--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shared a bed with my sister, Grace…" description: "\"I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was seventeen years old. She was afraid to sleep alone and would begin asking me around 5:00 P.M. every d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/lena-dunham-1013_asking_i-shared-a-bed-with-my-sister-grace-unti_2264904.jpg" --- # I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was… ![“I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was seventeen years old. She was afraid to sleep alone and would begin asking me around 5:00 P.M. every day whether she could sleep with me. I put on a big show of saying no, taking pleasure in watching her beg and sulk, but eventually I always…” quote by Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/lena-dunham-1013_asking_i-shared-a-bed-with-my-sister-grace-unti_2264904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/lena-dunham-1013_asking_i-shared-a-bed-with-my-sister-grace-unti_2264904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/lena-dunham-1013_asking_i-shared-a-bed-with-my-sister-grace-unti_2264904.jpg) > “I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was seventeen years old. She was afraid to sleep alone and would begin asking me around 5:00 P.M. every day whether she could sleep with me. I put on a big show of saying no, taking pleasure in watching her beg and sulk, but eventually I always relented. Her sticky, muscly little body thrashed beside me every night as I read Anne Sexton, watched reruns of SNL, sometimes even as I slipped my hand into my underwear to figure some stuff out.” [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A candid recollection of sibling intimacy, boundary testing, and sexual awakening during adolescence. **In simple terms:** Sibling closeness and awkward sexual discovery. Key Takeaway Respect boundaries and communicate openly. Themes family sexuality boundaries growth Mood intimate confessional Type personal reflective When to use this quote - sleeping arrangements - reading poetry - watching TV - exploring sexuality Key Concepts adolescence intimacy self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - What boundaries are healthy in sibling relationships? - How does early sexual curiosity affect later intimacy? A Different Perspective Potentially normalizes uncomfortable sibling dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-sleep-937695/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anne-sexton/) [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Bed Sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed-sister-3784067/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Every night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [My sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-sister/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Reruns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reruns/) [Saying no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-no/) [Seventeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventeen/) [Seventeen years old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seventeen-years-old/) [Shared Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shared-bed-1157157/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sister/) [Sister Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sister-grace-5225274/) [Sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sisters/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Sleep Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep-alone/) [Snl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snl/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Sticky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticky/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Underwear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underwear/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [She wouldn't climb out of the bed for her sister, but she had climbed into a crater. She wouldn't cross a room, but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/she-wouldn-t-climb-out-of-the-bed-for-her-sister-but-she-had-climbed/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“I read you guys your bedtime story, go to bed!" my sister shouted as she put water into the kettle. "But Mom," a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottilie-weber/i-read-you-guys-your-bedtime-story-go-to-bed-my-sister-shouted-as-she/) [Ottilie Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottilie-weber/) > [“You keep your phone under your pillow?” Kelly asked with a laugh. This was the first time they’d shared a bed while Nick was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/you-keep-your-phone-under-your-pillow-kelly-asked-with-a-laugh-this/) [Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/) > [On one occasion I shared a bed with about seven other people, but we were all having a party overnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/on-one-occasion-i-shared-a-bed-with-about-seven-other-people-but-we/) [Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/) > [“I think it's 'only polite' that my wife should let me know when she's entertaining a male visitor, furthermore one that has shared her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/i-think-it-s-only-polite-that-my-wife-should-let-me-know-when-she-s/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Life, of course, never gets anyone's entire attention. Death always remains interesting, pulls us, draws us. As sleep is necessary to our physiology, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/life-of-course-never-gets-anyone-s-entire-attention-death-always-2/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [Augustine, Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath are confessional writers and all three make me sick. I have nothing in common with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/augustine-anne-sexton-and-sylvia-plath-are-confessional-writers-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out-2/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Anne Sexton knows the mind, Walt Whitman knows grass, but Emily Dickinson knows everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/anne-sexton-knows-the-mind-walt-whitman-knows-grass-but-emily/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [I myself hate that old Hemingwayesque paradigm of the writer as prizefighter and I have tried hard to create an alternate one for myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-myself-hate-that-old-hemingwayesque-paradigm-of-the-writer-as/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“It was not uncommon to walk in the door of their home and find my mother sitting on the sofa reading over a manuscript…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-was-not-uncommon-to-walk-in-the-door-of-their-home-and-find-my/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [¢ Your silence has been with me and I have let it have its say. I feel, as always, the same closeness to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aroha-janet/your-silence-has-been-with-me-and-i-have-let-it-have-its-say-i-feel/) [Aroha Janet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aroha-janet/) > [I definitely notice the absence of character in most poetry, which is not so say that I'm an innovator in that regard. Character-based poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mccrae/i-definitely-notice-the-absence-of-character-in-most-poetry-which-is/) [Shane McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mccrae/) > [I love Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. I also love more cerebral poets like H.D. and Emily Dickinson. My parents subscribed to a monthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/i-love-sylvia-plath-and-anne-sexton-i-also-love-more-cerebral-poets/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [By the time I was seventeen, I was on my way to Hollywood and didn't look back. My family is supportive now, but like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/by-the-time-i-was-seventeen-i-was-on-my-way-to-hollywood-and-didn-t/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) ## More by Lena Dunham > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“Oberlin being a liberal haven where opposition was king, the coolest clique at school was a group of rugby-playing, neon-wearing lesbians. They dominated every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/oberlin-being-a-liberal-haven-where-opposition-was-king-the-coolest/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Calling someone a drama queen is so negative. Why not 'content creator'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/calling-someone-a-drama-queen-is-so-negative-why-not-content-creator/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My relationship to eating, my relationship to critiquing my own shape, all of that has changed since I've started viewing my body much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-relationship-to-eating-my-relationship-to-critiquing-my-own-shape/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“I am sorry (not to you but in a deeper way, sorry for my brain chemistry and who I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-am-sorry-not-to-you-but-in-a-deeper-way-sorry-for-my-brain/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [It's very easy for me to say what success is. I think success is connecting with an audience who understands you and having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-s-very-easy-for-me-to-say-what-success-is-i-think-success-is/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [At my age, no one is married, no one has kids, no one has a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/at-my-age-no-one-is-married-no-one-has-kids-no-one-has-a-career/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My shape reminds me a lot of my grandmother, whom I was really close to. She died when I was 13, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-shape-reminds-me-a-lot-of-my-grandmother-whom-i-was-really-close/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I never set out to make any statements about a specific character, I just set out to tell what feels like is a truthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-never-set-out-to-make-any-statements-about-a-specific-character-i/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [You’ve learned a new rule and it’s simple: don’t put yourself in situations you’d like to run away from. But when you run, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/you-ve-learned-a-new-rule-and-it-s-simple-don-t-put-yourself-in/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I would go to work from 9 to 6, go home, nap for two hours, then write from 8 to 2 a.m.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-would-go-to-work-from-9-to-6-go-home-nap-for-two-hours-then-write/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My uncle's a lawyer and I remember going to see him in court and thinking, 'That's cool, too bad I could never be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-uncle-s-a-lawyer-and-i-remember-going-to-see-him-in-court-and/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I love directing scenes that I'm not in because suddenly I really feel like a filmmaker which is a different thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-love-directing-scenes-that-i-m-not-in-because-suddenly-i-really/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I'm glad if my work can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-m-glad-if-my-work-can-make-a-difference/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) [Explore all 301 Lena Dunham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) [Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was seventeen years old. 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