--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't feel a connection with younger…" description: "\"I don't feel a connection with younger people or with Generation X, or any generation, I feel. If I felt a connection with people my age I wouldn't hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg" --- # I don't feel a connection with younger people or with… ![“I don't feel a connection with younger people or with Generation X, or any generation, I feel. If I felt a connection with people my age I wouldn't have written six books about feeling depressed, alienated, lonely. If I did I would have many friends and feel connected with them and probably be a…” quote by Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg) > “I don't feel a connection with younger people or with Generation X, or any generation, I feel. If I felt a connection with people my age I wouldn't have written six books about feeling depressed, alienated, lonely. If I did I would have many friends and feel connected with them and probably be a happy person who has a real job.” [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author feels detached from all generations, believing that connection would prevent his chronic depression and loneliness, suggesting isolation fuels his unhappiness. **In simple terms:** Feeling disconnected worsens depression and loneliness. Key Takeaway Cultivate meaningful relationships. Themes mental health loneliness generational gaps Mood melancholic introspective Type reflective literary When to use this quote - therapy sessions - community groups - creative writing Key Concepts social isolation identity purpose Questions to Reflect On - What steps could you take to bridge generational gaps? - Can shared interests reduce alienation? A Different Perspective Some people find solace in solitude; connection isn’t a cure‑all. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Connection Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connection-younger-3747237/) [Feel Connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-connected/) [Feel Connection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-connection/) [Feel Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-felt/) [Feeling depressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-depressed/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Generation Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-feel-850614/) [Generation x](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-x/) [Happy person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-person/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) ## Related quotes > [I feel incredibly blessed that I'm in my generation and not my mother's generation. I feel that I'm very much benefitting from the strides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-bash/i-feel-incredibly-blessed-that-i-m-in-my-generation-and-not-my-mother/) [Dana Bash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-bash/) > [We’re the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-inslee/we-re-the-first-generation-to-feel-the-impact-of-climate-change-and/) [Jay Inslee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-inslee/) > [Doesn't every generation feel like the one that's coming up behind them doesn't know how to grow up? I'm not sure if we're progressively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/doesn-t-every-generation-feel-like-the-one-that-s-coming-up-behind/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [My personal feeling about reboots is - I'm very against it. I feel bad for the pop culture of this generation because I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/my-personal-feeling-about-reboots-is-i-m-very-against-it-i-feel-bad/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [History should not be written to make the present generation feel good but to remind us that human affairs are complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/history-should-not-be-written-to-make-the-present-generation-feel/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Like many people of my generation, I feel like I survived my adolescent mischief only by a miracle, and it seems too much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/like-many-people-of-my-generation-i-feel-like-i-survived-my/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I am of the Vietnam generation; therefore, I feel mistrustful of the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-densmore/i-am-of-the-vietnam-generation-therefore-i-feel-mistrustful-of-the/) [John Densmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-densmore/) > [I've struggled so much, growing up, with just feeling that my life is valid because it's not filled with these hyper-dramatic moments, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellar-coltrane/i-ve-struggled-so-much-growing-up-with-just-feeling-that-my-life-is/) [Ellar Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellar-coltrane/) > [The new generation I feel does not know about Milka Singh, they don't know about the hard work I did, what struggles I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milkha-singh/the-new-generation-i-feel-does-not-know-about-milka-singh-they-don-t/) [Milkha Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milkha-singh/) > [“Boomers, the more than 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, began turning 65 three years ago and all will have reached that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/boomers-the-more-than-76-million-people-born-between-1946-and-1964/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If my generation is remembered for anything, it will be as the last one that remembers the world before the Internet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/if-my-generation-is-remembered-for-anything-it-will-be-as-the-last/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [Every generation trash-talks younger generations. Baby boomers labeled Generation X a group of tattooed slackers and materialists; Generation Xers have branded millennials as iPhone-addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/every-generation-trash-talks-younger-generations-baby-boomers-labeled/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [I'm Jewish, but my mom's Catholic, so the guilt area is covered. I have the highest expectations, along with the lowest. I tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/i-m-jewish-but-my-mom-s-catholic-so-the-guilt-area-is-covered-i-have/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [“In popular culture, detached irony and cynicism have ceded ground to an emphasis on sincerity and authenticity. The “too cool to care” attitude that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-d-fitzgerald/in-popular-culture-detached-irony-and-cynicism-have-ceded-ground-to/) [Jonathan D. Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-d-fitzgerald/) > [Growing up, I never really felt like I fit in with any of the heroes that I knew of at least. I think like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-o-brian/growing-up-i-never-really-felt-like-i-fit-in-with-any-of-the-heroes/) [Katy O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-o-brian/) ## More by Tao Lin > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“i recommend the phrase 'pineapple ass”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-recommend-the-phrase-pineapple-ass/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [I actually don't have...opinions. I'm not being secretive about anything. I just actually don't have opinions about society. I can discern that certain things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-actually-don-t-have-opinions-i-m-not-being-secretive-about-anything/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“Sara would call one of those cops on horses a motherfucker. The cop would avert his eyes. Sara would ask directions for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/sara-would-call-one-of-those-cops-on-horses-a-motherfucker-the-cop/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [Do you sometimes look up from the computer and look around the room and know you are alone, I mean really know it, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/do-you-sometimes-look-up-from-the-computer-and-look-around-the-room/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [I think mostly the commodifying comes after I've done something that has some other value to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-think-mostly-the-commodifying-comes-after-i-ve-done-something-that/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“The hamster friend said being able to do front rolls didn't make the hamster as good as Bruce Lee, which was not a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do-front-rolls-didn-t-make-the/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“As a teenager, he made screaming noises at night in his room, like a deranged person. He threw his electrical pencil sharpener at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/as-a-teenager-he-made-screaming-noises-at-night-in-his-room-like-a/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“Don't be stupid and awkward," the dolphin says. "You want to walk together or not?" "You are a stupid piece of shit. Go away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/don-t-be-stupid-and-awkward-the-dolphin-says-you-want-to-walk/) [tao lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [I was delivering pizzas at Domino's. I was 17 maybe. I liked it a lot. Just driving in the nice weather and listening to music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-was-delivering-pizzas-at-domino-s-i-was-17-maybe-i-liked-it-a-lot/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [loneliness can fly a helicopter through a cut-out shape of a helicopter the same size as the helicopter and that's it's only skill and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/loneliness-can-fly-a-helicopter-through-a-cut-out-shape-of-a/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [Life has never died, which is something that I think people ignore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/life-has-never-died-which-is-something-that-i-think-people-ignore/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“Amoeba ass is so hot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/amoeba-ass-is-so-hot/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“After untangling a cord, then moving the MacBook to the floor, Paul lay beside Erin and meekly pawed her forearm three times, then briefly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/after-untangling-a-cord-then-moving-the-macbook-to-the-floor-paul-lay/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“It was a face that said, “Fuck the world,” but said it reluctantly, and tonelessly, and then apologized, said “Sorry,” but said all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/it-was-a-face-that-said-fuck-the-world-but-said-it-reluctantly-and/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) [Explore all 133 Tao Lin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) ## 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": "I don't feel a connection with younger people or with Generation X, or any generation, I feel. If I felt a connection with people my age I wouldn't have written six books about feeling depressed, alienated, lonely. If I did I would have many friends and feel connected with them and probably be a happy person who has a real job.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tao Lin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-people-or-with-generation-x-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-people-or-with-generation-x-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/tao-lin-3279_age_i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-p_1222136.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't feel a connection with younger people or with Generation X, or any generation, I feel. If I felt a…” — Tao Lin", "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": "Tao Lin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't feel a connection with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-people-or-with-generation-x-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-don-t-feel-a-connection-with-younger-people-or-with-generation-x-or/#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 } } ] } ```