--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Long ago, I became more interested in the…" description: "\"Long ago, I became more interested in the real world than in make-believe.\" — Shirley Temple" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/shirley-temple-11746_became_long-ago-i-became-more-interested-in-the_568192.jpg" --- # Long ago, I became more interested in the real world than… ![“Long ago, I became more interested in the real world than in make-believe.” quote by Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/shirley-temple-11746_became_long-ago-i-became-more-interested-in-the_568192.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/shirley-temple-11746_became_long-ago-i-became-more-interested-in-the_568192.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/shirley-temple-11746_became_long-ago-i-became-more-interested-in-the_568192.jpg) > “Long ago, I became more interested in the real world than in make-believe.” [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A shift from fantasy to reality indicates a desire for tangible experiences over imagination. **In simple terms:** Choosing reality over fantasy. Key Takeaway Balance imagination with real‑world engagement. Themes reality imagination growth career Mood inspirational pragmatic Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - education - career planning - creative pursuits - life coaching Key Concepts developmental psychology career transition Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate imagination into daily life? - What real‑world goals excite you? A Different Perspective Pure imagination can inspire innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Make believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-believe/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I want to continually find ways to bring my ideas off the stage and into the real world, into the streets. I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-braunohler/i-want-to-continually-find-ways-to-bring-my-ideas-off-the-stage-and/) [Kurt Braunohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-braunohler/) > [There are so many of these young-adult movies with these cold guys who act like jerks to girls but are hiding soft sentiments. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-are-so-many-of-these-young-adult-movies-with-these-cold-guys/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [I want to create something that doesn't exist exactly in the real world, but exists in a kind of parallel to the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-want-to-create-something-that-doesn-t-exist-exactly-in-the-real/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I've written a detective series myself, set in an imaginary, and slightly futuristic, Chinese city. The novels have an extremely tenuous relationship with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/i-ve-written-a-detective-series-myself-set-in-an-imaginary-and/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [To try to teach ignoring technology is to ignore the progress that we have made over the last century. If school is preparation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/to-try-to-teach-ignoring-technology-is-to-ignore-the-progress-that-we/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [We speak of 'software eating the world,' 'the Internet of Things,' and we massify 'data' by declaring it 'Big.' But these concepts remain for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/we-speak-of-software-eating-the-world-the-internet-of-things-and-we/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [The place we want to explore unpleasantness in the real world is in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teller/the-place-we-want-to-explore-unpleasantness-in-the-real-world-is-in/) [Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teller/) > [I'm completely unlike a lot of other performers in the past who have been forgiven or come to terms with the real world because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-m-completely-unlike-a-lot-of-other-performers-in-the-past-who-have/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [I still have a photo on my wall of the greatest idol I will ever have in my life, and it's myself at eight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/i-still-have-a-photo-on-my-wall-of-the-greatest-idol-i-will-ever-have/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/) Alan Cox > ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [I'm a blunt person, not mean-spirited. I come from a place of love, but I'm interested in being real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/i-m-a-blunt-person-not-mean-spirited-i-come-from-a-place-of-love-but/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [I'm really interested in real people in extraordinary situations. The detail and reality to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-m-really-interested-in-real-people-in-extraordinary-situations-the/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [I'm uninterested in superheroes. I am only interested in real stories, real people, real connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-m-uninterested-in-superheroes-i-am-only-interested-in-real-stories/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) ## More by Shirley Temple > [You've got to S-M-I-L-E To be H-A-Double-P-Y](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/you-ve-got-to-s-m-i-l-e-to-be-h-a-double-p-y/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [At the end of the Depression, people were perhaps looking for something to cheer themselves up. They fell in love with a dog and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/at-the-end-of-the-depression-people-were-perhaps-looking-for/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [By the time I was 4, I knew how to hit my mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/by-the-time-i-was-4-i-knew-how-to-hit-my-mark/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [There’s nothing like real love. Nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/there-s-nothing-like-real-love-nothing/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [On the good ship Lollipop Its a sweet trip To the candy shop Where bon-bon's play, On the sunny beach Of peppermint bay Lemonade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/on-the-good-ship-lollipop-its-a-sweet-trip-to-the-candy-shop-where/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [Sunnybrook Farm is now a parking lot; the petticoats are in the garbage can, where they belong in the modern world; and I detest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/sunnybrook-farm-is-now-a-parking-lot-the-petticoats-are-in-the/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [I have always told anyone who would listen that I was available for more public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/i-have-always-told-anyone-who-would-listen-that-i-was-available-for/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [I'm not too proud of the movies I made as a grownup except for 'That Hagen Girl', which nobody remembers but which gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/i-m-not-too-proud-of-the-movies-i-made-as-a-grownup-except-for-that/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [One has to handle these negative experiences alone.You can't get help from your friends or family.You're finally alone with it, and you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/one-has-to-handle-these-negative-experiences-alone-you-can-t-get-help/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [When I was 14, I was the oldest I ever was. I've been getting younger ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/when-i-was-14-i-was-the-oldest-i-ever-was-i-ve-been-getting-younger/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [Our whole way of life today is dedicated to the removal of risk. Cradle to grave we are supported, insulated, and isolated from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/our-whole-way-of-life-today-is-dedicated-to-the-removal-of-risk/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [In the world of movie personalities the distance between popularity and politics is short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/in-the-world-of-movie-personalities-the-distance-between-popularity/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [Nothing crushes freedom as substantially as a tank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/nothing-crushes-freedom-as-substantially-as-a-tank/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [I guess I was an early method actress. I would go to a quiet part of the sound stage with my mother. I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/i-guess-i-was-an-early-method-actress-i-would-go-to-a-quiet-part-of/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/i-stopped-believing-in-santa-claus-when-i-was-six-mother-took-me-to/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) [Explore all 58 Shirley Temple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) ## More Became quotes > [My sketchbook became everything to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carr/my-sketchbook-became-everything-to-me/) [Steve Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carr/) > [In that sense, I became politicized because the people in the coal mining villages who were involved in the struggle knew why they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/in-that-sense-i-became-politicized-because-the-people-in-the-coal/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [Moses became America's true founding father because he evangelized action; he justified risk. 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I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/in-my-relationship-i-was-giving-myself-away-to-make-the-relationship/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I was fascinated with the phone system and how it worked; I became a hacker to get better control over the phone company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-was-fascinated-with-the-phone-system-and-how-it-worked-i-became-a/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday, with Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York quickly following suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-i-koerner/in-1887-oregon-became-the-first-state-to-make-labor-day-an-official/) [Brendan I. Koerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-i-koerner/) > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. 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