---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Welcome to adulthood,\" she said. \"It…"
description: "\"Welcome to adulthood,\" she said. \"It sucks as much as high school.\" — Sarah Dessen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png"
---

#  Welcome to adulthood," she said. "It sucks as much as high…

![“Welcome to adulthood,&quot; she said. &quot;It sucks as much as high school.” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png)

> “Welcome to adulthood," she said. "It sucks as much as high school.”

[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.

Adult life mirrors school’s challenges, offering both difficulty and growth opportunities.

**In simple terms:** Adulthood has its own struggles.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the new phase.

Themes

growth transition realism

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

literary advice

When to use this quote

- first job
- college graduation
- independent living

Key Concepts

coming‑of‑age social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of adulthood surprise you?
- How do you maintain optimism?

A Different Perspective

Expectations may differ from reality, causing disillusionment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Adulthood Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood-said-825184/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Sucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-sucks-825186/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/) [Welcome Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome-adulthood-825185/)

## Related quotes

> [“Welcome to adulthood,” he said with a Cheshire grin. “It fucking sucks here.” “God, please don’t ever volunteer for a suicide hotline,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-stewart/welcome-to-adulthood-he-said-with-a-cheshire-grin-it-fucking-sucks/)

[Kate Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-stewart/)

> [“Welcome to adulthood." Cob said. "Every child finds a day when they realize that adults can be weak and wrong just like everyone else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-v-brett/welcome-to-adulthood-cob-said-every-child-finds-a-day-when-they/)

[Peter V. Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-v-brett/)

> [It always seems that the generation below you is getting worse, which is why I had the worst character in the film Adulthood that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-clarke/it-always-seems-that-the-generation-below-you-is-getting-worse-which/)

[Noel Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-clarke/)

> [“There's more than this, Sethy," Gudmund said. "This sucks beyond belief, but there's more. We just have to get there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/there-s-more-than-this-sethy-gudmund-said-this-sucks-beyond-belief/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [“I was testing dorm security," I said. "It sucks." - Rose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/i-was-testing-dorm-security-i-said-it-sucks-rose/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [I welcome opposing viewpoints, but I should warn you that you'll be facing off against the 2nd-place finisher at the 1981 Charleston County High-School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-welcome-opposing-viewpoints-but-i-should-warn-you-that-you-ll-be/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/no-one-it-has-been-said-will-ever-look-at-the-moon-in-the-same-way/)

[Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/)

[Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/)

> [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/)

[Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/)

> [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/)

[Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

## More by Sarah Dessen

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. 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. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

[Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## More Adulthood quotes

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/)

[Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/)

> [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/)

[Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/)

> [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/)

[Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/)

> [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/)

[Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/)

> [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/no-one-it-has-been-said-will-ever-look-at-the-moon-in-the-same-way/)

[Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/)

[Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/)

> [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/)

[Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/)

> [In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/in-their-youth-mortals-behave-more-like-nymphs-adulthood-seems/)

[Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/)

> [Public schools were designed as the great equalizers of our society - the place where all children could have access to educational opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-napolitano/public-schools-were-designed-as-the-great-equalizers-of-our-society/)

[Janet Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-napolitano/)

> [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/)

[Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/)

> [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/)

[Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/)

[Browse all 651 Adulthood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Welcome to adulthood,\" she said. \"It sucks as much as high school.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Dessen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-as-much-as-high-school/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adulthood"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-as-much-as-high-school/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56c/sarah-dessen-110_adulthood_welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-a_858281.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Welcome to adulthood,\" she said. \"It sucks as much as high school.” — Sarah Dessen",
                "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": "Sarah Dessen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Welcome to adulthood,\" she said. \"It...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-as-much-as-high-school/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/welcome-to-adulthood-she-said-it-sucks-as-much-as-high-school/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
