--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, my whole sense of…" description: "\"When I was younger, my whole sense of self-worth was based on whether or not I was working, which was awful. And I had a baby at 20 years old, so it wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/kiefer-sutherland-8318_age_when-i-was-younger-my-whole-sense-of-sel_2125018.jpg" --- # When I was younger, my whole sense of self-worth was based… ![“When I was younger, my whole sense of self-worth was based on whether or not I was working, which was awful. And I had a baby at 20 years old, so it wasn't just about me. At around the age of 30 there was a stretch where I wasn't working - certainly not on anything I liked, anyway - and I started…” quote by Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/kiefer-sutherland-8318_age_when-i-was-younger-my-whole-sense-of-sel_2125018.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/kiefer-sutherland-8318_age_when-i-was-younger-my-whole-sense-of-sel_2125018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/kiefer-sutherland-8318_age_when-i-was-younger-my-whole-sense-of-sel_2125018.jpg) > “When I was younger, my whole sense of self-worth was based on whether or not I was working, which was awful. And I had a baby at 20 years old, so it wasn't just about me. At around the age of 30 there was a stretch where I wasn't working - certainly not on anything I liked, anyway - and I started to do other things.” [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-worth tied to work can be damaging; identity can be rebuilt through varied pursuits beyond employment. **In simple terms:** Work isn’t the only source of self‑esteem. Key Takeaway Redefine self‑worth beyond job. Themes identity self-worth career growth Mood introspective hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career transition - parenting - creative projects - volunteering Key Concepts psychology personal development Questions to Reflect On - How can you value yourself when not employed? - What activities give you a sense of purpose? A Different Perspective Work may still dominate self‑image for many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Baby 20](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby-20-3080245/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-worth/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/) [Sense Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-self/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Younger Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-sense-4353871/) ## Related quotes > [I've learned through the years how to base my identity and sense of self-worth on myself and not others. 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I try to pull it together. I think that comes from a sense of self. That's how you create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-jayne/i-will-always-be-fashion-i-try-to-pull-it-together-i-think-that-comes/) [Erika Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-jayne/) > [Figure out who you are separate from your family, and the man or woman you're in a relationship with. Find who you are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/figure-out-who-you-are-separate-from-your-family-and-the-man-or-woman/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Keep your sense of self; don't get caught up in what people want you to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/keep-your-sense-of-self-don-t-get-caught-up-in-what-people-want-you/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) ## More by Kiefer Sutherland > [I do believe very strongly that all of us and all of the other things in the context of our planet with Mother Nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/i-do-believe-very-strongly-that-all-of-us-and-all-of-the-other-things/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I didn't realize that television has gone through immense changes and has become very progressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/i-didn-t-realize-that-television-has-gone-through-immense-changes-and/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [If you're going to break cinema, film, and movies apart, very rarely to you get the opportunity to even think that you've been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/if-you-re-going-to-break-cinema-film-and-movies-apart-very-rarely-to/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I've always thought of the western as American storytelling at its best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/i-ve-always-thought-of-the-western-as-american-storytelling-at-its/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [Love is a self-manifested notion depending on how lonely you are - so if you're really attracted to someone, and you're really lonely, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/love-is-a-self-manifested-notion-depending-on-how-lonely-you-are-so/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I like chatting with people. 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That was never why we made the show. We started production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/some-people-think-it-s-because-24-was-jump-started-by-what-happened/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [When you're a young actor you like to go for characters with a bit of flair, so in many films I ended up playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/when-you-re-a-young-actor-you-like-to-go-for-characters-with-a-bit-of/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I think just in general there's a bunch of films that mattered to me that didn't reach their potential, and on some level you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/i-think-just-in-general-there-s-a-bunch-of-films-that-mattered-to-me/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [Youth is an amazing thing: I think back on when we did The Lost Boys, and I didn't think I could do anything wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/youth-is-an-amazing-thing-i-think-back-on-when-we-did-the-lost-boys/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I would love to do '24' until I was 60, but I don't think anybody would accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/i-would-love-to-do-24-until-i-was-60-but-i-don-t-think-anybody-would/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [My focus on 9/11 was on the victims - in the towers, in the planes - and all that loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/my-focus-on-9-11-was-on-the-victims-in-the-towers-in-the-planes-and/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [The biggest mistakes I made in my career were when I said, 'If I do this movie, I'll be able to do a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/the-biggest-mistakes-i-made-in-my-career-were-when-i-said-if-i-do/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) [Explore all 82 Kiefer Sutherland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was younger, my whole sense of self-worth was based on whether or not I was working, which was awful. And I had a baby at 20 years old, so it wasn't just about me. 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