--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, you spend your childhood…" description: "\"“You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming that at some point in the future everything you see will one day happen to you: that you too ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/paul-murray-12593_career-paths_you-know-you-spend-your-childhood-watchi_816092.jpg" --- # You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming… ![“You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming that at some point in the future everything you see will one day happen to you: that you too will win a Formula One race, hop a train, foil a group of terrorists, tell someone 'Give me the gun', etc. Then you start secondary school, and…” quote by Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/paul-murray-12593_career-paths_you-know-you-spend-your-childhood-watchi_816092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/paul-murray-12593_career-paths_you-know-you-spend-your-childhood-watchi_816092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/paul-murray-12593_career-paths_you-know-you-spend-your-childhood-watchi_816092.jpg) > ““You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming that at some point in the future everything you see will one day happen to you: that you too will win a Formula One race, hop a train, foil a group of terrorists, tell someone 'Give me the gun', etc. Then you start secondary school, and suddenly everyone's asking you about your career plans and your long-term goals, and by goals they don't mean the kind you are planning to score in the FA Cup. Gradually the awful truth dawns on you: that Santa Claus was just the tip of the iceberg - that your future will not be the rollercoaster ride you'd imagined,that the world occupied by your parents, the world of washing dishes, going to the dentist, weekend trips to the DIY superstore to buy floor-tiles, is actually largely what people mean when they speak of 'life'.”” [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Childhood fantasies clash with adult reality, revealing that life is ordinary, not the dramatic narratives imagined. **In simple terms:** Dreams of excitement fade as everyday responsibilities dominate. Key Takeaway Accept the ordinary and find meaning in daily life. Themes expectations reality growth Mood reflective pragmatic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - education - family life - personal development - media influence Key Concepts sociology psychology of expectations Questions to Reflect On - How can we reconcile youthful dreams with adult duties? - What practices help appreciate everyday moments? A Different Perspective Idealizing life can cause disappointment; realism may dampen ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career-paths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-paths/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Santa claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/santa-claus/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tip of the iceberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tip-of-the-iceberg/) [Watching tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-tv/) ## Related quotes > [Gradually the awful truth dawns on you: that Santa Claus was just the tip of the iceberg - that your future will not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/gradually-the-awful-truth-dawns-on-you-that-santa-claus-was-just-the/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [Jersey is always with me. I was one of the lucky ones. Asbury Park is just the greatest place in the world to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-devito/jersey-is-always-with-me-i-was-one-of-the-lucky-ones-asbury-park-is/) [Danny DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-devito/) > [You spend your childhood wanting to get out from your house and wanting to get away and out into the real world, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyck-godfrey/you-spend-your-childhood-wanting-to-get-out-from-your-house-and/) [Wyck Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyck-godfrey/) > [“At some point the future becomes reality. And then it quickly becomes the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/at-some-point-the-future-becomes-reality-and-then-it-quickly-becomes/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We are comfortable with the fact that we cannot know personally what happened in the world before we were born, yet we are uncomfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-comfortable-with-the-fact-that-we-cannot-know-personally-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are. 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Nor do I particularly care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/heaven-knows-where-i-ll-end-up-it-s-a-safe-bet-i-ll-never-be-at-the/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More by Paul Murray > [“When he gets up he spends an hour kicking and stamping on his French horn so he will not have to play it again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/when-he-gets-up-he-spends-an-hour-kicking-and-stamping-on-his-french/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [“Halley believed that a kiss was the beginning of a story, the story, good or bad, short or long, of an us, and once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/halley-believed-that-a-kiss-was-the-beginning-of-a-story-the-story/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [“History, in the end, is only another kind of story, and stories are different from the truth. 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But keep your sense of humor and you'll at least be able to take your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/life-makes-fools-of-us-all-sooner-or-later-but-keep-your-sense-of/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [“...the greatest victories are therefore never without the shadow of loss; every path you take, no matter how lofty or effulgent, aches not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/the-greatest-victories-are-therefore-never-without-the-shadow-of-loss/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [“The labels on the little bottles and boxes do not tell you which one is the sleeping pill. Instead they have names, long strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/the-labels-on-the-little-bottles-and-boxes-do-not-tell-you-which-one/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [Ignoring is what you are supposed to do with bullies, so they get bored and leave you alone. But the problem in school is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/ignoring-is-what-you-are-supposed-to-do-with-bullies-so-they-get/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [To hear people talk, you would think no one ever did anything but love each other. But when you look for it, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/to-hear-people-talk-you-would-think-no-one-ever-did-anything-but-love/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [Since when has love ever looked for reasons, or evidence? Why would love bow to the reality of things, when it creates a reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/since-when-has-love-ever-looked-for-reasons-or-evidence-why-would/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) [Explore all 53 Paul Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) ## More Career-paths quotes > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Heaven knows where I'll end up - it's a safe bet I'll never be at the top of anything! Nor do I particularly care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/heaven-knows-where-i-ll-end-up-it-s-a-safe-bet-i-ll-never-be-at-the/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [I wonder why people work so hard to become politicians just in order to do something wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masuji-ibuse/i-wonder-why-people-work-so-hard-to-become-politicians-just-in-order/) [Masuji Ibuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masuji-ibuse/) > [“People have a much greater chance of finding something they’ll enjoy doing and making those greatest contributions when they trust themselves and are free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/people-have-a-much-greater-chance-of-finding-something-they-ll-enjoy/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“Aim high in your career, but stay humble in your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/korean-proverb/aim-high-in-your-career-but-stay-humble-in-your-heart/) Korean proverb > [“Our parents are not the only people on this planet, and we should not base our life choices on what they want (what will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/our-parents-are-not-the-only-people-on-this-planet-and-we-should-not/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“Fall makes me think that if I fail horribly at this art thing, and then fail horribly with this writing thing, I'll go run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hojberg/fall-makes-me-think-that-if-i-fail-horribly-at-this-art-thing-and/) [Tyler Hojberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hojberg/) > [“That’s not our role here, provide our parents with a “success story” to share at gatherings. Our role here is to contribute the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/that-s-not-our-role-here-provide-our-parents-with-a-success-story-to/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“It’s safer/ easier to follow the script and complain how broken some things are in that script, than to attempt to change those things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/it-s-safer-easier-to-follow-the-script-and-complain-how-broken-some/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [“It is possible for you to realise your dream as a scientist, you must be a passionate learner and curious enough to seek this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-possible-for-you-to-realise-your-dream-as-a-scientist-you-must/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“A decision is only as strong as the belief standing behind it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-hankel/a-decision-is-only-as-strong-as-the-belief-standing-behind-it/) [Isaiah Hankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-hankel/) > [“I am certain that Eric will get the job. His career path is very straight, like that of an arrow to its target. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weike-wang/i-am-certain-that-eric-will-get-the-job-his-career-path-is-very/) [Weike Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weike-wang/) > [“You can build your business life where you are working with people you want to work with. Then it becomes a pleasure, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-morgan/you-can-build-your-business-life-where-you-are-working-with-people/) Andy Morgan > [“When my father was 17, he went to Montreal and found these submarine sandwich shops that were really successful, and weren't in Toronto \[his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/when-my-father-was-17-he-went-to-montreal-and-found-these-submarine/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [“An approach, according to which children should fulfil their parents’ dreams/ do everything in order to make their parents happy/ provide their parents with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/an-approach-according-to-which-children-should-fulfil-their-parents/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) [Browse all 23 Career-paths quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-paths/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming that at some point in the future everything you see will one day happen to you: that you too will win a Formula One race, hop a train, foil a group of terrorists, tell someone 'Give me the gun', etc. Then you start secondary school, and suddenly everyone's asking you about your career plans and your long-term goals, and by goals they don't mean the kind you are planning to score in the FA Cup. 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