--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to be so big and strong, I used to…" description: "\"I used to be so big and strong, I used to know right from wrong.\" — Nine Inch Nails" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg" --- # I used to be so big and strong, I used to know right from… ![“I used to be so big and strong, I used to know right from wrong.” quote by Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg) > “I used to be so big and strong, I used to know right from wrong.” [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflecting on past strength and moral clarity, the narrator notes a loss of innocence and certainty. **In simple terms:** Once strong and morally clear, now uncertain. Key Takeaway Reclaim personal integrity. Themes identity morality growth nostalgia Mood reflective somber Type musical philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative projects - ethical decisions - self‑assessment Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What values have you lost? - How can you rebuild moral certainty? A Different Perspective Nostalgia may idealize the past. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Right From Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-from-wrong/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) ## Related quotes > [If they're grown they KNOW right from wrong, they just CHOOSE to treat you wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-they-re-grown-they-know-right-from-wrong-they-just-choose-to-treat/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [But for this book we could not know right from wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/but-for-this-book-we-could-not-know-right-from-wrong/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“You wouldn’t know right from wrong.” There was no trace of anger in his voice. “The only way a man knows right from wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/you-wouldn-t-know-right-from-wrong-there-was-no-trace-of-anger-in-his/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [But for that Book, we could not know right from wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/but-for-that-book-we-could-not-know-right-from-wrong/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“One did not need to believe in the Force to know right from wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-rucka/one-did-not-need-to-believe-in-the-force-to-know-right-from-wrong-2/) [Greg Rucka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-rucka/) > [I really know right from wrong and apply that to my life. At home, I was the oldest of three. My role was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisha-cuthbert/i-really-know-right-from-wrong-and-apply-that-to-my-life-at-home-i/) [Elisha Cuthbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisha-cuthbert/) > [There were voices that told me right from wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jones/there-were-voices-that-told-me-right-from-wrong/) [George Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jones/) > [You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-hardy/you-know-there-s-a-right-and-wrong-way-to-do-everything/) [Oliver Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-hardy/) > [You know it's all right to be wrong, but it's not all right not to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanford-meisner/you-know-it-s-all-right-to-be-wrong-but-it-s-not-all-right-not-to-try/) [Sanford Meisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanford-meisner/) > [Gentlemen, I want you to know that I am not always right, but I am never wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/gentlemen-i-want-you-to-know-that-i-am-not-always-right-but-i-am/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [Before you do anything, you need to know if it's right or wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-lau/before-you-do-anything-you-need-to-know-if-it-s-right-or-wrong/) [Andy Lau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-lau/) > [I'm used to big boys. I train with big boys all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-volkanovski/i-m-used-to-big-boys-i-train-with-big-boys-all-the-time/) [Alexander Volkanovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-volkanovski/) > [Selling a million records used to be a big deal. I guess it's not anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-hill/selling-a-million-records-used-to-be-a-big-deal-i-guess-it-s-not/) [Dusty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-hill/) > [I used to have a big crush on Andie MacDowell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/i-used-to-have-a-big-crush-on-andie-macdowell/) [Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/) > [I'm used to big roles and lots of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-m-used-to-big-roles-and-lots-of-words/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) ## More by Nine Inch Nails > [The world rejects me, the world threw me away. This world never gave me a chance, this world's gonna have to pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/the-world-rejects-me-the-world-threw-me-away-this-world-never-gave-me/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [I am in the needle in your vain, I am the high you can't sustain. I am the pusher, I am a whore, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-am-in-the-needle-in-your-vain-i-am-the-high-you-can-t-sustain-i-am/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [Help me, I've got no soul to sell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/help-me-i-ve-got-no-soul-to-sell/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [“What have I become? My sweetest friend; everyone I know goes away in the end. And you could have it all: my empire of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/what-have-i-become-my-sweetest-friend-everyone-i-know-goes-away-in/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [My god pouts on the cover of the magazine, my god's a shallow little bitch trying to make the scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/my-god-pouts-on-the-cover-of-the-magazine-my-god-s-a-shallow-little/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [You let me violate you, you let me desecrate you, you let me penetrate you, you let me complicate you. Help me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/you-let-me-violate-you-you-let-me-desecrate-you-you-let-me-penetrate/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [“Thought he had it all before they called his bluff Found out that his skin just wasn't thick enough Wanted to go back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/thought-he-had-it-all-before-they-called-his-bluff-found-out-that-his/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [He couldn't believe how easy it was, he put the gun into his face, bang. So much blood for such a tiny little hole.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/he-couldn-t-believe-how-easy-it-was-he-put-the-gun-into-his-face-bang/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [You can have it all, my empire of dirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/you-can-have-it-all-my-empire-of-dirt/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [I'll cross my heart and hope to die, but the needle's already in my eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-ll-cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die-but-the-needle-s-already-in-my-eye/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [A promise carved in stone, deeper than the seas, sever flesh and bone, offer it to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/a-promise-carved-in-stone-deeper-than-the-seas-sever-flesh-and-bone/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [“I've done all I can do Could I please come with you? Sweet smell of sunshine I remember sometimes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-ve-done-all-i-can-do-could-i-please-come-with-you-sweet-smell-of/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [I am the plague, I am the swarm. All your hurt sticks on me, and I keep it warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-am-the-plague-i-am-the-swarm-all-your-hurt-sticks-on-me-and-i-keep/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [“Without you everything falls apart. Without you it's not as much fun to pick up the pieces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/without-you-everything-falls-apart-without-you-it-s-not-as-much-fun/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) > [You are the perfect drug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/you-are-the-perfect-drug/) [Nine Inch Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) [Explore all 33 Nine Inch Nails quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/) ## More Strength quotes > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“Serve in the grace of strength within thy soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/serve-in-the-grace-of-strength-within-thy-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Strong brows is what I have, and I embrace them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-connelly/strong-brows-is-what-i-have-and-i-embrace-them/) [Jennifer Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-connelly/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [You're the strength I need to fight, you're the reason I still try. I'm the moth and you're the light, use these wings so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-the-strength-i-need-to-fight-you-re-the-reason-i-still-try-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Honesty in politics is the result of strength; hypocrisy is the result of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/honesty-in-politics-is-the-result-of-strength-hypocrisy-is-the-result/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) [Browse all 9,879 Strength quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to be so big and strong, I used to know right from wrong.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nine Inch Nails" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to-know-right-from-wrong/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Strength" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to-know-right-from-wrong/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/nine-inch-nails-19165_strength_i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to_760760.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I used to be so big and strong, I used to know right from wrong.” — Nine Inch Nails", "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": "Nine Inch Nails", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nine-inch-nails/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I used to be so big...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to-know-right-from-wrong/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nine-inch-nails/i-used-to-be-so-big-and-strong-i-used-to-know-right-from-wrong/#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 } } ] } ```