--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents both renounced their material…" description: "\"My parents both renounced their material lives and were living as monks at an ashram in L.A. when they met each other. So we were always raised in this..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/149/taraka-larson-28711_environment_my-parents-both-renounced-their-material_2064429.jpg" --- # My parents both renounced their material lives and were… ![“My parents both renounced their material lives and were living as monks at an ashram in L.A. when they met each other. So we were always raised in this environment and when we moved to the ashram in Florida it was just like, "Oh, wow, now all of a sudden there's more people like us," because we…” quote by Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/149/taraka-larson-28711_environment_my-parents-both-renounced-their-material_2064429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/149/taraka-larson-28711_environment_my-parents-both-renounced-their-material_2064429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/149/taraka-larson-28711_environment_my-parents-both-renounced-their-material_2064429.jpg) > “My parents both renounced their material lives and were living as monks at an ashram in L.A. when they met each other. So we were always raised in this environment and when we moved to the ashram in Florida it was just like, "Oh, wow, now all of a sudden there's more people like us," because we were growing up in the middle of Texas with our parents, always being the weirdos.” [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) ## 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 surrounded by spiritual parents shaped a unique, outsider perspective that felt both isolating and community‑building when similar peers appeared. **In simple terms:** Being raised by monk parents gave a distinct, sometimes odd, worldview. Key Takeaway Embrace your roots while seeking like. Themes identity spirituality community outsider growth Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal memoir When to use this quote - moving to new spiritual community - finding peers - navigating cultural differences - balancing tradition and modern life Key Concepts mindfulness cultural immersion family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How did this upbringing influence your values? - What challenges did you face integrating with broader society? A Different Perspective Such environments can limit exposure to mainstream experiences and practical skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/florida/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monk/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) [Weirdo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weirdo/) ## Related quotes > [I continued to suffer from anxiety and obsessive thoughts, although the thoughts stopped centering on hell. I moved into an ashram called the Himalayan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-rowe/i-continued-to-suffer-from-anxiety-and-obsessive-thoughts-although/) [Maggie Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-rowe/) > [Loads of weirdos send me things, like strange bits of leather. And then there was the guy who thought I was having his baby.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konnie-huq/loads-of-weirdos-send-me-things-like-strange-bits-of-leather-and-then/) [Konnie Huq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konnie-huq/) > [I feel like I've always been a weirdo. I always grew up with the sense of being a total outsider. I grew up so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jean-lee/i-feel-like-i-ve-always-been-a-weirdo-i-always-grew-up-with-the-sense/) Young Jean Lee > [Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/are-you-placing-enough-interesting-freakish-long-shot-weirdo-bets/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [What the hell am I doing here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/what-the-hell-am-i-doing-here/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [If you where this dirty minded, then you must need help. (i need help do you)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lucas/if-you-where-this-dirty-minded-then-you-must-need-help-i-need-help-do/) [Catherine Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lucas/) > [I'm peculiar and a weirdo. That's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-barton/i-m-peculiar-and-a-weirdo-that-s-me/) [Joey Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-barton/) > [I have never owned a computer. I am one of those weirdos. I've never needed a computer. I'm lucky that I have a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-have-never-owned-a-computer-i-am-one-of-those-weirdos-i-ve-never/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I’ve always been a sort of self-imposed outsider, not a geeky outsider or a snobby outsider but, I just have a natural desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/i-ve-always-been-a-sort-of-self-imposed-outsider-not-a-geeky-outsider/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [I'm an unabashed sports photo fanboy, the kind of weirdo who seeks out the infinitesimal picture credits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/i-m-an-unabashed-sports-photo-fanboy-the-kind-of-weirdo-who-seeks-out/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [I grew up feeling like a weirdo like many kids do. But I was lucky to find my own home for peculiar children. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-grew-up-feeling-like-a-weirdo-like-many-kids-do-but-i-was-lucky-to/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [Weird itself, even in the dictionary, is just something that is different and unexplainable. A weirdo is someone who follows their heart. Im definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/weird-itself-even-in-the-dictionary-is-just-something-that-is/) [Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/) > [If I’m as normal as I think I am, we’re all a bunch of weirdos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-brainard/if-i-m-as-normal-as-i-think-i-am-we-re-all-a-bunch-of-weirdos/) [Joe Brainard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-brainard/) > [People have given me the freedom and believe in me enough to say if I want to do these things that I will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyne/people-have-given-me-the-freedom-and-believe-in-me-enough-to-say-if-i/) [Wayne Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyne/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) ## More by Taraka Larson > [I listen to pop music and it sounds like mantra to me, there's this power to it. There's also something to be said about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-listen-to-pop-music-and-it-sounds-like-mantra-to-me-there-s-this/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [ There are a lot of unspoken things with me and Nimai \[Larson\]. We're very yin and yang, neither one of us really treads on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/there-are-a-lot-of-unspoken-things-with-me-and-nimai-larson-we-re/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [I feel like utopia is neither here nor there. It's in that sort of space where you feel the most present, and that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-feel-like-utopia-is-neither-here-nor-there-it-s-in-that-sort-of/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [I had this crazy, a bit of a near-death experience in Estonia. I had these visions of the future but I was in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-had-this-crazy-a-bit-of-a-near-death-experience-in-estonia-i-had/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [ Nimai \[Larson\] and I are very psychically connected to each other, I guess just being sisters, so as soon as we started watching sports… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/nimai-larson-and-i-are-very-psychically-connected-to-each-other-i/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [ We \[with Nimai Larson\] listened to hardly any music except Hare Krishna music growing up and the occasional Garth Brooks that our babysitter would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/we-with-nimai-larson-listened-to-hardly-any-music-except-hare-krishna/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [The way that music is approached in the temple is very call and response; it breaks down that barrier between performer and audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/the-way-that-music-is-approached-in-the-temple-is-very-call-and/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [I know people within the Hare Krishna community look at pop music as secular, different, and something separate from spiritual music but for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-know-people-within-the-hare-krishna-community-look-at-pop-music-as/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [I feel like with our shows it always feels weird to be performers on stage and not engaging in audience interaction in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-feel-like-with-our-shows-it-always-feels-weird-to-be-performers-on/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [My parents joined in the 60s and at that time it was really important - there was a group mentality. I could be pulling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/my-parents-joined-in-the-60s-and-at-that-time-it-was-really-important/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [I always look at that stuff as something that's not a separate entity from the music but a visual representation of the music. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-always-look-at-that-stuff-as-something-that-s-not-a-separate-entity/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [I really feel like there's a void in this world for music that acknowledges that spiritual aspect of these activities as well as just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/i-really-feel-like-there-s-a-void-in-this-world-for-music-that/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [One of the reasons why I chose to live in New York was that there is this sense of your environment constantly changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-chose-to-live-in-new-york-was-that-there-is/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [Hopefully, with some years of practice and just getting to that state, I'll try extreme sports again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/hopefully-with-some-years-of-practice-and-just-getting-to-that-state/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) > [When we moved to Florida we experienced it on a communal level, in a more structured religious setting, with temples and different worships. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taraka-larson/when-we-moved-to-florida-we-experienced-it-on-a-communal-level-in-a/) [Taraka Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) [Explore all 19 Taraka Larson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taraka-larson/) ## More Environment quotes > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Daily life is both the subject and environment of the work I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/daily-life-is-both-the-subject-and-environment-of-the-work-i-am-making/) [Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Of course, learning is strengthened and solidified when it occurs in a safe, secure and normal environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-bertrand-aristide/of-course-learning-is-strengthened-and-solidified-when-it-occurs-in-a/) [Jean-Bertrand Aristide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-bertrand-aristide/) [Browse all 8,669 Environment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My parents both renounced their material lives and were living as monks at an ashram in L.A. when they met each other. 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