---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wasn't in a position that some other…"
description: "\"I wasn't in a position that some other memoirists are, dealing with families who fed them meth, or kidnapped them, or did something that would make the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg"
---

#  I wasn't in a position that some other memoirists are…

![“I wasn't in a position that some other memoirists are, dealing with families who fed them meth, or kidnapped them, or did something that would make the writer not want to see that family again. I wanted to see my family. I wanted to celebrate them. I was proud of who we were, in the wilderness…” quote by Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg)

> “I wasn't in a position that some other memoirists are, dealing with families who fed them meth, or kidnapped them, or did something that would make the writer not want to see that family again. I wanted to see my family. I wanted to celebrate them. I was proud of who we were, in the wilderness, floating down rapids or hiking over glaciers, and everywhere else.”

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

## About This Quote

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

Despite hardships, the author chooses to celebrate family and wilderness experiences.

**In simple terms:** Family and adventure bring pride.

Key Takeaway

Cherish loved ones and nature.

Themes

family adventure gratitude

Mood

warm nostalgic

Type

memoir inspirational

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- outdoor retreats
- storytelling workshops

Key Concepts

Memoir nature writing resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does gratitude reshape painful pasts?
- What role does nature play in healing?

A Different Perspective

Trauma can color memories.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Glaciers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glaciers/) [Hiking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiking/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I always thought that if I wanted to do a family, I wanted to do it big. I wanted there to be chaos in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-always-thought-that-if-i-wanted-to-do-a-family-i-wanted-to-do-it/)

[Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/)

> [I've always known I wanted to have a family, always wanted to be a younger mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breanna-stewart/i-ve-always-known-i-wanted-to-have-a-family-always-wanted-to-be-a/)

[Breanna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breanna-stewart/)

> [The Brady family was what everyone wanted their family to be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-lookinland/the-brady-family-was-what-everyone-wanted-their-family-to-be-like/)

[Mike Lookinland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-lookinland/)

> [I had always wanted a family and I have always wanted something really stable and beautiful to come home to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-sebastian/i-had-always-wanted-a-family-and-i-have-always-wanted-something/)

[Guy Sebastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-sebastian/)

> [Three score and, and ten has always been something that I never thought I'd make. So when I made it, I wanted to celebrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-fox/three-score-and-and-ten-has-always-been-something-that-i-never/)

[Lindsay Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-fox/)

> [Life has sweetness to it and a beauty and a power that I wanted to celebrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-harper/life-has-sweetness-to-it-and-a-beauty-and-a-power-that-i-wanted-to/)

[Valerie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-harper/)

> [There is a right time for everything. There was a time when I wanted to settle down and have a family. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raveena-tandon/there-is-a-right-time-for-everything-there-was-a-time-when-i-wanted/)

[Raveena Tandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raveena-tandon/)

> [Stay strong. Stay true to yourself and to who you are because there is community out there. It may not be in your town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-walton-hamilton/stay-strong-stay-true-to-yourself-and-to-who-you-are-because-there-is/)

[Emma Walton Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-walton-hamilton/)

> [Life as an only child can be a bit lonely, and when I had Finley, I decided that if I could give him a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-marie-combs/life-as-an-only-child-can-be-a-bit-lonely-and-when-i-had-finley-i/)

[Holly Marie Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-marie-combs/)

> [“I think Ray might have wanted a son. One night when I was seven or eight I announced to my family that I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/i-think-ray-might-have-wanted-a-son-one-night-when-i-was-seven-or/)

[Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/)

> [As one of the lucky ones who could provide for my family, I also wanted to help those from my area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/as-one-of-the-lucky-ones-who-could-provide-for-my-family-i-also/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [Coming to Australia, it was just really magical for me. It just had the wow factor of a different sort of place and, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saroo-brierley/coming-to-australia-it-was-just-really-magical-for-me-it-just-had-the/)

[Saroo Brierley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saroo-brierley/)

> [“I was used to being loved. A large, tight-knit family will do that for you. I might have wanted to carve my own path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-spain/i-was-used-to-being-loved-a-large-tight-knit-family-will-do-that-for/)

Jo Spain

> [I wish that every baby everywhere could land in a family that wanted that baby as much as we want ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/i-wish-that-every-baby-everywhere-could-land-in-a-family-that-wanted/)

[Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/)

> [I was always very clear when I took some time out to start a family that I wanted to come back and get my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-wolff/i-was-always-very-clear-when-i-took-some-time-out-to-start-a-family/)

[Susie Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-wolff/)

## More by Leigh Newman

> [Resisting and avoiding pain sucks energy-and time. The more you let yourself feel those minute-and-a-half hells, the quicker you'll start feeling those minute-and-a-half happinesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/resisting-and-avoiding-pain-sucks-energy-and-time-the-more-you-let/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [“Pain only seems scary while you're waiting for it to happen. After it does, it's just hurt and recovery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/pain-only-seems-scary-while-you-re-waiting-for-it-to-happen-after-it/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [I turned what was a wonderful case of self-reliance into a case of self-exile. Which is not uncommon, I think, in people who grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-turned-what-was-a-wonderful-case-of-self-reliance-into-a-case-of/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [It feels like people talk a lot, in their relationships and in therapy. But my family wasn't like that. My dad wasn't and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/it-feels-like-people-talk-a-lot-in-their-relationships-and-in-therapy/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [The minute I landed back in Alaska, it was back to hip boots and fish guts. This cultural flipping wasn't easy - especially on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/the-minute-i-landed-back-in-alaska-it-was-back-to-hip-boots-and-fish/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [Often, I think that my brothers were the reason I didn't do something really stupid in my teenage years; I didn't want to disappoint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/often-i-think-that-my-brothers-were-the-reason-i-didn-t-do-something/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [My natural inclination is to think in scenes. So that's how I write, and the issue for me is usually: what to compress for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/my-natural-inclination-is-to-think-in-scenes-so-that-s-how-i-write/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [The tough thing is how to cultivate a life where the paramecium of happiness gets a lot of chances to get out and swim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/the-tough-thing-is-how-to-cultivate-a-life-where-the-paramecium-of/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [There's a kind of intimacy that happens between a mother and an only child. Which only gets more intimate when it's between a mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/there-s-a-kind-of-intimacy-that-happens-between-a-mother-and-an-only/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [My dad felt pretty strongly that I know about the basic workings of a plane and so he taught me how to read and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/my-dad-felt-pretty-strongly-that-i-know-about-the-basic-workings-of-a/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [ Penning an advice column for the literary website The Rumpus, \[Strayed\] worked anonymously, using the pen name Sugar, replying to letters from readings suffering… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/penning-an-advice-column-for-the-literary-website-the-rumpus-strayed/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [After my parents divorced, my father remarried and my brothers were born when I was twelve and sixteen. I was thunderstruck at these kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/after-my-parents-divorced-my-father-remarried-and-my-brothers-were/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [It's much harder when you're writing about your life, than when you're writing fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/it-s-much-harder-when-you-re-writing-about-your-life-than-when-you-re/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [“Can't lives on won't street.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/can-t-lives-on-won-t-street/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

> [“If you can't be yourself with yourself, how can you be you with other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/if-you-can-t-be-yourself-with-yourself-how-can-you-be-you-with-other/)

[Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

[Explore all 43 Leigh Newman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/)

## More Celebrate quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/)

[Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/)

[Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/)

> [On Valentine's Day, couples in Calgary can celebrate their love for each other with couples' nude yoga - great way to get in shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sagal/on-valentine-s-day-couples-in-calgary-can-celebrate-their-love-for/)

[Peter Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sagal/)

> [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/)

[Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/)

> [No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/no-matter-what-day-we-celebrate-australia-day-let-s-celebrate-it/)

[Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/)

> [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/)

[Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/)

> [Birth, life, death is a cycle. And they're all beautiful, you celebrate all of them. Animals do grieve, but they move on. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/birth-life-death-is-a-cycle-and-they-re-all-beautiful-you-celebrate/)

[Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/)

> [I just wanted to jump into the stands and start celebrating with those wonderful fans. (on reaching the Champions League final)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-gerrard/i-just-wanted-to-jump-into-the-stands-and-start-celebrating-with/)

[Steven Gerrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-gerrard/)

> [What I have found is, so much of that is like a Chinese finger trap: the more you play to the dark, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/what-i-have-found-is-so-much-of-that-is-like-a-chinese-finger-trap/)

[Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/)

> [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/while-we-celebrate-our-diversity-what-surprises-me-time-and-time/)

[Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/)

> [I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-feel-like-the-downfall-of-any-person-is-the-second-an-artist-starts/)

[Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/)

Browse all 2,313 Celebrate quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I wasn't in a position that some other memoirists are, dealing with families who fed them meth, or kidnapped them, or did something that would make the writer not want to see that family again. I wanted to see my family. I wanted to celebrate them. I was proud of who we were, in the wilderness, floating down rapids or hiking over glaciers, and everywhere else.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leigh Newman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-memoirists-are-dealing-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Celebrate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-memoirists-are-dealing-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c5/leigh-newman-15257_celebrate_i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-m_151340.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I wasn't in a position that some other memoirists are, dealing with families who fed them meth, or kidnapped…” — Leigh Newman",
                "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": "Leigh Newman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I wasn't in a position that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-memoirists-are-dealing-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/i-wasn-t-in-a-position-that-some-other-memoirists-are-dealing-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
