--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But where, after we have made the great…" description: "\"But where, after we have made the great decision to leave the security of childhood and move on into the vastness of maturity, does anybody ever feel c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png" --- # But where, after we have made the great decision to leave… ![“But where, after we have made the great decision to leave the security of childhood and move on into the vastness of maturity, does anybody ever feel completely at home?” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png) > “But where, after we have made the great decision to leave the security of childhood and move on into the vastness of maturity, does anybody ever feel completely at home?” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaving childhood security for adult maturity creates a lingering feeling of not fully belonging. **In simple terms:** Leaving childhood can make adulthood feel unsettled. Key Takeaway Embrace growth while honoring your roots. Themes growth belonging identity Mood nostalgic hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - career change - college life - parenting - relocation Key Concepts psychology developmental existential Questions to Reflect On - What does “home” mean to you now? - How can you create belonging in new phases? A Different Perspective Some find new homes and communities that feel complete. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood Vastness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-vastness-469711/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Completely Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/completely-home-469710/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Feel Completely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-completely/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Security Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security-childhood-469712/) [Vastness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vastness/) ## Related quotes > [I feel completely at home in the absurdities of India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upamanyu-chatterjee/i-feel-completely-at-home-in-the-absurdities-of-india/) [Upamanyu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upamanyu-chatterjee/) > [A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. There is nothing more satisfying than that sense of being completely "at home" in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-cannot-be-comfortable-without-his-own-approval-there-is-nothing/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-adeney/you-will-never-be-completely-at-home-again-because-part-of-your-heart/) [Miriam Adeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-adeney/) > [“Being somewhere but not completely: that was home for Danny, and it sure as hell was easier to land than a decent apartment. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/being-somewhere-but-not-completely-that-was-home-for-danny-and-it/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“Home is with the person you love, and who loves you back stupidly and completely. Home is the space of peace in your heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-young/home-is-with-the-person-you-love-and-who-loves-you-back-stupidly-and/) [Suzanne Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-young/) > [Being somewhere but not completely: that was home for Danny. . . . All he needed was a cellphone or I-access, or both at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/being-somewhere-but-not-completely-that-was-home-for-danny-all-he/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Being a professional musician with Downhere for 11 years now, I feel completely at home on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-martel/being-a-professional-musician-with-downhere-for-11-years-now-i-feel/) [Marc Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-martel/) > [“Although I never found a church where I felt completely at home again, I made a new home in the world. I renewed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/although-i-never-found-a-church-where-i-felt-completely-at-home-again/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/when-we-were-children-we-used-to-think-that-when-we-were-grown-up-we-2/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“So my hope, each day as I grow older, is that this will never be simply chronological aging . . . but that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/so-my-hope-each-day-as-i-grow-older-is-that-this-will-never-be-simply/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“I don’t think I’ve ever been ogled before. If I have been, I didn’t know it. Now, I feel completely and utterly ogled. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-rae-miller/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-been-ogled-before-if-i-have-been-i-didn-t/) [Leah Rae Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-rae-miller/) > [Like when I hear a beat, it might make you feel a way, but then it might make me feel a completely different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tierra-whack/like-when-i-hear-a-beat-it-might-make-you-feel-a-way-but-then-it/) [Tierra Whack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tierra-whack/) > [For me, I do my best work when I feel completely relaxed and not being judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hong-chau/for-me-i-do-my-best-work-when-i-feel-completely-relaxed-and-not-being/) [Hong Chau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hong-chau/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [People are always saying, English, English, English rose, and I just feel so completely different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/people-are-always-saying-english-english-english-rose-and-i-just-feel/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) [Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More Childhood quotes > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/) [Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/) > [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) [Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But where, after we have made the great decision to leave the security of childhood and move on into the vastness of maturity, does anybody ever feel completely at home?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeleine L'Engle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-decision-to-leave-the-security/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Childhood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-decision-to-leave-the-security/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/madeleine-l-engle-345_childhood_but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-d_820572.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But where, after we have made the great decision to leave the security of childhood and move on into the…” — Madeleine L'Engle", "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": "Madeleine L'Engle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But where, after we have made...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-decision-to-leave-the-security/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/but-where-after-we-have-made-the-great-decision-to-leave-the-security/#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 } } ] } ```