---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a little kid - and I don't…"
description: "\"When I was a little kid - and I don't know why - I was obsessed with littering. I'd yell at people in their cars if I saw someone throw paper or a cup ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png"
---

#  When I was a little kid - and I don't know why - I was…

![“When I was a little kid - and I don't know why - I was obsessed with littering. I'd yell at people in their cars if I saw someone throw paper or a cup out of their window.” quote by Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png)

> “When I was a little kid - and I don't know why - I was obsessed with littering. I'd yell at people in their cars if I saw someone throw paper or a cup out of their window.”

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

## About This Quote

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

Childhood fascination with littering reflects early environmental consciousness and a desire for communal responsibility.

**In simple terms:** Kids can be passionate about protecting the planet.

Key Takeaway

Act on early concerns for the environment.

Themes

environment childhood activism

Mood

thoughtful motivational

Type

personal inspirational

When to use this quote

- school projects
- community clean‑ups
- family discussions

Key Concepts

social responsibility behavioral change

Questions to Reflect On

- What sparked your early concern for litter?
- How can you keep that drive alive?

A Different Perspective

Passion may fade without reinforcement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Littering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littering/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [My environmentalism reared its head around the age of ten when I inexplicably become obsessed with littering. For some reason I considered it my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/my-environmentalism-reared-its-head-around-the-age-of-ten-when-i/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [“I didn't throw the paper away. Maybe I should have. Oh, the things you know in retrospect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilsa-j-bick/i-didn-t-throw-the-paper-away-maybe-i-should-have-oh-the-things-you/)

[Ilsa J. Bick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilsa-j-bick/)

> [To fill a world with ... religions of the Abrahamic kind, is like littering the streets with loaded guns. Do not be surprised if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/to-fill-a-world-with-religions-of-the-abrahamic-kind-is-like/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I find littering very annoying. It's a minor but also a major thing: a society that litters is one that also has so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-find-littering-very-annoying-it-s-a-minor-but-also-a-major-thing-a/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [I'm not littering, I'm donating to the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-littering-i-m-donating-to-the-earth/)

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

> [“You still working this late?” “If I was, I’d have to arrest you for littering,” he joked, pointing toward the still-smoking evidence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-elyon/you-still-working-this-late-if-i-was-i-d-have-to-arrest-you-for/)

[Kristin Elyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-elyon/)

> [I reprimand people, even those working with me, for littering the roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amisha-patel/i-reprimand-people-even-those-working-with-me-for-littering-the-roads/)

[Amisha Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amisha-patel/)

> [The act of littering annoys me more than anything, particularly drivers who throw stuff out of the car window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-allen/the-act-of-littering-annoys-me-more-than-anything-particularly/)

[Keith Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-allen/)

> [When your mom dropped you off at the school, she got a ticket for littering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curly/when-your-mom-dropped-you-off-at-the-school-she-got-a-ticket-for/)

[Curly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curly/)

> [I'm placing you under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and, I don't know, possibly littering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/i-m-placing-you-under-arrest-for-murder-conspiracy-to-commit-murder/)

[Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [It's called loitering, which is like littering with human beings as the trash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-called-loitering-which-is-like-littering-with-human-beings-as/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [I hate homework. I hate it more now than I did when I was the one lugging textbooks and binders back and forth from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/i-hate-homework-i-hate-it-more-now-than-i-did-when-i-was-the-one/)

[Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/)

> [Ready comprehension is often a knee-jerk response and the most dangerous form of understanding. It blinks an opaque screen over your ability to learn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/ready-comprehension-is-often-a-knee-jerk-response-and-the-most/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“I once saw her throw a Juicy Fruit wrapper on the ground in Central Park. She doesn’t even feel guilty about littering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-once-saw-her-throw-a-juicy-fruit-wrapper-on-the-ground-in-central/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-beckett/environmental-damage-such-as-graffiti-fly-posting-and-general/)

[Margaret Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-beckett/)

## More by Laurie David

> [Food is being purposefully formulated to addict you.Then it is purposefully marketed, targeted to young children to addict them at an early age. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/food-is-being-purposefully-formulated-to-addict-you-then-it-is/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [Fear of failure, what is that? It would never occur to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/fear-of-failure-what-is-that-it-would-never-occur-to-me/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [If you take added sugar out of your diet, when you have fruit for dessert it is going to taste fantastic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/if-you-take-added-sugar-out-of-your-diet-when-you-have-fruit-for/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [You can love someone and not be able to live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/you-can-love-someone-and-not-be-able-to-live-together/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [Scientists speak a certain language. Now there are regular extreme weather reports on the news. Hurricane Katrina was a huge connect-the-dot moment for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/scientists-speak-a-certain-language-now-there-are-regular-extreme/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [Rush Limbaugh criticizes me a lot on the air. I take that as a badge of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/rush-limbaugh-criticizes-me-a-lot-on-the-air-i-take-that-as-a-badge/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [A big part of the challenge is teaching your kids how to have a real conversation, not a texting conversation. If they're not sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/a-big-part-of-the-challenge-is-teaching-your-kids-how-to-have-a-real/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [There was no social media really when 'Inconvenient Truth' came out. I wish we had Twitter and the power of that to help get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/there-was-no-social-media-really-when-inconvenient-truth-came-out-i/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [In some other life I must have been a pioneer woman because I love to have my hands in the dirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/in-some-other-life-i-must-have-been-a-pioneer-woman-because-i-love-to/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [I want everyone else to become a global warming activist so it's not all on my shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/i-want-everyone-else-to-become-a-global-warming-activist-so-it-s-not/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [You don't necessarily know you're consuming sugar when you're using store-bought salad dressing, or store-bought tomato sauce, or healthy granola bars. It's added to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/you-don-t-necessarily-know-you-re-consuming-sugar-when-you-re-using/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [I'm very average. I'm into fresh, yummy family food. I'm into leftovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/i-m-very-average-i-m-into-fresh-yummy-family-food-i-m-into-leftovers/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [It's easy to get good table talk going if you have a little help in the form of questions, games, newspaper articles, books with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/it-s-easy-to-get-good-table-talk-going-if-you-have-a-little-help-in/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [Growing up, I didn't have great family dinners. We sat down every night, and my mother cooked food, but it was always about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/growing-up-i-didn-t-have-great-family-dinners-we-sat-down-every-night/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

> [Get your friends together, even if it's just once a week or twice a month, and make dinner together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/get-your-friends-together-even-if-it-s-just-once-a-week-or-twice-a/)

[Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

[Explore all 106 Laurie David quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/)

## More Littering quotes

> [Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-beckett/environmental-damage-such-as-graffiti-fly-posting-and-general/)

[Margaret Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-beckett/)

> [“I once saw her throw a Juicy Fruit wrapper on the ground in Central Park. She doesn’t even feel guilty about littering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-once-saw-her-throw-a-juicy-fruit-wrapper-on-the-ground-in-central/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Ready comprehension is often a knee-jerk response and the most dangerous form of understanding. It blinks an opaque screen over your ability to learn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/ready-comprehension-is-often-a-knee-jerk-response-and-the-most/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [I hate homework. I hate it more now than I did when I was the one lugging textbooks and binders back and forth from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/i-hate-homework-i-hate-it-more-now-than-i-did-when-i-was-the-one/)

[Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/)

> [It's called loitering, which is like littering with human beings as the trash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-called-loitering-which-is-like-littering-with-human-beings-as/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [I'm placing you under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and, I don't know, possibly littering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/i-m-placing-you-under-arrest-for-murder-conspiracy-to-commit-murder/)

[Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [When your mom dropped you off at the school, she got a ticket for littering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curly/when-your-mom-dropped-you-off-at-the-school-she-got-a-ticket-for/)

[Curly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curly/)

> [The act of littering annoys me more than anything, particularly drivers who throw stuff out of the car window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-allen/the-act-of-littering-annoys-me-more-than-anything-particularly/)

[Keith Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-allen/)

> [I reprimand people, even those working with me, for littering the roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amisha-patel/i-reprimand-people-even-those-working-with-me-for-littering-the-roads/)

[Amisha Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amisha-patel/)

> [“You still working this late?” “If I was, I’d have to arrest you for littering,” he joked, pointing toward the still-smoking evidence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-elyon/you-still-working-this-late-if-i-was-i-d-have-to-arrest-you-for/)

[Kristin Elyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-elyon/)

> [I'm not littering, I'm donating to the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-littering-i-m-donating-to-the-earth/)

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

> [I find littering very annoying. It's a minor but also a major thing: a society that litters is one that also has so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-find-littering-very-annoying-it-s-a-minor-but-also-a-major-thing-a/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [To fill a world with ... religions of the Abrahamic kind, is like littering the streets with loaded guns. Do not be surprised if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/to-fill-a-world-with-religions-of-the-abrahamic-kind-is-like/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I don't like littering and I think it leads to terrorist activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/i-don-t-like-littering-and-i-think-it-leads-to-terrorist-activities/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [“By turning back on verbal littering, you are suggesting that it's okay to junk the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-e-nelson/by-turning-back-on-verbal-littering-you-are-suggesting-that-it-s-okay/)

[Alan E. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-e-nelson/)

[Browse all 27 Littering quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littering/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I was a little kid - and I don't know why - I was obsessed with littering. I'd yell at people in their cars if I saw someone throw paper or a cup out of their window.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laurie David"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know-why-i-was-obsessed-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Littering"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know-why-i-was-obsessed-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/laurie-david-4810_littering_when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know_1685236.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was a little kid - and I don't know why - I was obsessed with littering. I'd yell at people in their…” — Laurie David",
                "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": "Laurie David",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I was a little kid...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know-why-i-was-obsessed-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/when-i-was-a-little-kid-and-i-don-t-know-why-i-was-obsessed-with/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```