--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, I was very…" description: "\"When I was younger, I was very thick-skinned - my skin is actually getting thinner as I get older.\" — Lenny Henry" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png" --- # When I was younger, I was very thick-skinned - my skin is… ![“When I was younger, I was very thick-skinned - my skin is actually getting thinner as I get older.” quote by Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png) > “When I was younger, I was very thick-skinned - my skin is actually getting thinner as I get older.” [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging reduces emotional resilience, making one more sensitive to criticism. **In simple terms:** Aging makes you more sensitive. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy for yourself as you age. Themes aging resilience emotional health self‑awareness Mood thoughtful cautious Type self‑help psychological When to use this quote - workplace feedback - social media comments - personal relationships - public speaking Key Concepts psychology lifespan development Questions to Reflect On - What coping strategies help you handle criticism? - How can you rebuild resilience? A Different Perspective Thick skin can be protective; losing it may increase vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin/) ## Related quotes > [I resent that there is an image of perfection that is getting thinner and thinner. I've got a lovely husband and children, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-resent-that-there-is-an-image-of-perfection-that-is-getting-thinner/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Everything's cool as long as I'm getting thinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/everything-s-cool-as-long-as-i-m-getting-thinner/) [Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/) > [But I do know focusing on the exterior doesn't make me happy. If I want peace and serenity, it won't be reached by getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-macpherson/but-i-do-know-focusing-on-the-exterior-doesn-t-make-me-happy-if-i/) [Elle Macpherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-macpherson/) > [I am on the edge of mysteries and the veil is getting thinner and thinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/i-am-on-the-edge-of-mysteries-and-the-veil-is-getting-thinner-and/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [I'm one of those people who lives for the moment. If you concern yourself with what's going to happen a year from now, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-m-one-of-those-people-who-lives-for-the-moment-if-you-concern/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I didn't want to be a 16-year-old kid being beaten up by a bunch of people who didn't like me 'cause of the colour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/i-didn-t-want-to-be-a-16-year-old-kid-being-beaten-up-by-a-bunch-of/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [As an adult I generally feel this pressure to be thin, not from men, but from other women. As a silent or not-so-silent competition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-christensen/as-an-adult-i-generally-feel-this-pressure-to-be-thin-not-from-men/) [Kate Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-christensen/) > [I’ve seen people where it rules their lives, you know, who want to be thinner or have bigger boobs, and how it wears them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-ve-seen-people-where-it-rules-their-lives-you-know-who-want-to-be/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [When I was growing up, I cheered and danced and ran and stuff like that. I'm probably thinner now than I was in high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-greene/when-i-was-growing-up-i-cheered-and-danced-and-ran-and-stuff-like/) [Ashley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-greene/) > [Sleep is harder to reach and thinner, and sleeping is no longer the Drop into the black pit all oblivion until the alarm clock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/sleep-is-harder-to-reach-and-thinner-and-sleeping-is-no-longer-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [There is good evidence that Venus once had liquid water and a much thinner atmosphere, similar to Earth billions of years ago. But today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/there-is-good-evidence-that-venus-once-had-liquid-water-and-a-much/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Keep your chin up...It makes you look thinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-chin-up-it-makes-you-look-thinner/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Success is suffocating. The air is thinner at the top.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/success-is-suffocating-the-air-is-thinner-at-the-top/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [And what can we expect if we haven't any dinner, But to lose our teeth and eyelashes and keep on growing thinner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lear/and-what-can-we-expect-if-we-haven-t-any-dinner-but-to-lose-our-teeth/) [Edward Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lear/) > [I wanted to lose weight so I went to the paint store. I heard I could get thinner there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-wanted-to-lose-weight-so-i-went-to-the-paint-store-i-heard-i-could/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) ## More by Lenny Henry > [What a gift it would be if every child in the country could hear a professional orchestra at least once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/what-a-gift-it-would-be-if-every-child-in-the-country-could-hear-a/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [I lament the passing of 'Play for Today,' 'Armchair Theatre,' 'Screen One and Two' and 'Comedy Playhouse' - because these shows gave a platform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/i-lament-the-passing-of-play-for-today-armchair-theatre-screen-one/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [With every task you think, 'What did I do wrong there? What could I do better?' That's why I've spent my life gravitating towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/with-every-task-you-think-what-did-i-do-wrong-there-what-could-i-do/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [I think tax breaks for diversity is a good thing. In film now, what happens is you get huge tax breaks if you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/i-think-tax-breaks-for-diversity-is-a-good-thing-in-film-now-what/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [Corden's a comedy powerhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/corden-s-a-comedy-powerhouse/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [Samuel Coleridge-Taylor has opened my eyes in many ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/samuel-coleridge-taylor-has-opened-my-eyes-in-many-ways/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [Wouldn't it be great, if there was a one-stop shop where funny people could take their ideas and have them made?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-there-was-a-one-stop-shop-where-funny-people/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [Stand-up's a lottery - you think it's funny but the audience can disagree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/stand-up-s-a-lottery-you-think-it-s-funny-but-the-audience-can/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [In the 1970s in black and Asian households up and down the country, there's a familiar story that when we saw a non-white person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/in-the-1970s-in-black-and-asian-households-up-and-down-the-country/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [It's about challenging yourself; wanting to do things that push you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/it-s-about-challenging-yourself-wanting-to-do-things-that-push-you/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [My dad never hugged me, never said he was proud of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/my-dad-never-hugged-me-never-said-he-was-proud-of-me/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [That's where depression hits you most - your home life. It doesn't affect your work. I can't do this zany, wacky, funny thing any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/that-s-where-depression-hits-you-most-your-home-life-it-doesn-t/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [A relationship can only work if you work at it. Marriage is the most difficult thing you will do - you've got to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/a-relationship-can-only-work-if-you-work-at-it-marriage-is-the-most/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [Perfection isn't everything, some mistakes are pretty groovy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/perfection-isn-t-everything-some-mistakes-are-pretty-groovy/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [If you don't know your history, you can't know your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/if-you-don-t-know-your-history-you-can-t-know-your-future/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) [Explore all 107 Lenny Henry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was younger, I was very thick-skinned - my skin is actually getting thinner as I get older.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lenny Henry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skinned-my-skin-is-actually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actually" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skinned-my-skin-is-actually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/lenny-henry-4682_actually_when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skin_3190635.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was younger, I was very thick-skinned - my skin is actually getting thinner as I get older.” — Lenny Henry", "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": "Lenny Henry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was younger, I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skinned-my-skin-is-actually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/when-i-was-younger-i-was-very-thick-skinned-my-skin-is-actually/#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 } } ] } ```