--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I was always informally thinking…" description: "\"I think I was always informally thinking about choice from when I was a very young child because I was born to Sikh immigrant parents, so I was constan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/957/sheena-iyengar-2596_back-and-forth_i-think-i-was-always-informally-thinking_2690723.png" --- # I think I was always informally thinking about choice from… ![“I think I was always informally thinking about choice from when I was a very young child because I was born to Sikh immigrant parents, so I was constantly going back and forth between a Sikh household and an American outside world, so I was going back and forth between a very traditional Sikh home…” quote by Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/957/sheena-iyengar-2596_back-and-forth_i-think-i-was-always-informally-thinking_2690723.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/957/sheena-iyengar-2596_back-and-forth_i-think-i-was-always-informally-thinking_2690723.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/957/sheena-iyengar-2596_back-and-forth_i-think-i-was-always-informally-thinking_2690723.png) > “I think I was always informally thinking about choice from when I was a very young child because I was born to Sikh immigrant parents, so I was constantly going back and forth between a Sikh household and an American outside world, so I was going back and forth between a very traditional Sikh home in which you had to follow the Five K's.” [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Growing up between Sikh traditions and American culture shaped her view of choice and identity. **In simple terms:** Dual cultural background influences decision making. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse perspectives to enrich choices. Themes identity culture choice dual heritage Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - family discussions - educational programs - cross‑cultural mentorship - personal reflection Key Concepts bilingualism immigrant experience psychology of decision making Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural duality affect your decisions? - What strategies help reconcile differing value systems? A Different Perspective Balancing conflicting values can cause stress; external expectations may limit autonomy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back and forth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-and-forth/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Sikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-sikh-2655930/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Household](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/household/) [Immigrant parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrant-parents/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Informally Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/informally-thinking-2655932/) [Outside world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-world/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Sikh Immigrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sikh-immigrant-2655931/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-choice-1640385/) [Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-children/) ## Related quotes > [Are you going to be able to shave your legs? Are you going to be able to get married? So it was constantly thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/are-you-going-to-be-able-to-shave-your-legs-are-you-going-to-be-able/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [“...Of the Hindu, of whatever caste, it may be said, as of the poet, nascitur non fit . His birth status is unalterable. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lepel-h-griffin/of-the-hindu-of-whatever-caste-it-may-be-said-as-of-the-poet-nascitur/) [Lepel H. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lepel-h-griffin/) > [“Intelligence is a way of thinking, not a choice of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/intelligence-is-a-way-of-thinking-not-a-choice-of-words/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [There was no market for poetry about trauma, abuse, loss, love, and healing through the lens of a Punjabi-Sikh immigrant woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/there-was-no-market-for-poetry-about-trauma-abuse-loss-love-and/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [My mom is a Sikh immigrant born in a refugee camp. My Irish-Swedish-Norwegian-Danish-English-American dad grew up Baptist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/my-mom-is-a-sikh-immigrant-born-in-a-refugee-camp-my-irish-swedish/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [First-generation children were strongly influenced by their immigrant parents approach to choice. For them, choice was not just a way of defining and asserting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/first-generation-children-were-strongly-influenced-by-their-immigrant/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [So it was constantly going back and forth between these two cultures that kept raising the question, well, how important is personal freedom? And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/so-it-was-constantly-going-back-and-forth-between-these-two-cultures/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I both loved and hated South Pasadena. On the one hand, it was so diverse - all my closest friends were immigrants or had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-both-loved-and-hated-south-pasadena-on-the-one-hand-it-was-so/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [In our country, being from immigrant parents, growing up black in the South, coming out at 16 years old, being a teen parent... you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/in-our-country-being-from-immigrant-parents-growing-up-black-in-the/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [I grew up in San Diego with immigrant parents, before the food blogs, before this kind of celebrity chef culture we know now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samin-nosrat/i-grew-up-in-san-diego-with-immigrant-parents-before-the-food-blogs/) [Samin Nosrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samin-nosrat/) > [I was raised, myself, by extremely strict but also extremely loving Chinese immigrant parents. To this day, I believe that their having high expectations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/i-was-raised-myself-by-extremely-strict-but-also-extremely-loving/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [I was born to Chinese immigrant parents, who came from Taiyuan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-pang/i-was-born-to-chinese-immigrant-parents-who-came-from-taiyuan/) [May Pang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-pang/) > [“Advance Praise for THE GREAT NEW ORLEANS KIDNAPPING CASE: RACE, LAW, AND JUSTICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA "Michael Ross' The Great New Orleans Kidnapping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-ross/advance-praise-for-the-great-new-orleans-kidnapping-case-race-law-and/) [Michael A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-a-ross/) > [“One of my greatest fears is family decline.There’s an old Chinese saying that “prosperity can never last for three generations.” I’ll bet that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/one-of-my-greatest-fears-is-family-decline-there-s-an-old-chinese/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [Growing up as the youngest daughter to immigrant parents, it was instilled in me from an early age to not be wasteful and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konnie-huq/growing-up-as-the-youngest-daughter-to-immigrant-parents-it-was/) [Konnie Huq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konnie-huq/) ## More by Sheena Iyengar > [“Personal happiness is always a very serious matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/personal-happiness-is-always-a-very-serious-matter/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [“move. 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They didn't seem to feel like somehow they had been victims of some Nazi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-went-home-and-they-seemed-my-parents-seemed-normal-they-didn-t-seem/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The less control people had over their work, the higher their blood pressure during work hours. Moreover, blood pressure at home was unrelated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-less-control-people-had-over-their-work-the-higher-their-blood/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Consumers presented with six choices on an item were twice as likely to buy as consumers overwhelmed with 24 varieties of the same item.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/consumers-presented-with-six-choices-on-an-item-were-twice-as-likely/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The quality of health care continues to improve, and people are living longer, but these developments mean that we're likely to eventually find ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-quality-of-health-care-continues-to-improve-and-people-are-living/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [The key to getting the most from choice is to be choosy about choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/the-key-to-getting-the-most-from-choice-is-to-be-choosy-about-choosing/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I used to go to this store called Draeger's and you had a little bit of that same feeling because this was a store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-used-to-go-to-this-store-called-draeger-s-and-you-had-a-little-bit/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Balancing hopes, desires and an appreciating of the possibilities with a clear-eyed assessment of the limitations: that is the art of choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/balancing-hopes-desires-and-an-appreciating-of-the-possibilities-with/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [So gut tells you "How do I feel about this right now?" It doesn't tell me how I feel about it tomorrow or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/so-gut-tells-you-how-do-i-feel-about-this-right-now-it-doesn-t-tell/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I put out a good 10 different types of drinks for them and they just said, "Oh, okay, so it's just one choice." One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/i-put-out-a-good-10-different-types-of-drinks-for-them-and-they-just/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [Like, people are less likely to invest in their retirement when they have more options in their 401K plans than when they have fewer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/like-people-are-less-likely-to-invest-in-their-retirement-when-they/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) [Explore all 158 Sheena Iyengar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## More Back and forth quotes > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. 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