--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was taking arithmetic in the first…" description: "\"When I was taking arithmetic in the first grade I said to myself, \"I'm going to be a singer. I don't have to worry about numbers.\" I didn't think I was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png" --- # When I was taking arithmetic in the first grade I said to… ![“When I was taking arithmetic in the first grade I said to myself, "I'm going to be a singer. I don't have to worry about numbers." I didn't think I was going to be famous or a star.” quote by Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png) > “When I was taking arithmetic in the first grade I said to myself, "I'm going to be a singer. I don't have to worry about numbers." I didn't think I was going to be famous or a star.” [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalls childhood ambition to sing, dismissing arithmetic, and later achieving fame, showing early passion guiding life choices. **In simple terms:** She dreamed of singing, not numbers. Key Takeaway Follow early passions. Themes music ambition education Mood inspirational reflective Type personal career When to use this quote - music lessons - school counseling - career planning Key Concepts career path personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How did early dreams shape her career? - What role did education play in her success? A Different Perspective May overlook importance of education. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arithmetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arithmetic/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [“...but numbers didn't lie. That was the reason I loved math. It was the only pure form of honesty left in this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-mummert/but-numbers-didn-t-lie-that-was-the-reason-i-loved-math-it-was-the/) [Teresa Mummert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-mummert/) > [I disliked numbers, and they didn't think much of me either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-disliked-numbers-and-they-didn-t-think-much-of-me-either/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Economics is half psychology and half Grade Three arithmetic, and the U.S. does not now have either half right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/economics-is-half-psychology-and-half-grade-three-arithmetic-and-the/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [The most unsuccessful three years in the education of cost estimators appears to be fifth-grade arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-most-unsuccessful-three-years-in-the-education-of-cost-estimators/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [We believe that arithmetic as it has been taught in grade schools until quite recently has such a meagre intellectual content that the oft-noted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-steen/we-believe-that-arithmetic-as-it-has-been-taught-in-grade-schools/) [Lynn Steen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-steen/) > [To parents who despair because their children are unable to master the first problems in arithmetic I can dedicate my examples. For, in arithmetic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-hadamard/to-parents-who-despair-because-their-children-are-unable-to-master/) [Jacques Hadamard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-hadamard/) > [To play the trumpet, you have to use that diaphragm, and it's the same if you want to sing correctly. You really need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-osborne/to-play-the-trumpet-you-have-to-use-that-diaphragm-and-it-s-the-same/) [Jeffrey Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-osborne/) > [They call them performance artists, but they shouldn't be making an album. They should just be dancers. I don't know, I'm a musical snob.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warryn-campbell/they-call-them-performance-artists-but-they-shouldn-t-be-making-an/) [Warryn Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warryn-campbell/) > [If you're going to be a singer, I'd just say, put yourself out there as much as you can. It's pretty easy to, nowadays,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-peters/if-you-re-going-to-be-a-singer-i-d-just-say-put-yourself-out-there-as/) [Maisie Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-peters/) > [I think if you are going to be a singer, you should sing. If you are going to be a dancer, you should dance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-think-if-you-are-going-to-be-a-singer-you-should-sing-if-you-are/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [I had no choice but to work hard. I was a straight-A student, went to college, and I loved business. I never thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-rivera/i-had-no-choice-but-to-work-hard-i-was-a-straight-a-student-went-to/) [Jenni Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-rivera/) > [When I was 2 my mom said she knew I was going to be a singer. I've been performing ever since I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/when-i-was-2-my-mom-said-she-knew-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-i-ve/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [I was going to be a singer. If I hadn't been in my profession, I was going to be an Opera singer. That's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-if-i-hadn-t-been-in-my-profession-i-was/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [I thought I was going to be a singer or singing in a choir or something like that in college. I'm referring to classical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doechii/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-or-singing-in-a-choir-or/) [Doechii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doechii/) > [I had decided that if I was going to be a singer, I had to earn it. I had to learn how to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-had-decided-that-if-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-i-had-to-earn-it-i/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## More by Linda Ronstadt > [Rampant eclecticism is my middle name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/rampant-eclecticism-is-my-middle-name/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the singing I did was private singing - it was in the shower, at the dishwasher, driving my car, singing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-singing-i-did-was-private-singing-it-was/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I always thought competition was for horse races and it never belonged in art. I never felt that competitive with other girl singers, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-always-thought-competition-was-for-horse-races-and-it-never/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I grew up in a big sky country. Then I lived in Manhattan, where you can only see the sky between buildings, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-grew-up-in-a-big-sky-country-then-i-lived-in-manhattan-where-you/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [Art is for healing ourselves, and everybody needs their own personal art to heal up their problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/art-is-for-healing-ourselves-and-everybody-needs-their-own-personal/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I grew up singing Mexican music, and that's based on indigenous Mexican rhythms. Mexican music also has an overlay of West African music, based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-grew-up-singing-mexican-music-and-that-s-based-on-indigenous/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [the relentless touring and endless repetition of the same songs over and over again promoted a creeping awareness that my music had begun to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/the-relentless-touring-and-endless-repetition-of-the-same-songs-over/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [“We wanted to sing about the passions of mature women: love and concern for our children, love between trusted and treasured friends, the precariousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/we-wanted-to-sing-about-the-passions-of-mature-women-love-and-concern/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I never thought of myself as a rock singer. I was interested in songs like 'Heart Like a Wheel,' and I liked the others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-a-rock-singer-i-was-interested-in-songs/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [If you don't have story to tell the public at large - you have to be able to sort of go listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/if-you-don-t-have-story-to-tell-the-public-at-large-you-have-to-be/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I am a believer in discipline; it takes a lot to do well. You need discipline for those little excursions into the chaotic that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-am-a-believer-in-discipline-it-takes-a-lot-to-do-well-you-need/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [“Since there are always talented players in these emerging categories, no matter how grating they may be to the ear of the more traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/since-there-are-always-talented-players-in-these-emerging-categories/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [I'd go over to my grandmother's house, and she'd be playing opera. They loved opera. Not only did they play it on the radio,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-d-go-over-to-my-grandmother-s-house-and-she-d-be-playing-opera-they/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [Marijuana has a lot of very good medical uses, and I truly believe it should be legal, but for just recreational use it wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/marijuana-has-a-lot-of-very-good-medical-uses-and-i-truly-believe-it/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) [Explore all 148 Linda Ronstadt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) ## More Arithmetic quotes > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [I am pretty good at arithmetic, and I know that the fight in front of us is a very, very steep fight. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-merkley/i-am-pretty-good-at-arithmetic-and-i-know-that-the-fight-in-front-of/) [Jeff Merkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-merkley/) > [Arithmetic has began to totter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottlob-frege/arithmetic-has-began-to-totter/) [Gottlob Frege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottlob-frege/) > [Economics is half psychology and half Grade Three arithmetic, and the U.S. does not now have either half right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/economics-is-half-psychology-and-half-grade-three-arithmetic-and-the/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [The cumulative weight of all mortal sins--past, present, and future--pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-cumulative-weight-of-all-mortal-sins-past-present-and-future/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [Geometry, like arithmetic, requires for its logical development only a small number of simple, fundamental principles. These fundamental principles are called the axioms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/geometry-like-arithmetic-requires-for-its-logical-development-only-a/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [When I was at school, I was terrible at algebra and arithmetic, but I was always the best at English and literature. And acting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-collins/when-i-was-at-school-i-was-terrible-at-algebra-and-arithmetic-but-i/) [Joan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-collins/) > [“A goal of this book has been to tear down in some small part these barriers to understanding by attempting to shatter the “divinity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/a-goal-of-this-book-has-been-to-tear-down-in-some-small-part-these/) [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) > [Man is a rational animal—so at least I have been told. … Aristotle, so far as I know, was the first man to proclaim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/man-is-a-rational-animal-so-at-least-i-have-been-told-aristotle-so/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The mortal enemies of Social Security and Medicare are those who, in contempt of the plain arithmetic, continue to mislead Americans that we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-daniels/the-mortal-enemies-of-social-security-and-medicare-are-those-who-in/) [Mitch Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-daniels/) > [Arithmetic arithmetock Turn the hands back on the clock How does the ocean rock the boat? How did the razor find my throat? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/arithmetic-arithmetock-turn-the-hands-back-on-the-clock-how-does-the/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Long before I learned to do a sum in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth, Miss Sullivan had taught me to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/long-before-i-learned-to-do-a-sum-in-arithmetic-or-describe-the-shape/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Arithmetic starts with the integers and proceeds by successively enlarging the number system by rational and negative numbers, irrational numbers, etc... But the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-robinson/arithmetic-starts-with-the-integers-and-proceeds-by-successively/) [Abraham Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-robinson/) > [The loony legacy of money was that the arithmetic by which things were measured had become more valuable than the things themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-loony-legacy-of-money-was-that-the-arithmetic-by-which-things/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 233 Arithmetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arithmetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was taking arithmetic in the first grade I said to myself, \"I'm going to be a singer. I don't have to worry about numbers.\" I didn't think I was going to be famous or a star.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Linda Ronstadt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-first-grade-i-said-to-myself-i-m/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arithmetic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-first-grade-i-said-to-myself-i-m/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/linda-ronstadt-2836_arithmetic_when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-firs_2889097.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was taking arithmetic in the first grade I said to myself, \"I'm going to be a singer. I don't have to…” — Linda Ronstadt", "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": "Linda Ronstadt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was taking arithmetic in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-first-grade-i-said-to-myself-i-m/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/when-i-was-taking-arithmetic-in-the-first-grade-i-said-to-myself-i-m/#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 } } ] } ```