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Ambitious Quote by Nora Ephron

“We have a game we play when we’re waiting for tables in restaurants, where you have to write the five things that describe yourself on a piece of paper. When I was [in my twenties], I would have put: ambitious, Wellesley graduate, daughter, Democrat, single. Ten years later not one of those five…” quote by Nora Ephron
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“We have a game we play when we’re waiting for tables in restaurants, where you have to write the five things that describe yourself on a piece of paper. When I was [in my twenties], I would have put: ambitious, Wellesley graduate, daughter, Democrat, single. Ten years later not one of those five things turned up on my list. I was: journalist, feminist, New Yorker, divorced, funny. Today not one of those five things turns up in my list: writer, director, mother, sister, happy.”

Nora Ephron

About This Quote

Source Interview: The New Yorker, 1995

Personal identity evolves; self‑descriptions change as life stages and priorities shift.

In simple terms: We change over time.

Key Takeaway

Embrace growth.

Themes

identity change self‑discovery

Mood

introspective nostalgic

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

  • career transitions
  • personal reinvention
  • relationship changes

Key Concepts

psychology life narrative

Questions to Reflect On

  • How have your core values shifted?
  • What new descriptors define you now?
A Different Perspective

Self‑labels can become limiting if clung to rigidly.

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