--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There’s something a little humiliating…" description: "\"“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 grownup, wise, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bac/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_there-s-something-a-little-humiliating-a_2571082.jpg" --- # There’s something a little humiliating about having to… ![“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 grownup, wise, and sophisticated. But these gifts are not mine.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bac/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_there-s-something-a-little-humiliating-a_2571082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bac/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_there-s-something-a-little-humiliating-a_2571082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bac/madeleine-l-engle-345_grownup_there-s-something-a-little-humiliating-a_2571082.jpg) > ““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 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. Accepting naiveté at any age is honest; wisdom isn’t guaranteed by age. **In simple terms:** Age ≠ wisdom. Key Takeaway Own your learning stage. Themes humility self‑acceptance growth Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career transition - education - personal reflection - midlife crisis Key Concepts Developmental psychology wisdom Questions to Reflect On - What does naiveté allow you to see? - How can you balance humility and confidence? A Different Perspective Societal pressure to appear wise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grownup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grownup/) [Grownup Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grownup-wise-1691876/) [Naïve Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/na-ve-quite-1691877/) [Sophisticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophisticated/) [Wise Sophisticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-sophisticated-1691878/) ## Related quotes > [“I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and sophisticated. But these gifts are not mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-would-quite-often-like-to-be-grownup-wise-and-sophisticated-but/) [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/) > ['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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## 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/) > [“I would, quite often, like to be grownup, wise, and sophisticated. But these gifts are not mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-would-quite-often-like-to-be-grownup-wise-and-sophisticated-but/) [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/) [Browse all 46 Grownup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grownup/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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 grownup, wise, and sophisticated. 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