--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I went from being an ailing child to a…" description: "\"I went from being an ailing child to a public enemy,\" — Pat Morita" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png" --- # I went from being an ailing child to a public enemy, ![“I went from being an ailing child to a public enemy,” quote by Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png) > “I went from being an ailing child to a public enemy,” [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He contrasts a frail childhood with becoming a notorious figure, emphasizing a dramatic personal transformation. **In simple terms:** From weak to infamous. Key Takeaway Embrace change and resilience. Themes transformation identity adversity Mood thoughtful determined Type biographical dramatic When to use this quote - career reinvention - public image - overcoming adversity Key Concepts self‑redefinition social perception Questions to Reflect On - What drives such radical change? - How do you reconcile past and present selves? A Different Perspective Not all transformations are positive or healthy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ailing-2256353/) [Child Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-public-2256352/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Public enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-enemies/) [Public Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-enemy-382413/) [Went Ailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-ailing-2256351/) ## Related quotes > [Public Enemy started out as a benchmark in rap music in the mid-1980s. We felt there was a need to actually progress the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/public-enemy-started-out-as-a-benchmark-in-rap-music-in-the-mid-1980s/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [I played more of an advisory role with Public Enemy. I really trusted them to make the music that they wanted to make, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rubin/i-played-more-of-an-advisory-role-with-public-enemy-i-really-trusted/) [Rick Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rubin/) > [Back in the day, when the D.J. would be playing a record, Id be on the mic trying to hype up the crowd. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavor-flav/back-in-the-day-when-the-d-j-would-be-playing-a-record-id-be-on-the/) [Flavor Flav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavor-flav/) > [I like Public Enemy a great deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-newman/i-like-public-enemy-a-great-deal/) [Randy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-newman/) > [I loved hip-hop. The first stuff I heard was Public Enemy, and I couldn't believe it. It was amazing, and I've always loved hip-hop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-loved-hip-hop-the-first-stuff-i-heard-was-public-enemy-and-i-couldn/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [We never broke up. As long as I'm living and as long as Chuck D is living, Public Enemy is always going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavor-flav/we-never-broke-up-as-long-as-i-m-living-and-as-long-as-chuck-d-is/) [Flavor Flav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavor-flav/) > [I always took quite seriously the things that Chuck D. of Public Enemy had to say. He's always been someone I've learned quite a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-always-took-quite-seriously-the-things-that-chuck-d-of-public-enemy/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Public Enemy is the security of the hip-hop party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/public-enemy-is-the-security-of-the-hip-hop-party/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [I think the Internet was the saving grace for Public Enemy. Before that, travelling the world saved Public Enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/i-think-the-internet-was-the-saving-grace-for-public-enemy-before/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [In Hollywood gratitude is Public Enemy Number One.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedda-hopper/in-hollywood-gratitude-is-public-enemy-number-one/) [Hedda Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedda-hopper/) > [Because I have an opinion, I have become public enemy number one to the Fox News Channel and the right wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/because-i-have-an-opinion-i-have-become-public-enemy-number-one-to/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [If anyone wants to know what the definition of 'dope' means, it's: 'Definition of Public Enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavor-flav/if-anyone-wants-to-know-what-the-definition-of-dope-means-it-s/) [Flavor Flav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavor-flav/) > [I'm raising a child, and it's public. The media creates these dramas, and that's not what's happening in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-moynahan/i-m-raising-a-child-and-it-s-public-the-media-creates-these-dramas/) [Bridget Moynahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-moynahan/) > [I'm not the only Labour MP who sent their child to public school but I'm the only one who's questioned about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/i-m-not-the-only-labour-mp-who-sent-their-child-to-public-school-but/) [Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/) ## More by Pat Morita > [Hip Nip just sounds groovy. A drummer laid it on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/hip-nip-just-sounds-groovy-a-drummer-laid-it-on-me/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I began in an era where four-letter words were not allowed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-began-in-an-era-where-four-letter-words-were-not-allowed/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [Look eye! Always look eye!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/look-eye-always-look-eye/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I didn't have a childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-didn-t-have-a-childhood/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I never was able to do karate. That's calling me a good actor. I act like I can do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-never-was-able-to-do-karate-that-s-calling-me-a-good-actor-i-act/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I still have a young attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-still-have-a-young-attitude/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [Canvas. J.C. Penney. $3.98. You like?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/canvas-j-c-penney-3-98-you-like/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I'm awkward at these things. Just being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Karate Kid was a real surprise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-m-awkward-at-these-things-just-being-nominated-for-an-academy-award/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [The idea of a Japanese comedian was not only a rarity, it was non-existent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/the-idea-of-a-japanese-comedian-was-not-only-a-rarity-it-was-non/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [You may have heard that back in the States there are some people who are smoking grass. I don't know how you feel, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/you-may-have-heard-that-back-in-the-states-there-are-some-people-who/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I'm in semi-retirement, but what am I going to retire to? I don't ride horses, I don't golf anymore. I shoot a game of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-m-in-semi-retirement-but-what-am-i-going-to-retire-to-i-don-t-ride/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [A lot happens in 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/a-lot-happens-in-20-years/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I don't know of any other creature on earth other than man that will sit in a corner and cry because of some painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-don-t-know-of-any-other-creature-on-earth-other-than-man-that-will/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [I've been working on my autobiography, just pecking away in longhand. The more you write, the more you remember. The more you remember, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-ve-been-working-on-my-autobiography-just-pecking-away-in-longhand/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) > [Thanks to the Japanese and Geronimo, John Wayne became a millionaire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/thanks-to-the-japanese-and-geronimo-john-wayne-became-a-millionaire/) [Pat Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) [Explore all 21 Pat Morita quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/) ## More Children 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/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I went from being an ailing child to a public enemy,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pat Morita" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-public-enemy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-public-enemy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/pat-morita-26679_children_i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-p_220804.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I went from being an ailing child to a public enemy,” — Pat Morita", "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": "Pat Morita", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-morita/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I went from being an ailing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-public-enemy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-morita/i-went-from-being-an-ailing-child-to-a-public-enemy/#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 } } ] } ```