--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're taught at such a young age that you…" description: "\"We're taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that you're never perfect and that you're never good enough.\" — Shawn Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png" --- # We're taught at such a young age that you can always be… ![“We're taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that you're never perfect and that you're never good enough.” quote by Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png) > “We're taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that you're never perfect and that you're never good enough.” [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early lessons teach constant self‑improvement, leading to feelings of inadequacy. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism creates never‑enough feelings. Key Takeaway Accept growth without self‑criticism. Themes self‑esteem growth mindset perfectionism Mood empathetic encouraging Type motivational psychological When to use this quote - school performance - athletic training - career development Key Concepts self‑acceptance mental health Questions to Reflect On - What would you say to your younger self? - How can you redefine “good enough”? A Different Perspective Pressure can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Young age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-age/) ## Related quotes > [I was taught from a young age that I had to serve, so that turned into me thinking I had to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/i-was-taught-from-a-young-age-that-i-had-to-serve-so-that-turned-into/) [Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/) > [I was taught from a young age that many people would treat me as a second-class citizen because I was African-American and because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-latifah/i-was-taught-from-a-young-age-that-many-people-would-treat-me-as-a/) [Queen Latifah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-latifah/) > [My dad taught me since a young age how to play every position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-tatis-jr/my-dad-taught-me-since-a-young-age-how-to-play-every-position/) [Fernando Tatis Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-tatis-jr/) > [Boston taught me at a young age that a supportive community is the greatest blessing, and serving that community is both a responsibility and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-walsh/boston-taught-me-at-a-young-age-that-a-supportive-community-is-the/) [Marty Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-walsh/) > [What modeling taught me at a young age was how to say 'no,' which is something girls - we're not always good at saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yara-shahidi/what-modeling-taught-me-at-a-young-age-was-how-to-say-no-which-is/) [Yara Shahidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yara-shahidi/) > [Were taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that youre never perfect and that youre never good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/were-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-you-can-always-be-better-and/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I learned...every part of the body; I would move each part as I memorized it. As a child, I would lie in the woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pilates/i-learned-every-part-of-the-body-i-would-move-each-part-as-i/) [Joseph Pilates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pilates/) > [Melo has a chance to be a better player than me, for sure. I feel at the same age, he's better than me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonzo-ball/melo-has-a-chance-to-be-a-better-player-than-me-for-sure-i-feel-at/) [Lonzo Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonzo-ball/) > [Age is no better, hardly so well, qualified for an instructor as youth, for it has not profited so much as it haslost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/age-is-no-better-hardly-so-well-qualified-for-an-instructor-as-youth/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [We do not necessarily improve with age: for better or worse we become more like ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-do-not-necessarily-improve-with-age-for-better-or-worse-we-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Get better with age or else age will get the better of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeeb-akande/get-better-with-age-or-else-age-will-get-the-better-of-you/) [Habeeb Akande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeeb-akande/) > [“A prayerless age will have but scant models of divine power. The age may be a better age than the past, but there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-bounds/a-prayerless-age-will-have-but-scant-models-of-divine-power-the-age/) [E.M. Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-bounds/) > [More importantly, I also understand my age and am in a better position to appreciate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajendra-prasad/more-importantly-i-also-understand-my-age-and-am-in-a-better-position/) [Rajendra Prasad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajendra-prasad/) > [Time can be such a menace to a man. By this age do that; by that age do better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/time-can-be-such-a-menace-to-a-man-by-this-age-do-that-by-that-age-do/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) > [There is no age better than another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-abdulmajid/there-is-no-age-better-than-another/) [Iman Abdulmajid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-abdulmajid/) ## More by Shawn Johnson > [My parents- they've been my biggest influences and supporters since day one. They teach me every day that happiness comes from within and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/my-parents-they-ve-been-my-biggest-influences-and-supporters-since/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I had a constant fear, a constant little doubt in my mind: 'OK, I'm getting ready to do my standing back full on beam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-had-a-constant-fear-a-constant-little-doubt-in-my-mind-ok-i-m/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [Stay strong. Stand up. Have a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/stay-strong-stand-up-have-a-voice/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [“I understand that nothing is easy. I say everything happens for a reason. I dream of one day the world is in peace. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-understand-that-nothing-is-easy-i-say-everything-happens-for-a/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [The body is an amazing machine... If you eat the right things your body will perform incredibly well!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/the-body-is-an-amazing-machine-if-you-eat-the-right-things-your-body/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I set my phone with motivational quotes to go off on random days and times. Like, 'You're stronger than you think you are.' I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-set-my-phone-with-motivational-quotes-to-go-off-on-random-days-and/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I was always known as that stocky, muscular, powerful, short, athlete. People always wondered if I was on steroids, and it was because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-was-always-known-as-that-stocky-muscular-powerful-short-athlete/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/my-coach-liang-chow-had-one-rule-while-i-was-training-for-the-2008/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [There's always a chance. Anything can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/there-s-always-a-chance-anything-can-happen/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I think it's important for girls at a young age to be involved in as many things as possible. Especially safe communities of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-think-it-s-important-for-girls-at-a-young-age-to-be-involved-in-as/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I missed being considered an athlete and having that competitive drive, and missed having something to work for every day. I'd taken two and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-missed-being-considered-an-athlete-and-having-that-competitive/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [Gymnastics taught me everything - life lessons, responsibility and discipline and respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/gymnastics-taught-me-everything-life-lessons-responsibility-and/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [Something my mom taught me when I was little is that everything happens for a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/something-my-mom-taught-me-when-i-was-little-is-that-everything/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I have a healthy lifestyle, but there's nothing you can really do to prevent from rolling an ankle or something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-have-a-healthy-lifestyle-but-there-s-nothing-you-can-really-do-to/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) > [I was able to do Classics, the U.S. national championships and the Pan American Games and feel like I improved with each meet, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/i-was-able-to-do-classics-the-u-s-national-championships-and-the-pan/) [Shawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) [Explore all 95 Shawn Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [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/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We're taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that you're never perfect and that you're never good enough.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shawn Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-you-can-always-be-better-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-you-can-always-be-better-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/shawn-johnson-7090_age_we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-yo_824608.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We're taught at such a young age that you can always be better and that you're never perfect and that you're…” — Shawn Johnson", "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": "Shawn Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We're taught at such a young...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-you-can-always-be-better-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-johnson/we-re-taught-at-such-a-young-age-that-you-can-always-be-better-and/#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 } } ] } ```