--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Adults were pack rats of old, useless…" description: "\"“Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.”\" — Reif Larsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png" --- # Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions. ![“Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.” quote by Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png) > ““Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.”” [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) ## 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 The quote suggests that adults cling to outdated, unproductive feelings, hoarding them like rats hoarding junk, which hinders growth and adaptability. **In simple terms:** Adults hoard obsolete emotions. Key Takeaway Let go of stale feelings. Themes stagnation emotional baggage growth self-awareness psychology Mood reflective critical insightful Type aphor observation social commentary When to use this quote - personal reflection - therapy sessions - career transitions - relationship counseling - creative workshops Key Concepts attachment change maturity Practical Applications - emotional intelligence training - mindfulness practices Questions to Reflect On - What emotions are you holding onto that no longer serve you? - How can releasing old feelings open space for new growth? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Adults Pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults-pack-439126/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Old Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-useless-439125/) [Rats Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rats-old-439124/) [Useless Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useless-emotions-439123/) ## Related quotes > [I suddenly had an idea of how adults can hold on to a feeling for very long periods of time, long after the event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suddenly-had-an-idea-of-how-adults-can-hold-on-to-a-feeling-for/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [In a society that treats only useful people well, now we have to pray that we will live shorter lives. When we get old,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proudlesbian/in-a-society-that-treats-only-useful-people-well-now-we-have-to-pray/) [ProudLesbian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proudlesbian/) > [“I had had my night of weeping...I had purged myself of useless emotions that terrible night, now every nerve every sinew, every thought was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-peters/i-had-had-my-night-of-weeping-i-had-purged-myself-of-useless-emotions/) [Elizabeth Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-peters/) > [Guilt is one of those useless emotions I refuse to indulge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-daniell/guilt-is-one-of-those-useless-emotions-i-refuse-to-indulge/) [Rosemary Daniell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-daniell/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [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/) > [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 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/) ## More by Reif Larsen > [“What happened to all the historical detritus in the world? Some of it made it into drawers of museums, okay, but what about all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/what-happened-to-all-the-historical-detritus-in-the-world-some-of-it/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A novel is a tricky thing to map.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/a-novel-is-a-tricky-thing-to-map/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [I suddenly had an idea of how adults can hold on to a feeling for very long periods of time, long after the event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suddenly-had-an-idea-of-how-adults-can-hold-on-to-a-feeling-for/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [I was only twelve, but through the slow, inevitable burn of a thousand sunrises and sunsets, a thousand maps traced and retraced, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-was-only-twelve-but-through-the-slow-inevitable-burn-of-a-thousand/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [How many snapshots in the world were actually just-after shots, the moment that elicited the shooter to press the button never captured; instead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/how-many-snapshots-in-the-world-were-actually-just-after-shots-the/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [Do you ever get the feeling like you already know the entire contents of the universe somewhere inside of your head, as if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/do-you-ever-get-the-feeling-like-you-already-know-the-entire-contents/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [I do love the sound of ripping corn husks. The violence of the noise, the sustained popping and shoring of the silky organic threads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-do-love-the-sound-of-ripping-corn-husks-the-violence-of-the-noise/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/a-map-does-not-just-chart-it-unlocks-and-formulates-meaning-it-forms/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [Writing a novel is always complicated, it's not like you snap your fingers and go, 'Ah, I know what I'll write'. For me, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/writing-a-novel-is-always-complicated-it-s-not-like-you-snap-your/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A text is evolutionary by its very nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/a-text-is-evolutionary-by-its-very-nature/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“Dr. Clair looked at Layton. The mancala pieces were still in her hand. If Angela Ashforth ever says anything like that to you again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/dr-clair-looked-at-layton-the-mancala-pieces-were-still-in-her-hand/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“I suppose he represented the worst of what rural life can do to a man: he was racist, uneducated, and badly in need of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suppose-he-represented-the-worst-of-what-rural-life-can-do-to-a-man/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“Whenever I smelled the same perfume on other women, no matter where I was, I was instantly transported back to that feeling of discovery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/whenever-i-smelled-the-same-perfume-on-other-women-no-matter-where-i/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“I'm a practicing Zen Buddhist and I'm influenced by my readings in that tradition, such as the notion that everyone is born a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-m-a-practicing-zen-buddhist-and-i-m-influenced-by-my-readings-in/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“. . . the mountains sighed with the weight of the heavens on their backs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/the-mountains-sighed-with-the-weight-of-the-heavens-on-their-backs/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) [Explore all 26 Reif Larsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) ## More Adults 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/) > [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/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Reif Larsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emotions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emotions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/reif-larsen-22351_adults_adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emo_35270.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.” — Reif Larsen", "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": "Reif Larsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Adults were pack rats of old,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emotions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emotions/#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 } } ] } ```