--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was growing up, I didn't feel…" description: "\"When I was growing up, I didn't feel strong. I felt weak. I felt like a scared little kid. So I naturally turned to books to deal with that feeling, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/sabaa-tahir-8196_books_when-i-was-growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-stro_1872795.jpg" --- # When I was growing up, I didn't feel strong. I felt weak… ![“When I was growing up, I didn't feel strong. I felt weak. I felt like a scared little kid. So I naturally turned to books to deal with that feeling, and I really turned to fantasy. That's really what influenced my decision to write a fantasy novel.” quote by Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/sabaa-tahir-8196_books_when-i-was-growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-stro_1872795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/sabaa-tahir-8196_books_when-i-was-growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-stro_1872795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/sabaa-tahir-8196_books_when-i-was-growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-stro_1872795.jpg) > “When I was growing up, I didn't feel strong. I felt weak. I felt like a scared little kid. So I naturally turned to books to deal with that feeling, and I really turned to fantasy. That's really what influenced my decision to write a fantasy novel.” [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author used reading fantasy as a coping mechanism for childhood insecurity, which later shaped her career as a fantasy writer. **In simple terms:** Reading fantasy helped her overcome fear and inspired her writing. Key Takeaway Turn to stories that empower you. Themes growth imagination resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - childhood insecurity - creative inspiration - career choice Key Concepts psychology literature identity Questions to Reflect On - How can fiction serve as emotional therapy? - What role does imagination play in personal growth? A Different Perspective Fantasy may not address real-world problems directly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fantasy Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy-novel/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) ## Related quotes > [No one will ever write a fantasy novel better than The Hobbit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-will-ever-write-a-fantasy-novel-better-than-the-hobbit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For the first time I could remember, I felt weak, woozy and stupid— like a human-being. Like a very small and helpless human-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/for-the-first-time-i-could-remember-i-felt-weak-woozy-and-stupid-like/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“I was being strong. Even though I felt weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-howells/i-was-being-strong-even-though-i-felt-weak/) [Amanda Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-howells/) > [I keep threatening to write a non-fantasy book, and they keep offering me the kind of money I can't refuse to write a fantasy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/i-keep-threatening-to-write-a-non-fantasy-book-and-they-keep-offering/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [Fantasy is my favorite genre for reading and writing. We have more options than anyone else, and the best props and special effects. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/fantasy-is-my-favorite-genre-for-reading-and-writing-we-have-more/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I'm kind of... I'm a sci-fi fan, and I like horror; I'm a genre fan... but fantasy's not really ever something I've gotten into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-anderson/i-m-kind-of-i-m-a-sci-fi-fan-and-i-like-horror-i-m-a-genre-fan-but/) [Jacob Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-anderson/) > [Fantasy, if it's really convincing, can't become dated, for the simple reason that it represents a flight into a dimension that lies beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/fantasy-if-it-s-really-convincing-can-t-become-dated-for-the-simple/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Dealing with the impossible, fantasy can show us what may be really possible. If there is grief, there is the possibility of consolation; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/dealing-with-the-impossible-fantasy-can-show-us-what-may-be-really/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [Most fantasy is incredibly derivative of Tolkien, so when you read a lot of fantasy, it's really just elves and gnomes, and it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-orloff/most-fantasy-is-incredibly-derivative-of-tolkien-so-when-you-read-a/) John Orloff > [I also had this mistaken dream, fantasy really - perhaps because I'm good at languages - of being able in both Italy and France…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/i-also-had-this-mistaken-dream-fantasy-really-perhaps-because-i-m/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I see myself as a novelist, period. I mean, the material I work with is what is classified as science fiction and fantasy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-see-myself-as-a-novelist-period-i-mean-the-material-i-work-with-is/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [Loving someone else is always partly based in fantasy. We never really know anyone else 100 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-istotle/loving-someone-else-is-always-partly-based-in-fantasy-we-never-really/) [Drew Istotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-istotle/) > [I really can't write fantasy. I cannot invent a world which does not exist. And I can't read fantasy either. As soon as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/i-really-can-t-write-fantasy-i-cannot-invent-a-world-which-does-not/) [Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/) > [“It’s true that life seems so more much exciting when you write it down as fantasy. But then again, there are some experiences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-townsend/it-s-true-that-life-seems-so-more-much-exciting-when-you-write-it/) Ashley Townsend > [I don't write fantasy; I write historical novels about an imaginary place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/i-don-t-write-fantasy-i-write-historical-novels-about-an-imaginary/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) ## More by Sabaa Tahir > [Ani DiFranco - I love her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/ani-difranco-i-love-her/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“I never feared the night, not even as a child, but Blackcliff’s night is different, heavy with a silence that makes you look over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-never-feared-the-night-not-even-as-a-child-but-blackcliff-s-night/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“In the end, I don't answer her question. She doesn't answer mine. Instead, we sit without words, watching the city, the river, the desert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/in-the-end-i-don-t-answer-her-question-she-doesn-t-answer-mine/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/there-are-two-kinds-of-guilt-the-kind-that-drowns-you-until-you-re/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“an ember in the ashes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/an-ember-in-the-ashes/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [When I asked myself what I'd want to see in a comic about a Pakistani superhero, the first word that came to mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/when-i-asked-myself-what-i-d-want-to-see-in-a-comic-about-a-pakistani/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“The body does not lie, even if the mind does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/the-body-does-not-lie-even-if-the-mind-does/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [If I'm really excited about a scene, I used to wait to write it, and now I'll just write it. When you do that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/if-i-m-really-excited-about-a-scene-i-used-to-wait-to-write-it-and/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“Your emotions make you human, Elias said to me weeks ago in the Serran Range. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/your-emotions-make-you-human-elias-said-to-me-weeks-ago-in-the-serran/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [You walk into BookCon, and everybody is so excited... it's just paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/you-walk-into-bookcon-and-everybody-is-so-excited-it-s-just-paradise/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and powerless - Liberian child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, and, especially, Kashmiri women whose husbands or sons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-voiceless-and-powerless/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [I actually like love triangles in books. That's one of the main reasons why I wrote one. I really love love triangles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-actually-like-love-triangles-in-books-that-s-one-of-the-main/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [The 'Harry Potter' books had a huge impact on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/the-harry-potter-books-had-a-huge-impact-on-me/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [I felt like an outcast and turned to books, fantasy in particular, to find a place for myself. Reading took me away from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-felt-like-an-outcast-and-turned-to-books-fantasy-in-particular-to/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [At age 10, or even 15, it would have meant the world to me to see a Pakistani girl portrayed positively, let alone as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/at-age-10-or-even-15-it-would-have-meant-the-world-to-me-to-see-a/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) [Explore all 83 Sabaa Tahir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was growing up, I didn't feel strong. I felt weak. I felt like a scared little kid. So I naturally turned to books to deal with that feeling, and I really turned to fantasy. 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