--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past was only my cradle, and now it…" description: "\"The past was only my cradle, and now it cannot hold me, because I am grown too big.\" — Mary Antin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png" --- # The past was only my cradle, and now it cannot hold me… ![“The past was only my cradle, and now it cannot hold me, because I am grown too big.” quote by Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png) > “The past was only my cradle, and now it cannot hold me, because I am grown too big.” [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Childhood was a safe foundation, but growth makes it insufficient for an adult’s expanding needs. **In simple terms:** Outgrowing early comforts is natural. Key Takeaway Seek new horizons as you mature. Themes growth self‑discovery transition limitations Mood hopeful reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - career change - higher education - travel planning Key Concepts psychology personal development literature Questions to Reflect On - What does your “cradle” represent? - How do you balance nostalgia with progress? A Different Perspective Counterpoint: Some find comfort in returning to roots for stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The Past: Our cradle, not our prison; there is danger as well as appeal in its glamour. The past is for inspiration, not imitation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-zangwill/the-past-our-cradle-not-our-prison-there-is-danger-as-well-as-appeal/) [Israel Zangwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-zangwill/) > [The more I study men, the more I realize that they are nothing in the world but boys grown too big to be spankable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-more-i-study-men-the-more-i-realize-that-they-are-nothing-in-the/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [The world of the media has grown so big that everybody has to attach themselves with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-world-of-the-media-has-grown-so-big-that-everybody-has-to-attach/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [I am happy that Chinese tennis has grown so big, but I am just a little mark in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peng-shuai/i-am-happy-that-chinese-tennis-has-grown-so-big-but-i-am-just-a/) [Peng Shuai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peng-shuai/) > [“Anyway, what I've just told you was what prompted the chair incident. I had grown big, and he was trying to belittle me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/anyway-what-i-ve-just-told-you-was-what-prompted-the-chair-incident-i/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [My life owes me. Like an overdose, I'm slowly Drifting into the arms of trouble, then trouble holds me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/my-life-owes-me-like-an-overdose-i-m-slowly-drifting-into-the-arms-of/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [Every time I have a bikini wax, Cameron Diaz holds me down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/every-time-i-have-a-bikini-wax-cameron-diaz-holds-me-down/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [When the boys at school found out I had a potentially fatal peanut allergy, they used to hold me up against a wall and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-jones/when-the-boys-at-school-found-out-i-had-a-potentially-fatal-peanut/) [Milton Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-jones/) > [There are moments of clarity daily. They open me up with a breath and keep me calm. They feed me the answers. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/there-are-moments-of-clarity-daily-they-open-me-up-with-a-breath-and/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [“ Remember Remember me when I am gone away, Gone far away into the silent land; When you can no more hold me by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/remember-remember-me-when-i-am-gone-away-gone-far-away-into-the/) [Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/) > [Cause she hold me down every time I hit her up. When I get right I promise that we gon live it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/cause-she-hold-me-down-every-time-i-hit-her-up-when-i-get-right-i/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I can jump ship and swim-- that the ocean will hold me, that there's got to be more than this boat I'm in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-can-jump-ship-and-swim-that-the-ocean-will-hold-me-that-there-s-got/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [My only sanction is the love and affection in which you hold me. But it has its weaknesses, as it has its strengths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-only-sanction-is-the-love-and-affection-in-which-you-hold-me-but/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Mothers love you to the end, and she didn't want to hold me back from my livelihood. So I left for a month and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/mothers-love-you-to-the-end-and-she-didn-t-want-to-hold-me-back-from/) [Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/) > [Everything interests me, but nothing holds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-interests-me-but-nothing-holds-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## More by Mary Antin > [On a royal birthday every house must fly a flag, or the owner would be dragged to a police station and be fined twenty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/on-a-royal-birthday-every-house-must-fly-a-flag-or-the-owner-would-be/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [A proper autobiography is a death-bed confession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/a-proper-autobiography-is-a-death-bed-confession/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [One current of continuity runs underneath all the abortive phases of my life. From childhood on I have been obliged to drop anything I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/one-current-of-continuity-runs-underneath-all-the-abortive-phases-of/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [A proper autobiography is a death-bed confession. A true man finds so much work to do that he has no time to contemplate his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/a-proper-autobiography-is-a-death-bed-confession-a-true-man-finds-so/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [“The Wandering Jew in me seeks forgetfulness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-wandering-jew-in-me-seeks-forgetfulness/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [It is painful to be consciously of two worlds. The Wandering Jew in me seeks forgetfulness. I am not afraid to live on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/it-is-painful-to-be-consciously-of-two-worlds-the-wandering-jew-in-me/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [“The tongue am I of those who lived before me, as those that are to come will be the voice of my unspoken thoughts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-tongue-am-i-of-those-who-lived-before-me-as-those-that-are-to/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [It is not that I belong to the past, but the past that belongs to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/it-is-not-that-i-belong-to-the-past-but-the-past-that-belongs-to-me/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [The first meal was an object lesson of much variety. My father produced several kinds of food, ready to eat, without any cooking, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-first-meal-was-an-object-lesson-of-much-variety-my-father/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [There was one public school for boys, and one for girls, but Jewish children were admitted in limited numbers - only ten to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/there-was-one-public-school-for-boys-and-one-for-girls-but-jewish/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [You went up to be examined with the other Jewish children, your heart heavy about that matter of your nose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/you-went-up-to-be-examined-with-the-other-jewish-children-your-heart/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later; and the birth and growth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/we-are-not-born-all-at-once-but-by-bits-the-body-first-and-the-spirit/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [No, the czar did not want us in the schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/no-the-czar-did-not-want-us-in-the-schools/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [As we moved along in a little procession, I was delighted with the illumination of the streets. So many lamps, and they burned until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/as-we-moved-along-in-a-little-procession-i-was-delighted-with-the/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) > [The czar was always sending us commands - you shall not do this and you shall not do that - till there was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-czar-was-always-sending-us-commands-you-shall-not-do-this-and-you/) [Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) [Explore all 40 Mary Antin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The past was only my cradle, and now it cannot hold me, because I am grown too big.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Antin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-cannot-hold-me-because-i-am/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-cannot-hold-me-because-i-am/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mary-antin-16350_bigs_the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-c_762583.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The past was only my cradle, and now it cannot hold me, because I am grown too big.” — Mary Antin", "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": "Mary Antin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The past was only my cradle,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-cannot-hold-me-because-i-am/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/the-past-was-only-my-cradle-and-now-it-cannot-hold-me-because-i-am/#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 } } ] } ```