---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was young, I think so big; but…"
description: "\"“When I was young, I think so big; but when I grow up I think smaller.”\" — Rangsey Heng (ផលព្រឹក្ស"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg"
---

#  When I was young, I think so big; but when I grow up I…

![“When I was young, I think so big; but when I grow up I think smaller.” quote by Rangsey Heng (ផលព្រឹក្ស](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg)

> ““When I was young, I think so big; but when I grow up I think smaller.””

Rangsey Heng (ផលព្រឹក្ស

## About This Quote

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

Youthful ambition often narrows with age, but balancing big dreams with realistic perspectives fosters growth.

**In simple terms:** Big ideas shrink with age; balance is key.

Key Takeaway

Blend ambition with practicality.

Themes

growth perspective life stages dreams

Mood

thoughtful optimistic reflective

Type

Philosophy:1 Smaller:1 Think big:1 Young Think:0 Grow Think:0 Think Smaller:1

When to use this quote

- career planning
- personal development
- creative projects

Key Concepts

developmental psychology goal setting maturity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you keep big ideas alive?
- What realistic steps support your dreams?

A Different Perspective

Might limit bold innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/)

## Related quotes

> [When I go and make smaller films, I actually never think about them being made for a smaller audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-slate/when-i-go-and-make-smaller-films-i-actually-never-think-about-them/)

[Jenny Slate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-slate/)

> [I don't think smaller guys usually bother me on my shot too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khris-middleton/i-don-t-think-smaller-guys-usually-bother-me-on-my-shot-too-much/)

[Khris Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khris-middleton/)

> [Women think that smaller brows will open up their eyes, but that's wrong and it affects your entire face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-soare/women-think-that-smaller-brows-will-open-up-their-eyes-but-that-s/)

[Anastasia Soare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-soare/)

> [I think with the smaller-scale projects, the burden for success falls more squarely on the shoulders of the actors and the director and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-denisof/i-think-with-the-smaller-scale-projects-the-burden-for-success-falls/)

[Alexis Denisof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-denisof/)

> [We use each other to become wise. We use each other to grow. Think about it ... every success you have ever known had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/change-your-conversation/we-use-each-other-to-become-wise-we-use-each-other-to-grow-think/)

[Change Your Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/change-your-conversation/)

> [Whatever the mind focuses tends to grow. Think of your problems, and they will seem to grow bigger. Focus on your strengths, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prakah-iyer/whatever-the-mind-focuses-tends-to-grow-think-of-your-problems-and/)

[Prakah Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prakah-iyer/)

> [Wherever you grow up, you think of it as normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/wherever-you-grow-up-you-think-of-it-as-normal/)

[George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/)

> [The more attention you give to your negative feelings, the more they grow, so I think things just start to blow totally out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/the-more-attention-you-give-to-your-negative-feelings-the-more-they/)

[Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/)

> [I had to grow up, but I think I've grown up a lot. I think I'm handling myself well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-lowry/i-had-to-grow-up-but-i-think-i-ve-grown-up-a-lot-i-think-i-m-handling/)

[Kyle Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-lowry/)

> [I cannot for the life of me understand why small children take so long to grow up. I think they do it deliberately, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/i-cannot-for-the-life-of-me-understand-why-small-children-take-so/)

[Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/)

> [You set out to be a footballer, when you're young, and you think I'd love to do that. There's plenty of things along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-carrick/you-set-out-to-be-a-footballer-when-you-re-young-and-you-think-i-d/)

[Michael Carrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-carrick/)

> [“You are too young, I think, to understand yet the nature of desire. You know what it is to want, perhaps even to yearn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-rose/you-are-too-young-i-think-to-understand-yet-the-nature-of-desire-you/)

[Augustus Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-rose/)

> [“When you're young, you do think that things last for ever. Unfortunately, they don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-re-young-you-do-think-that-things-last-for-ever/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“When you're young, you think the world will make room for who you are and what you want… And then you find the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-braswell/when-you-re-young-you-think-the-world-will-make-room-for-who-you-are/)

[Liz Braswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-braswell/)

> [Your only Young Once , After that you have to Think of another Excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-jones/your-only-young-once-after-that-you-have-to-think-of-another-excuse/)

[Victoria Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-jones/)

## More Philosophy quotes

> [“MIND &amp; GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/)

[Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/)

[Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/)

> [“This is what is called "honor among thieves," for the really dangerous people are those who do not recognize that they are thieves— the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/this-is-what-is-called-honor-among-thieves-for-the-really-dangerous/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [“If you start and persist you will succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/if-you-start-and-persist-you-will-succeed/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted-the-sweetness-of/)

[Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/)

> [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/)

[Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/)

> [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [“He who is mindless is defenceless” RjS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/he-who-is-mindless-is-defenceless-rjs/)

[rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/)

> [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

[Browse all 17,414 Philosophy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When I was young, I think so big; but when I grow up I think smaller.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rangsey Heng (ផលព្រឹក្ស"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rangsey-heng/when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when-i-grow-up-i-think-smaller/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Philosophy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rangsey-heng/when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when-i-grow-up-i-think-smaller/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/rangsey-heng-271528_philosophy_when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when_444665.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was young, I think so big; but when I grow up I think smaller.” — Rangsey Heng (ផលព្រឹក្ស",
                "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": "Rangsey Heng (ផលព្រឹក្ស",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rangsey-heng/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When I was young, I think...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rangsey-heng/when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when-i-grow-up-i-think-smaller/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rangsey-heng/when-i-was-young-i-think-so-big-but-when-i-grow-up-i-think-smaller/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
