--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't think I had anything particular…" description: "\"I didn't think I had anything particular to say, but I thought I might have something to say to children.\" — Penelope Lively" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png" --- # I didn't think I had anything particular to say, but I… ![“I didn't think I had anything particular to say, but I thought I might have something to say to children.” quote by Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png) > “I didn't think I had anything particular to say, but I thought I might have something to say to children.” [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels compelled to speak to children despite lacking a specific agenda, highlighting the value of sharing thoughts. **In simple terms:** Speaking to kids without a set agenda. Key Takeaway Share thoughts with children even without a plan. Themes education communication children Mood thoughtful inspirational Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - parenting - teaching - storytelling - public speaking Key Concepts spontaneity authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What could you say to children that matters? - How does spontaneity affect your message? A Different Perspective Lack of clear purpose may reduce impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Didn Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-think/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Particular Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular-say-2738298/) [Say Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-children/) [Say Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-thought-856918/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-say-666255/) ## Related quotes > [“Just say it, she thought. Say what everyone in this bunker is thinking. Say what we all know to be true. The truth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-anderson/just-say-it-she-thought-say-what-everyone-in-this-bunker-is-thinking/) [C.J. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-anderson/) > [If you asked me how many times I thought about you,I would say once..Because you never really left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-asked-me-how-many-times-i-thought-about-you-i-would-say-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No, she thought, one could say nothing to nobody. The urgency of the moment always missed its mark. Words fluttered sideways and struck the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/no-she-thought-one-could-say-nothing-to-nobody-the-urgency-of-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“When Jim Donell thought of something to say he said it as often and in as many ways as possible, perhaps because he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/when-jim-donell-thought-of-something-to-say-he-said-it-as-often-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Never thought you'd say this I know you want nothing more to do with me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolas-sixx-is-single-now/never-thought-you-d-say-this-i-know-you-want-nothing-more-to-do-with/) [Nikolas Sixx Is Single Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolas-sixx-is-single-now/) > [“I never in a million years thought i would ever say this, but I'm not going to take you tonight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/i-never-in-a-million-years-thought-i-would-ever-say-this-but-i-m-not/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [“I have made up my mind to say my say. I shall do it kindly, distinctly; but I am going to do it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/i-have-made-up-my-mind-to-say-my-say-i-shall-do-it-kindly-distinctly/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [I'm a New Yorker. I never thought I'd say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cowher/i-m-a-new-yorker-i-never-thought-i-d-say-that/) [Bill Cowher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cowher/) > [I honestly thought you would say a while ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/i-honestly-thought-you-would-say-a-while-ago/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [I thought Ted Cruz was more fun than Carly Fiorina. And I never thought I would ever say the words, 'Ted Cruz was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/i-thought-ted-cruz-was-more-fun-than-carly-fiorina-and-i-never/) [Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/) > [“... and you might say “no, you will never do that, that’s not you, not who I know, not who I thought you were”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/and-you-might-say-no-you-will-never-do-that-that-s-not-you-not-who-i/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [When you have a thought that is not in alignment with your highest vision change to a new thought! Then and there. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-morgan/when-you-have-a-thought-that-is-not-in-alignment-with-your-highest/) [Marlo Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-morgan/) > [I never thought I'd say it but muthafuk a friend, cuz yo dawg be the one to bross ya in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plies/i-never-thought-i-d-say-it-but-muthafuk-a-friend-cuz-yo-dawg-be-the/) [Plies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plies/) > [I obviously have a knack for getting on paper what a lot of people have thought and didn't realize they thought. And they say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-obviously-have-a-knack-for-getting-on-paper-what-a-lot-of-people/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Never thought I'd say that I'm fine without you, turns out I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-thought-i-d-say-that-i-m-fine-without-you-turns-out-i-m-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Penelope Lively > [“I know quite well why I became a historian… It was because dissension was frowned upon when I was a child: 'Don't argue, Claudia,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-know-quite-well-why-i-became-a-historian-it-was-because-dissension/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“The question is, shall it or shall it not be linear history. I've always thought a kaleidoscopic view might be an interesting heresey. Shake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/the-question-is-shall-it-or-shall-it-not-be-linear-history-i-ve/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [There's a preoccupation with memory and the operation of memory and a rather rapacious interest in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/there-s-a-preoccupation-with-memory-and-the-operation-of-memory-and-a/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“He felt marvellously conscious of the moment, of here and now, of this day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/he-felt-marvellously-conscious-of-the-moment-of-here-and-now-of-this/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [People die, but money never does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/people-die-but-money-never-does/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“But her thoughts are often of the past. That evanescent, pervasive, slippery internal landscape known to no one else, that vast accretion of data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/but-her-thoughts-are-often-of-the-past-that-evanescent-pervasive/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Unless I am a part of everything I am nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/unless-i-am-a-part-of-everything-i-am-nothing/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Getting to know someone else involves curiosity about where they have come from, who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/getting-to-know-someone-else-involves-curiosity-about-where-they-have/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [I'm intrigued by the way in which physical appearance can often direct a person's life; things happen differently for a beautiful woman than for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-m-intrigued-by-the-way-in-which-physical-appearance-can-often/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Since then, I have just read and read - but, that said, I suppose there is a raft of writers to whom I return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/since-then-i-have-just-read-and-read-but-that-said-i-suppose-there-is/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“I have a print - you can buy them at the Victoria and Albert Museum - of a photograph of the village street of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-have-a-print-you-can-buy-them-at-the-victoria-and-albert-museum-of/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Every novel generates its own climate, when you get going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/every-novel-generates-its-own-climate-when-you-get-going/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“The power of language. Preserving the ephemeral; giving form to dreams, permanence to sparks of sunlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/the-power-of-language-preserving-the-ephemeral-giving-form-to-dreams/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [We all need a past - that's where our sense of identity comes from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/we-all-need-a-past-that-s-where-our-sense-of-identity-comes-from/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [Conventional forms of narrative allow for different points of view, but for this book I wanted a structure whereby each of the main characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/conventional-forms-of-narrative-allow-for-different-points-of-view/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) [Explore all 118 Penelope Lively quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) ## 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 didn't think I had anything particular to say, but I thought I might have something to say to children.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Penelope Lively" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular-to-say-but-i-thought-i-might/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular-to-say-but-i-thought-i-might/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/penelope-lively-3959_children_i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular_2701722.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I didn't think I had anything particular to say, but I thought I might have something to say to children.” — Penelope Lively", "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": "Penelope Lively", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I didn't think I had anything...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular-to-say-but-i-thought-i-might/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-didn-t-think-i-had-anything-particular-to-say-but-i-thought-i-might/#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 } } ] } ```