---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was five, I am told, and asked…"
description: "\"When I was five, I am told, and asked what my favorite things in the world were, I answered, smoked salmon and Bach.\" — Oliver Sacks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/oliver-sacks-2132_favorite-thing_when-i-was-five-i-am-told-and-asked-what_831587.jpg"
---

#  When I was five, I am told, and asked what my favorite…

![“When I was five, I am told, and asked what my favorite things in the world were, I answered, smoked salmon and Bach.” quote by Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/oliver-sacks-2132_favorite-thing_when-i-was-five-i-am-told-and-asked-what_831587.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/oliver-sacks-2132_favorite-thing_when-i-was-five-i-am-told-and-asked-what_831587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/oliver-sacks-2132_favorite-thing_when-i-was-five-i-am-told-and-asked-what_831587.jpg)

> “When I was five, I am told, and asked what my favorite things in the world were, I answered, smoked salmon and Bach.”

[Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A child's early preferences can be surprisingly sophisticated, reflecting deep personal taste even at a young age.

**In simple terms:** Kids can have refined tastes early on.

Key Takeaway

Respect and nurture unique interests.

Themes

childhood taste music

Mood

wonderful insightful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- parenting
- music appreciation

Key Concepts

developmental psychology personal identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this reveal about innate versus learned taste?
- How can we support early passions?

A Different Perspective

Adults may dismiss youthful preferences as trivial.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Answered Smoked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answered-smoked-563680/) [Asked Favorite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-favorite-268342/) [Favorite thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-thing/) [Favorite things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-things/) [Favorites things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorites-things/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [My favorite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-favorite/) [Salmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salmon/) [Salmon Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salmon-bach-563681/) [Smoked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoked/) [Smoked salmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoked-salmon/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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