--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a kind of Dickensian childhood." description: "\"I had a kind of Dickensian childhood.\" — Shaun Cassidy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg" --- # I had a kind of Dickensian childhood. ![“I had a kind of Dickensian childhood.” quote by Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg) > “I had a kind of Dickensian childhood.” [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares his upbringing to the harsh, vivid experiences found in Dickens' novels. **In simple terms:** His childhood felt like a Dickens story. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and heal past hardships. Themes childhood memory literary metaphor Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal cultural When to use this quote - family therapy - creative writing - storytelling workshops Key Concepts psychology social history personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your childhood feel like a novel? - How does that shape your identity? A Different Perspective Comparisons may oversimplify complex experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ## Related quotes > [What fascinated me most was Churchill as a young child. He had a kind of Dickensian childhood. The neglect. And he was a terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/what-fascinated-me-most-was-churchill-as-a-young-child-he-had-a-kind/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [“We are ghosts of the people we used to be. -Dickensian, TV Series (2015– ), s01e17”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-phelps/we-are-ghosts-of-the-people-we-used-to-be-dickensian-tv-series-2015/) Sarah Phelps > [What can I say? I deal with it. I think I have come to terms with my absolutely hateful and vile childhood. No, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-griffiths/what-can-i-say-i-deal-with-it-i-think-i-have-come-to-terms-with-my/) [Richard Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-griffiths/) > [I've always felt that Donald Trump was a Dickensian character because he is so ridiculous. With his hair and his arrogance, he is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-ve-always-felt-that-donald-trump-was-a-dickensian-character-because/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [My neighborhood in South London was very Dickensian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/my-neighborhood-in-south-london-was-very-dickensian/) [Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/) > [I had this almost Dickensian look. I was quite fragile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/i-had-this-almost-dickensian-look-i-was-quite-fragile/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [I was terribly upset not to be in 'Dickensian,' so I pretend to look down on it. The part I should have played, Mrs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-was-terribly-upset-not-to-be-in-dickensian-so-i-pretend-to-look/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [“it has been observed that Londoners became more extravagant in the presence of Charles Dickens, so that they might appear more Dickensian, so”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/it-has-been-observed-that-londoners-became-more-extravagant-in-the/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“It's odd how much our perception of cities owes to stories and films.We talk about 'Dickensian' London as if it had some real existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-lane/it-s-odd-how-much-our-perception-of-cities-owes-to-stories-and-films/) Joel Lane > [I'm timeless, I got that Dickensian, London street-urchin look in high school. I'll never be in style, but I'll always be different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-m-timeless-i-got-that-dickensian-london-street-urchin-look-in-high/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [It was my angry, Dickensian novel, I suppose. It was cathartic - I expended a lot of frustration on that one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-helms/it-was-my-angry-dickensian-novel-i-suppose-it-was-cathartic-i/) [Richard Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-helms/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) ## More by Shaun Cassidy > [I was a teen idol and that has a short shelf life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-was-a-teen-idol-and-that-has-a-short-shelf-life/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) > [I'm not cynical about marriage or romance. I enjoyed being married. And although being single was fun for a while, there was always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-m-not-cynical-about-marriage-or-romance-i-enjoyed-being-married-and/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) > [You have this special connection with someone if you're their first record or their first concert or their first poster or whatever it is,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/you-have-this-special-connection-with-someone-if-you-re-their-first/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) > [I'm not a big fan of religion for that reason. But I am a true believer in God, and I have great faith, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-religion-for-that-reason-but-i-am-a-true/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) > [The propensity to do good things is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/the-propensity-to-do-good-things-is-a-choice/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) > [My idea of what's good and bad and right and wrong is maybe greyer than most, and I like writing about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/my-idea-of-what-s-good-and-bad-and-right-and-wrong-is-maybe-greyer/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) > [I look at old interviews and things and they say, 'What do you want to do when you grow up?' I say, 'I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-look-at-old-interviews-and-things-and-they-say-what-do-you-want-to/) [Shaun Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) [Explore all 8 Shaun Cassidy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/) ## More Childhood quotes > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/) [Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/) > [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) [Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had a kind of Dickensian childhood.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shaun Cassidy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Childhood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/shaun-cassidy-47872_childhood_i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood-246_2462994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had a kind of Dickensian childhood.” — Shaun Cassidy", "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": "Shaun Cassidy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-cassidy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had a kind of Dickensian...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-cassidy/i-had-a-kind-of-dickensian-childhood/#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 } } ] } ```