--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would, quite often, like to be grownup…" description: "\"“I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and sophisticated. But these gifts are not mine.”\" — Madeleine L'Engle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_i-would-quite-often-like-to-be-grownup-w_960111.png" --- # I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and… ![“I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and sophisticated. But these gifts are not mine.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_i-would-quite-often-like-to-be-grownup-w_960111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_i-would-quite-often-like-to-be-grownup-w_960111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_i-would-quite-often-like-to-be-grownup-w_960111.png) > ““I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and sophisticated. But these gifts are not mine.”” [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. We desire maturity and wisdom, but they are not automatically ours. **In simple terms:** We want wisdom but must earn it. Key Takeaway Earn growth through experience. Themes growth humility self-awareness Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - career advancement - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology developmental stages Questions to Reflect On - What steps will you take to grow? - Do you accept your current limits? A Different Perspective Maturity cannot be claimed without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grownup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grownup/) [Grownup Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grownup-wise-1691876/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Sophisticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophisticated/) [Sophisticated Gifts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophisticated-gifts-1770622/) [Wise Sophisticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-sophisticated-1691878/) ## Related quotes > [“There’s something a little humiliating about having to accept that, at fifty-one, one is naïve. I am. I would, quite often, like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-s-something-a-little-humiliating-about-having-to-accept-that-at/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [if a book is not good enough for a grownup, it is not good enough for a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-a-book-is-not-good-enough-for-a-grownup-it-is-not-good-enough-for/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“I am still every age that I have been. Because I was once a child, I am always a child. Because I was once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-am-still-every-age-that-i-have-been-because-i-was-once-a-child-i-am/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [When I was very young every grownup was a hero. It's been all downhill since then, and I have only two left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/when-i-was-very-young-every-grownup-was-a-hero-it-s-been-all-downhill/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [It's a very hard thing for all of us to accept ourselves at all the different stages - the horrible side, the wonderful side,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/it-s-a-very-hard-thing-for-all-of-us-to-accept-ourselves-at-all-the/) [Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/) > [“Adults who use big words in order to seem intelligent are annoying, especially those who are not intelligent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/adults-who-use-big-words-in-order-to-seem-intelligent-are-annoying/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The moment you decide that you're a grownup now, and therefore must put away foolish things like staying out all night or cruising down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-heimel/the-moment-you-decide-that-you-re-a-grownup-now-and-therefore-must/) [Cynthia Heimel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-heimel/) > [Being a grownup means assuming responsibility for yourself, for your children, and - here's the big curve - for your parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/being-a-grownup-means-assuming-responsibility-for-yourself-for-your/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [A grownup is a child with layers on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/a-grownup-is-a-child-with-layers-on/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Someday perhaps I'll have to get a grownup job... but for now I'm having too much fun being a reporter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-mitchell/someday-perhaps-i-ll-have-to-get-a-grownup-job-but-for-now-i-m-having/) [Andrea Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-mitchell/) > [I think being young in a grownup world, I think it stunted me a little bit. I had to grow up too fast on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/i-think-being-young-in-a-grownup-world-i-think-it-stunted-me-a-little/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [Life, just as we first thought, is playing grownup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-just-as-we-first-thought-is-playing-grownup/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I've gone through several cycles. When I was little, I was the cute kid with missing teeth and funny one-liners. Then I moved on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/i-ve-gone-through-several-cycles-when-i-was-little-i-was-the-cute-kid/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [That's what my books are, now that I'm a grownup - mosaics of jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-s-what-my-books-are-now-that-i-m-a-grownup-mosaics-of-jokes/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > ['In Memoriam' has been my companion for all my grownup life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/in-memoriam-has-been-my-companion-for-all-my-grownup-life/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) ## 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 Grownup quotes > ['In Memoriam' has been my companion for all my grownup life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/in-memoriam-has-been-my-companion-for-all-my-grownup-life/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [That's what my books are, now that I'm a grownup - mosaics of jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-s-what-my-books-are-now-that-i-m-a-grownup-mosaics-of-jokes/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I've gone through several cycles. When I was little, I was the cute kid with missing teeth and funny one-liners. Then I moved on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/i-ve-gone-through-several-cycles-when-i-was-little-i-was-the-cute-kid/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [if a book is not good enough for a grownup, it is not good enough for a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-a-book-is-not-good-enough-for-a-grownup-it-is-not-good-enough-for/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Life, just as we first thought, is playing grownup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-just-as-we-first-thought-is-playing-grownup/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“I am still every age that I have been. Because I was once a child, I am always a child. Because I was once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-am-still-every-age-that-i-have-been-because-i-was-once-a-child-i-am/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I think being young in a grownup world, I think it stunted me a little bit. I had to grow up too fast on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/i-think-being-young-in-a-grownup-world-i-think-it-stunted-me-a-little/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [Someday perhaps I'll have to get a grownup job... but for now I'm having too much fun being a reporter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-mitchell/someday-perhaps-i-ll-have-to-get-a-grownup-job-but-for-now-i-m-having/) [Andrea Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-mitchell/) > [A grownup is a child with layers on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/a-grownup-is-a-child-with-layers-on/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Being a grownup means assuming responsibility for yourself, for your children, and - here's the big curve - for your parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/being-a-grownup-means-assuming-responsibility-for-yourself-for-your/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [The moment you decide that you're a grownup now, and therefore must put away foolish things like staying out all night or cruising down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-heimel/the-moment-you-decide-that-you-re-a-grownup-now-and-therefore-must/) [Cynthia Heimel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-heimel/) > [“Adults who use big words in order to seem intelligent are annoying, especially those who are not intelligent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/adults-who-use-big-words-in-order-to-seem-intelligent-are-annoying/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [It's a very hard thing for all of us to accept ourselves at all the different stages - the horrible side, the wonderful side,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/it-s-a-very-hard-thing-for-all-of-us-to-accept-ourselves-at-all-the/) [Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/) > [When I was very young every grownup was a hero. It's been all downhill since then, and I have only two left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/when-i-was-very-young-every-grownup-was-a-hero-it-s-been-all-downhill/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“How strange it is that when I was a child I tried to be like a grownup, yet as soon as I ceased to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/how-strange-it-is-that-when-i-was-a-child-i-tried-to-be-like-a/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Browse all 46 Grownup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grownup/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and sophisticated. 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