: His death stood out as the supreme-o excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-was-i-sometimes-thought-the-last-gift-my-father-gave-me-and-the/)

[Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/)

> [My father was very encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/my-father-was-very-encouraging/)

[Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/)

[Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/)

> [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

[Browse all 19,784 Father quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you grow up around it, I just watched my father work really hard. He wasn't around as much as I would have liked. And when I grew up, I understood why.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katey Sagal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watched-my-father-work-really-hard/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Father"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watched-my-father-work-really-hard/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/katey-sagal-8473_father_when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watche_435304.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you grow up around it, I just watched my father work really hard. He wasn't around as much as I would…” — Katey Sagal",
                "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": "Katey Sagal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you grow up around it,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watched-my-father-work-really-hard/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/when-you-grow-up-around-it-i-just-watched-my-father-work-really-hard/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
