--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, imagining age, I…" description: "\"“When I was younger, imagining age, I would think, Maybe you appreciate things more when you don't have much time left. I forgot to include the loss of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/margaret-atwood-40_appreciate-things_when-i-was-younger-imagining-age-i-would_2238310.jpg" --- # When I was younger, imagining age, I would think, Maybe… ![“When I was younger, imagining age, I would think, Maybe you appreciate things more when you don't have much time left. I forgot to include the loss of energy. Some days I do appreciate things more, eggs, flowers, but then I decide I'm only having an attack of sentimentality, my brain going pastel…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/margaret-atwood-40_appreciate-things_when-i-was-younger-imagining-age-i-would_2238310.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/margaret-atwood-40_appreciate-things_when-i-was-younger-imagining-age-i-would_2238310.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/margaret-atwood-40_appreciate-things_when-i-was-younger-imagining-age-i-would_2238310.jpg) > ““When I was younger, imagining age, I would think, Maybe you appreciate things more when you don't have much time left. I forgot to include the loss of energy. Some days I do appreciate things more, eggs, flowers, but then I decide I'm only having an attack of sentimentality, my brain going pastel Technicolor, like a beautiful-sunset greeting cards they used to make so many of in California. High-gloss hearts. The danger is grayout.”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often value experiences more when we sense time is limited, but this appreciation can turn into sentimental nostalgia that colors perception. **In simple terms:** Limited time makes us cherish things, but can also cause sentimental distortion. Key Takeaway Recognize genuine appreciation versus sentimental bias. Themes mortality appreciation sentimentality perception Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - mindfulness - artistic inspiration Key Concepts existentialism psychology nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - Do you differentiate between true gratitude and nostalgic sentiment? - How does perceived time scarcity affect your priorities? A Different Perspective Sentimentality may cloud objective judgment and lead to escapism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sentimentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimentality/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-left/) ## Related quotes > [Some days I do appreciate things more, eggs, flowers, but then I decide I'm only having an attack of sentimentality, my brain going pastel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/some-days-i-do-appreciate-things-more-eggs-flowers-but-then-i-decide/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Lets have a toast to the bad days, so we appreciate the sun rays .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-songz/lets-have-a-toast-to-the-bad-days-so-we-appreciate-the-sun-rays/) [Trey Songz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-songz/) > [“They were the good old days. Don't give up hope in the bad new days, which will become the good old days. We appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/they-were-the-good-old-days-don-t-give-up-hope-in-the-bad-new-days/) [Chögyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [We are silent, considering shortfalls. There's not much time left, for us to become what we once intended. Jon had potential, but it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-are-silent-considering-shortfalls-there-s-not-much-time-left-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“You don't appreciate the things that come easy. The things we fight for are the things we keep with us forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/you-don-t-appreciate-the-things-that-come-easy-the-things-we-fight/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [I always was one who didn't take things for granted. But I think I do appreciate things more now. The small moments of joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ledoux/i-always-was-one-who-didn-t-take-things-for-granted-but-i-think-i-do/) [Chris LeDoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ledoux/) > [The Happiest people DO NOT necessarily have the BEST THINGS. They simply APPRECIATE the things they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-happiest-people-do-not-necessarily-have-the-best-things-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Contended In Life. There is a joy in every day's life Beauty every where To appreciate things more Learn to be contended in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/contended-in-life-there-is-a-joy-in-every-day-s-life-beauty-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had a bad knee injury when I was about seventeen. I wasn't able to climb for about six months. It was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sharma/i-had-a-bad-knee-injury-when-i-was-about-seventeen-i-wasn-t-able-to/) [Chris Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sharma/) > [I love my fans so much! I know I say it all the time, but I really appreciate all the things they have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-grande/i-love-my-fans-so-much-i-know-i-say-it-all-the-time-but-i-really/) [Ariana Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-grande/) > [Someone has said it is better to appreciate the things you don't own than to own things you don't appreciate. I hope we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/someone-has-said-it-is-better-to-appreciate-the-things-you-don-t-own/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“A woman is like a universe; there are many things that even she still needs to discover about herself. Men on the other hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/a-woman-is-like-a-universe-there-are-many-things-that-even-she-still/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [“Learn to appreciate the things you have in the life you're living. It is your present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adem-spahic/learn-to-appreciate-the-things-you-have-in-the-life-you-re-living-it/) Adem Spahic > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Appreciate things quotes > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [“Learn to appreciate the things you have in the life you're living. It is your present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adem-spahic/learn-to-appreciate-the-things-you-have-in-the-life-you-re-living-it/) Adem Spahic > [“A woman is like a universe; there are many things that even she still needs to discover about herself. Men on the other hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/a-woman-is-like-a-universe-there-are-many-things-that-even-she-still/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [Someone has said it is better to appreciate the things you don't own than to own things you don't appreciate. I hope we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/someone-has-said-it-is-better-to-appreciate-the-things-you-don-t-own/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [I love my fans so much! I know I say it all the time, but I really appreciate all the things they have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-grande/i-love-my-fans-so-much-i-know-i-say-it-all-the-time-but-i-really/) [Ariana Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-grande/) > [I had a bad knee injury when I was about seventeen. I wasn't able to climb for about six months. It was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sharma/i-had-a-bad-knee-injury-when-i-was-about-seventeen-i-wasn-t-able-to/) [Chris Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sharma/) > [Contended In Life. There is a joy in every day's life Beauty every where To appreciate things more Learn to be contended in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/contended-in-life-there-is-a-joy-in-every-day-s-life-beauty-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Happiest people DO NOT necessarily have the BEST THINGS. They simply APPRECIATE the things they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-happiest-people-do-not-necessarily-have-the-best-things-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always was one who didn't take things for granted. But I think I do appreciate things more now. The small moments of joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ledoux/i-always-was-one-who-didn-t-take-things-for-granted-but-i-think-i-do/) [Chris LeDoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ledoux/) > [“You don't appreciate the things that come easy. The things we fight for are the things we keep with us forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/you-don-t-appreciate-the-things-that-come-easy-the-things-we-fight/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [Accept and appreciate things now, and youll find more happiness in every moment you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-youll-find-more-happiness-in/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Appreciate the things that break you, because in the end, they are the things that make you..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/appreciate-the-things-that-break-you-because-in-the-end-they-are-the/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The main thing that you have to remember on this journey is, just be nice to everyone and always smile. Always appreciate things, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/the-main-thing-that-you-have-to-remember-on-this-journey-is-just-be/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [Be nice to everyone, always smile and appreciate things because it could all be gone tomorrrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-nice-to-everyone-always-smile-and-appreciate-things-because-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 88 Appreciate things quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I was younger, imagining age, I would think, Maybe you appreciate things more when you don't have much time left. I forgot to include the loss of energy. Some days I do appreciate things more, eggs, flowers, but then I decide I'm only having an attack of sentimentality, my brain going pastel Technicolor, like a beautiful-sunset greeting cards they used to make so many of in California. High-gloss hearts. 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