--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I…" description: "\"I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I talked to people and inserted myself in all kinds of absurd situations. I think some of those life experiences..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg" --- # I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I talked to people… ![“I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I talked to people and inserted myself in all kinds of absurd situations. I think some of those life experiences influenced me in terms of the main character of The Flamethrowers. But for the parts where the community of artists are speaking above her level…” quote by Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg) > “I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I talked to people and inserted myself in all kinds of absurd situations. I think some of those life experiences influenced me in terms of the main character of The Flamethrowers. But for the parts where the community of artists are speaking above her level of participation, that probably came more out of my experience of being in New York in the '90s as an adult.” [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects how early uninhibited curiosity and later adult experiences in a vibrant art scene shaped the narrator's perspective and character development. **In simple terms:** Childhood curiosity and adult art world experiences shape the narrator. Key Takeaway Embrace bold experiences to inform your work. Themes creativity identity artistic growth urban life personal history Mood reflective nostalgic introspective Type personal artistic narrative When to use this quote - writing - character development - artistic collaboration - urban storytelling - personal reflection Key Concepts self‑exploration social dynamics cultural immersion Questions to Reflect On - How have early risks influenced your current choices? - What aspects of the 90s art scene still resonate today? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize risk without acknowledging potential negative consequences of reckless behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-experience/) [Life experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-experiences/) [Main character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-character/) [Participation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“What this means is reflecting on your relationships in the past in your own family life and asking yourself how those experiences influenced your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/what-this-means-is-reflecting-on-your-relationships-in-the-past-in/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [The time that I spent overseas working as a model, all of those experiences influenced my personality and personal taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyeon-jung/the-time-that-i-spent-overseas-working-as-a-model-all-of-those/) [HoYeon Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoyeon-jung/) > [Definitely in voice-over, you have to be completely uninhibited. More than that, you have to put yourself back into the enjoyment of pretending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-quinn/definitely-in-voice-over-you-have-to-be-completely-uninhibited-more/) [Molly Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-quinn/) > [“They were uninhibited when it came to music and sometimes the three of them had a tune inside their head that no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/they-were-uninhibited-when-it-came-to-music-and-sometimes-the-three/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [Success is a welcomed gift for the uninhibited mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlin-sinclai/success-is-a-welcomed-gift-for-the-uninhibited-mind/) Adlin Sinclai > [I am an uninhibited, off-the-cuff, wild card who likes to enjoy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-moore/i-am-an-uninhibited-off-the-cuff-wild-card-who-likes-to-enjoy-life/) [Kenya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-moore/) > [I'm probably a little too uninhibited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-m-probably-a-little-too-uninhibited/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [She wanted nothing more than to experience an uninhibited life, while me would do anything to make her happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-low/she-wanted-nothing-more-than-to-experience-an-uninhibited-life-while/) [Alex Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-low/) > [I perceive myself as rather uninhibited, with a certain mathematical facility and more interest in the broad aspect of a problem than the delicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-perceive-myself-as-rather-uninhibited-with-a-certain-mathematical/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [It's really a misconception to identify the writer with the main character, given that the author creates all the characters in the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/it-s-really-a-misconception-to-identify-the-writer-with-the-main/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [It's really a misconception to identify the writer with the main character, given that the author creates all the characters in the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/it-s-really-a-misconception-to-identify-the-writer-with-the-main-2/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [Whatever you perceive, you always make a story with yourself as the main character, and that dictates your life. Then when you read 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/whatever-you-perceive-you-always-make-a-story-with-yourself-as-the/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [The only way to change the world is to change the main character of our story - the one we believe that we are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/the-only-way-to-change-the-world-is-to-change-the-main-character-of/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [I want to push that no matter what race you are, you're never just a sidekick or broken character. You're the main character, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-underwood/i-want-to-push-that-no-matter-what-race-you-are-you-re-never-just-a/) [Lexi Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-underwood/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) ## More by Rachel Kushner > [Leave, with no answer. Move on to the next question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/leave-with-no-answer-move-on-to-the-next-question/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [Motorcycles aren't about gaining agency, I don't think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/motorcycles-aren-t-about-gaining-agency-i-don-t-think/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“Gloria was still talking, something about how shooting people was in a sense safer than making art, in terms of avoiding serious lapses in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/gloria-was-still-talking-something-about-how-shooting-people-was-in-a/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“Because I didn't move here to fall in love. The desire for love is universal but that has never meant it's worthy of respect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/because-i-didn-t-move-here-to-fall-in-love-the-desire-for-love-is/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [Authenticity is too big a subject to just toss in with the question about the photographs!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/authenticity-is-too-big-a-subject-to-just-toss-in-with-the-question/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“We were in separate realities, fast and slow. There is no fixed reality, only objects in contrast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/we-were-in-separate-realities-fast-and-slow-there-is-no-fixed-reality/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [It's really a misconception to identify the writer with the main character, given that the author creates all the characters in the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/it-s-really-a-misconception-to-identify-the-writer-with-the-main/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [People are complicated. Personally I don't go in for puritanical people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/people-are-complicated-personally-i-don-t-go-in-for-puritanical-people/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [I am a rereader. Quality is variety if you wait long enough. Barthes, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Celine, Duras, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Melville: There is so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-am-a-rereader-quality-is-variety-if-you-wait-long-enough-barthes/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“But I had seen, the night I met her, that her beauty was going to leave her like it does all women. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/but-i-had-seen-the-night-i-met-her-that-her-beauty-was-going-to-leave/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [When I see things in the world that leap out at me, I want to make use of them in fiction. Maybe every writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/when-i-see-things-in-the-world-that-leap-out-at-me-i-want-to-make-use/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [While it might be true that our reality would suggest that more writers would address these elemental issues of modern life - work, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/while-it-might-be-true-that-our-reality-would-suggest-that-more/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [And here I arrive at my point. The point is that everyone has a different dream. The point is that it is a grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/and-here-i-arrive-at-my-point-the-point-is-that-everyone-has-a/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [I guess I still feel that way and yet I'm slightly hesitant to insist on that idea, that it "better be fun for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-guess-i-still-feel-that-way-and-yet-i-m-slightly-hesitant-to-insist/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [A lot of politics in art is just institutional critique, which, in my opinion, is not all that political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/a-lot-of-politics-in-art-is-just-institutional-critique-which-in-my/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) [Explore all 124 Rachel Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I talked to people and inserted myself in all kinds of absurd situations. I think some of those life experiences influenced me in terms of the main character of The Flamethrowers. But for the parts where the community of artists are speaking above her level of participation, that probably came more out of my experience of being in New York in the '90s as an adult.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Kushner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i-talked-to-people-and-inserted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absurd" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i-talked-to-people-and-inserted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/rachel-kushner-3631_absurd_i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i_1573537.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was a child but weirdly uninhibited. I talked to people and inserted myself in all kinds of absurd…” — Rachel Kushner", "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": "Rachel Kushner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was a child but weirdly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i-talked-to-people-and-inserted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-was-a-child-but-weirdly-uninhibited-i-talked-to-people-and-inserted/#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 } } ] } ```