--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, I think that I felt…" description: "\"When I was younger, I think that I felt like I could only live one way, and I had to figure out which of those one ways it was going to be. I have no a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sheila-heti-2776_decision_when-i-was-younger-i-think-that-i-felt-l_1857880.jpg" --- # When I was younger, I think that I felt like I could only… ![“When I was younger, I think that I felt like I could only live one way, and I had to figure out which of those one ways it was going to be. I have no anxiety about making the wrong decision.” quote by Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sheila-heti-2776_decision_when-i-was-younger-i-think-that-i-felt-l_1857880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sheila-heti-2776_decision_when-i-was-younger-i-think-that-i-felt-l_1857880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sheila-heti-2776_decision_when-i-was-younger-i-think-that-i-felt-l_1857880.jpg) > “When I was younger, I think that I felt like I could only live one way, and I had to figure out which of those one ways it was going to be. I have no anxiety about making the wrong decision.” [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She recalls feeling limited to a single path, yet now feels no anxiety about choosing incorrectly. **In simple terms:** Freedom from anxiety about choices. Key Takeaway Accept multiple possibilities without fear. Themes choice anxiety identity freedom Mood reflective empowering Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - creative endeavors Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does anxiety affect your choices? - What would you do if fear vanished? A Different Perspective Indecision can still cause stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Felt Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-like/) [Going Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-anxiety-2481703/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wrong decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-decision/) [Younger Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-think-1136796/) ## Related quotes > [If I'm looking back, I'm going back. That's anxiety and that's not beneficial to me winning a UFC title, that's for damn sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cannonier/if-i-m-looking-back-i-m-going-back-that-s-anxiety-and-that-s-not/) [Jared Cannonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cannonier/) > [When I was younger, there weren't many people that were open about going through anxiety, so I never knew how to deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-underwood/when-i-was-younger-there-weren-t-many-people-that-were-open-about/) [Lexi Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-underwood/) > [The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-right-decision-is-the-wrong-decision-if-it-s-made-too-late/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [If I make a wrong decision, I worry what might have been. I stress out over very insignificant things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/if-i-make-a-wrong-decision-i-worry-what-might-have-been-i-stress-out/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [If you ever make a decision that doesn't put the kids first, it is the wrong decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ant-anstead/if-you-ever-make-a-decision-that-doesn-t-put-the-kids-first-it-is-the/) [Ant Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ant-anstead/) > [People my age and younger do think much more towards Europe. We have to fill the gap sometime - we can't think we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/people-my-age-and-younger-do-think-much-more-towards-europe-we-have/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) > [When you're younger, you think you're in competition with everyone. 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When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jozy-altidore/in-all-honesty-as-you-grow-older-you-understand-how-important-it-is/) [Jozy Altidore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jozy-altidore/) > [When I was younger - and when I think music moved me the most was when I was younger - I didn't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-g/when-i-was-younger-and-when-i-think-music-moved-me-the-most-was-when/) [Alex G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-g/) > [People until I was 60 would always say they thought I looked younger, which I think, without flattering myself, I did, but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/people-until-i-was-60-would-always-say-they-thought-i-looked-younger/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [When you're younger, think less and do more; when you're older, do less and think more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/when-you-re-younger-think-less-and-do-more-when-you-re-older-do-less/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) ## More by Sheila Heti > [I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-every-book-that-is-written/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I really enjoyed the process of 'Women in Clothes,' but there's no way I would have done that again. It felt more like being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-really-enjoyed-the-process-of-women-in-clothes-but-there-s-no-way-i/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“style is about knowing what you like and why you like it, more than anything else. GRACE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/style-is-about-knowing-what-you-like-and-why-you-like-it-more-than/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I'd rather that people could be both entertained and given rest while reading my book than for someone to have to put the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-d-rather-that-people-could-be-both-entertained-and-given-rest-while/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“I know that character exists from the outside alone. I know that inside the body there's just temperature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-know-that-character-exists-from-the-outside-alone-i-know-that/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I don't think about the reader when I'm writing, but I do when I'm editing, of course. For instance, I self-consciously didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-don-t-think-about-the-reader-when-i-m-writing-but-i-do-when-i-m/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [He’s just another man who wants to teach me something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/he-s-just-another-man-who-wants-to-teach-me-something/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“She had thought that when someone died, it would be like they went into a different room. She had not known that life itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/she-had-thought-that-when-someone-died-it-would-be-like-they-went/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [It's so weird how our existence hinges on just absolute crazy chance, but it feels so essential. It's like, 'Nothing would be here if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/it-s-so-weird-how-our-existence-hinges-on-just-absolute-crazy-chance/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [In 'Sweet Days of Discipline,' the narrator, years after graduating, fortuitously encounters her old friend Frederique at a movie theatre. Frederique invites her home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/in-sweet-days-of-discipline-the-narrator-years-after-graduating/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Every choice you make has higher stakes - or that's how it feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/every-choice-you-make-has-higher-stakes-or-that-s-how-it-feels/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Women without children can help mothers, and we can just be all in this together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/women-without-children-can-help-mothers-and-we-can-just-be-all-in/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [The reason I write is because I have questions. What I don't want is for people to forget that I'm a novelist and think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/the-reason-i-write-is-because-i-have-questions-what-i-don-t-want-is/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“But style, I also learned, is not about strictly copying others, because style is not transferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/but-style-i-also-learned-is-not-about-strictly-copying-others-because/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Renown is something people have always wanted, but maybe what's modern is that it's considered a virtue, this desire, rather than a vice. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/renown-is-something-people-have-always-wanted-but-maybe-what-s-modern/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) [Explore all 150 Sheila Heti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) [Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was younger, I think that I felt like I could only live one way, and I had to figure out which of those one ways it was going to be. 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