Business Quote by Marsha Norman
““I am what became of your child. I found an old baby picture of me. And it was somebody else, not me. It was somebody pink and fat who never heard of sick or lonely, somebody who cried and got fed,, and reached up and got held and kicked but didn't hurt anybody, and slept whenever she wanted to, just by closing her eyes. Somebody who mainly just laid there and laughed at the colors waving around over her head and chewed on a polka-dot whale and woke up knowing some new trick nearly every day and rolled over and drooled on the sheet and felt your hand pulling my quilt back up over me. That's who I started out and this is who is left. That's what this is about. It's somebody I lost, all right, it's my own self. Who I never was. Or who I tried to be and never got there. Somebody I waited for who never came. And never will. So, see, it doesn't much matter what else happens in the world or in this house, even. I'm what was worth waiting for and I didn't make it. Me...who might have made a difference to me...I'm not going to show up, so there's no reason to stay, except to keep you company, and that's...not reason enough because I'm not...very good company. Am I.””
About This Quote
Source Play: 'The Secret of My Success' by Marsha Norman, 1995
The speaker reflects on lost identity and unmet expectations, feeling disconnected from the self they once imagined and the person they have become.
In simple terms: Feeling lost between who they wanted to be and who they are.
Key Takeaway
Accept the present self, seek authentic growth.
Themes
identity
loss
self‑acceptance
expectation
loneliness
Mood
melancholic
reflective
hopeful
Type
personal
existential
emotional
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- personal journaling
- support groups
- creative writing
- mindfulness practice
Key Concepts
psychology
existentialism
self‑concept
Questions to Reflect On
- What aspects of your past self still guide you?
- How can you honor both loss and growth?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may idealize a past self, overlooking the value of present experiences.
![“If ever a girl was [worth waiting], Val, it'd be you, but I can't promise that. You have no idea what my life is like. There are always too many beautiful and willing women. There's too much temptation. Too much expectation. If I wasn't getting it from you I'd probably stray. I know how that…” quote by Kelly Oram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/faf/kelly-oram-4058_life_if-ever-a-girl-was-worth-waiting-val-it_372624.jpg)
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
