--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was such a smart kid, I should have…" description: "\"“I was such a smart kid, I should have figured out that the only way to really get my parents’ attention was to disappoint them or fail. But by the tim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sarah-dessen-110_fail_i-was-such-a-smart-kid-i-should-have-fig_806287.png" --- # I was such a smart kid, I should have figured out that the… ![“I was such a smart kid, I should have figured out that the only way to really get my parents’ attention was to disappoint them or fail. But by the time I finally realized that, succeeding was already a habit too ingrained to break.” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sarah-dessen-110_fail_i-was-such-a-smart-kid-i-should-have-fig_806287.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sarah-dessen-110_fail_i-was-such-a-smart-kid-i-should-have-fig_806287.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sarah-dessen-110_fail_i-was-such-a-smart-kid-i-should-have-fig_806287.png) > ““I was such a smart kid, I should have figured out that the only way to really get my parents’ attention was to disappoint them or fail. But by the time I finally realized that, succeeding was already a habit too ingrained to break.”” [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal reflection on how seeking parental approval through failure became a habit, making success feel automatic. **In simple terms:** Trying to disappoint parents became a pattern that later turned into success. Key Takeaway Recognize and break unhealthy approval cycles. Themes family psychology self‑esteem habit formation growth Mood introspective hopeful Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - therapy - personal journaling - family conversations Key Concepts approval seeking self‑sabotage habit loops Questions to Reflect On - What drives your need for parental approval? - How can you reframe success for intrinsic motivation? 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People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. 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I will never leave you. I will never let you go. I will not let you fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/if-you-die-i-will-find-you-i-will-never-leave-you-i-will-never-let/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [“The worst outcome of not trying is never getting to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-gary-smith/the-worst-outcome-of-not-trying-is-never-getting-to-fail/) [Phillip Gary Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-gary-smith/) > [“Many people fail in their career, business and relationship, and others get stuck because of their inability to make quality decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkem-mpamah/many-people-fail-in-their-career-business-and-relationship-and-others/) [Nkem Mpamah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkem-mpamah/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. 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