--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S…" description: "\"I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S., and it had its ups and downs.\" — MF Doom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg" --- # I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S., and it had its… ![“I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S., and it had its ups and downs.” quote by MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg) > “I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S., and it had its ups and downs.” [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on a mixed experience of growing up in America over three decades. **In simple terms:** Mixed experiences in America. Key Takeaway Embrace both highs and lows. Themes identity culture growth resilience Mood nostalgic reflective Type personal narrative When to use this quote - personal reflection - career storytelling - public speaking Key Concepts American life immigrant perspective Questions to Reflect On - How did these ups and downs shape your art? - What lessons can others learn? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic challenges faced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [35 Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/35-years-391122/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Growing Ups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-ups-5337265/) [Spent 35](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spent-35-5337266/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Ups and downs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ups-and-downs/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-growing-437800/) ## Related quotes > [I think if we had another set of policies for - not the crisis years, but after that, that we might be growing faster.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/i-think-if-we-had-another-set-of-policies-for-not-the-crisis-years/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [What would you think of a person who earned $24,000 a year but spent $35,000? Suppose on top of that, he was already $170,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/what-would-you-think-of-a-person-who-earned-24-000-a-year-but-spent/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [I did martial arts and karate for eight years when I was growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-starr/i-did-martial-arts-and-karate-for-eight-years-when-i-was-growing-up/) [Antony Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-starr/) > [Women have waited millions of years, growing separate as another species, with visions and priorities no man-words, no man-measurements can comprehend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/women-have-waited-millions-of-years-growing-separate-as-another/) [Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/) > [Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler's match was the one thing people believed most about wrestling in the last 35 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cornette/andy-kaufman-and-jerry-lawler-s-match-was-the-one-thing-people/) [Jim Cornette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cornette/) > [Speaking as somebody who has been happily married for 35 years, I can't imagine any choice more consequential for a lifelong journey than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/speaking-as-somebody-who-has-been-happily-married-for-35-years-i-can/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [I think, cumulatively, I probably have done more photo sessions than just about everyone. Maybe as much as a supermodel. I know they model…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/i-think-cumulatively-i-probably-have-done-more-photo-sessions-than/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [I don't want to be 35 years old and still popping out songs in miniskirts and la-la-la.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-valance/i-don-t-want-to-be-35-years-old-and-still-popping-out-songs-in/) [Holly Valance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-valance/) > [When I was pregnant with my first child, I was 35 years old, and I was working in a pet shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/when-i-was-pregnant-with-my-first-child-i-was-35-years-old-and-i-was/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [I was a stunt man for 35 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-farnsworth/i-was-a-stunt-man-for-35-years/) [Richard Farnsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-farnsworth/) > [I'm a union guy; I've always been. I've been in SAG 35 years; my father was a garbage man, a sanitation man, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-danza/i-m-a-union-guy-i-ve-always-been-i-ve-been-in-sag-35-years-my-father/) [Tony Danza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-danza/) > [I don't even want to think about myself at 35 years old in 2029.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeongyeon/i-don-t-even-want-to-think-about-myself-at-35-years-old-in-2029/) [Jeongyeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeongyeon/) > [It took 35 years, but the time was well spent and I think I have established a good stake in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-olson/it-took-35-years-but-the-time-was-well-spent-and-i-think-i-have/) [Johnny Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-olson/) > [I never believed I'd have a six-pack, especially not at 35 years old. I always thought it was a genetic blessing. It's not. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sullivan-stapleton/i-never-believed-i-d-have-a-six-pack-especially-not-at-35-years-old-i/) [Sullivan Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sullivan-stapleton/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/) [Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/) ## More by MF Doom > [I think - a lot of times in hip-hop, especially - artists get kind of pigeonholed into being 'the guy,' and it's kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-think-a-lot-of-times-in-hip-hop-especially-artists-get-kind-of/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [Hip-hop is so saturated with the same old same old that people always expect the guy to actually be the guy. They want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/hip-hop-is-so-saturated-with-the-same-old-same-old-that-people-always/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [He plots shows like robberies, in and out, 123 nobodies pleased, run the cash and you wont get a wet sweatshirt, the mic is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/he-plots-shows-like-robberies-in-and-out-123-nobodies-pleased-run-the/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [Joker rhymes like the is you just happy to see me trick, classical slapstick rappers need chapstick, a lot of them sound like they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/joker-rhymes-like-the-is-you-just-happy-to-see-me-trick-classical/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [And the winner for the ninth time in a row, DOOM- I owe it to a well refined rhyme flow, now if you dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/and-the-winner-for-the-ninth-time-in-a-row-doom-i-owe-it-to-a-well/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [Paid way before we wrapped it up like tie dye, Hip hop sci fi, You could see he had the eye of the tiger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/paid-way-before-we-wrapped-it-up-like-tie-dye-hip-hop-sci-fi-you/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [He keep his hoes in check, sends em out to get glows from off frozen necks, tells em take his clothes leave him posin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/he-keep-his-hoes-in-check-sends-em-out-to-get-glows-from-off-frozen/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [By the way, I reup on bad dreams, bag up screams in 50s, be up on mad schemes that heat shop like Jiffy (pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/by-the-way-i-reup-on-bad-dreams-bag-up-screams-in-50s-be-up-on-mad/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [The song 'Bite the Thong' in particular, with Damon Albarn, really encapsulates the whole dilemma of, 'Hmm, should I stay on the underground when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/the-song-bite-the-thong-in-particular-with-damon-albarn-really/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [That was me on stage, I just lost a bunch of weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/that-was-me-on-stage-i-just-lost-a-bunch-of-weight/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [I had this style ever since I was a child, I got this other style I ain't flip in a while, it goes. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-had-this-style-ever-since-i-was-a-child-i-got-this-other-style-i/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [DOOM was always known to keep the best girls backs bent, some say its the eyes, some say the accent, a lotta guys wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/doom-was-always-known-to-keep-the-best-girls-backs-bent-some-say-its/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [Train a sane brain to an insane train of thought, on the campaign trail he came to gain ya support, charge cash for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/train-a-sane-brain-to-an-insane-train-of-thought-on-the-campaign/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [Give you nothing but the lick like two brawds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/give-you-nothing-but-the-lick-like-two-brawds/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) > [I'm doing the shows. The stage is my canvas; I'll put whatever up there for the visible eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-m-doing-the-shows-the-stage-is-my-canvas-i-ll-put-whatever-up-there/) [MF Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) [Explore all 49 MF Doom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/) ## More Growing quotes > [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/) [Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/every-woman-i-have-ever-loved-has-left-her-print-upon-me-where-i/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-effect-of-her-being-on-those-around-her-was-incalculably/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I wasn't a kid growing up thinking, 'One day I'll get an Oscar and make a speech.' That wasn't on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/i-wasn-t-a-kid-growing-up-thinking-one-day-i-ll-get-an-oscar-and-make/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I was young, but to me that was underground music. I had never heard anything like Venom or any of that stuff growing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pajo/i-was-young-but-to-me-that-was-underground-music-i-had-never-heard/) [David Pajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pajo/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) [Browse all 7,266 Growing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S., and it had its ups and downs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "MF Doom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-and-it-had-its-ups-and-downs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Growing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-and-it-had-its-ups-and-downs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98e/mf-doom-13606_growing_i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-a_672651.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I spent 35 years growing up in the U.S., and it had its ups and downs.” — MF Doom", "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": "MF Doom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mf-doom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I spent 35 years growing up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-and-it-had-its-ups-and-downs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mf-doom/i-spent-35-years-growing-up-in-the-u-s-and-it-had-its-ups-and-downs/#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 } } ] } ```