--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being young is having the world by the…" description: "\"“Being young is having the world by the tail Growing up is tracing it to your own posterior”\" — W.M. Driscoll" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg" --- # Being young is having the world by the tail Growing up is… ![“Being young is having the world by the tail Growing up is tracing it to your own posterior” quote by W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg) > ““Being young is having the world by the tail Growing up is tracing it to your own posterior”” [W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Youth feels carefree and limitless, while adulthood brings self‑awareness and responsibility for one’s own life choices. **In simple terms:** Youth is carefree; adulthood is self‑aware. Key Takeaway Embrace growth and own your choices. Themes youth responsibility self‑awareness Mood reflective humorous Type aphoristic humorous When to use this quote - college life - career decisions - parenting - midlife crisis Key Concepts identity life stages personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How does responsibility change your view of freedom? - What does “owning your posterior” mean to you? A Different Perspective The quote may oversimplify complex adult experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aphorisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aphorisms/) [Having World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-world-1110024/) [Tail Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tail-growing-2378192/) [World Tail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-tail-2378194/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-having-750992/) ## Related quotes > [“Cruelty is a snake eating its own tail and growing ever fatter.” “If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-fox/cruelty-is-a-snake-eating-its-own-tail-and-growing-ever-fatter-if/) [A.C. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-fox/) > [I thought I had the world by the tail. It took me a few years to realize the closest I was to having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-thought-i-had-the-world-by-the-tail-it-took-me-a-few-years-to/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Every time you get the world by the tail, she thought, you gotta remember there's teeth on the other end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lee/every-time-you-get-the-world-by-the-tail-she-thought-you-gotta/) [Sharon Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lee/) > [I want to get better. That's the only way to progress. So I'm just young having fun making music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-want-to-get-better-that-s-the-only-way-to-progress-so-i-m-just/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I don't care if people call me immature. I'm still young and having fun while it lasts. So when I'm older, I know I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-care-if-people-call-me-immature-i-m-still-young-and-having/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I miss being young and not having emotions or hormones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-being-young-and-not-having-emotions-or-hormones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't worry about guys or relationships. Honestly, they're great. But being young is about having fun, not crying yourself to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-worry-about-guys-or-relationships-honestly-they-re-great-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being young is not having any money; being young is not minding not having any money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/being-young-is-not-having-any-money-being-young-is-not-minding-not/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [My secret to staying young... Having no sense of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-secret-to-staying-young-having-no-sense-of-time/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Having the world's best idea will do you no good unless you act on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-grant/having-the-world-s-best-idea-will-do-you-no-good-unless-you-act-on-it/) [Curtis Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-grant/) > [Love is not having someone give you the world. Love is creating a whole new world together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaceem-madd/love-is-not-having-someone-give-you-the-world-love-is-creating-a/) [Kaceem Madd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaceem-madd/) > [“if we go to sleep as Christians, we go to sleep as having everything. There is nothing that the world can give us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-reynolds/if-we-go-to-sleep-as-christians-we-go-to-sleep-as-having-everything/) [Adrian Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-reynolds/) > [The body is our general medium for having a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/the-body-is-our-general-medium-for-having-a-world/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [“If knowing is to be possible as a way of determining the nature of the present-at-hand by observing it, then there must first be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/if-knowing-is-to-be-possible-as-a-way-of-determining-the-nature-of/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [“MEANEY: Do you ever miss having that being-out-in-the-world job environment? ELLIS: God, no. Have you ever been out in the world? It’s full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-meaney/meaney-do-you-ever-miss-having-that-being-out-in-the-world-job/) [Patrick Meaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-meaney/) ## More by W.M. Driscoll > [“The eleventh commandment of art: thou shalt not be boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/the-eleventh-commandment-of-art-thou-shalt-not-be-boring/) [W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) > [“Never fear being wrong, just staying wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/never-fear-being-wrong-just-staying-wrong/) [W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) > [“You can't have love and honor, and neither will bring you peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/you-can-t-have-love-and-honor-and-neither-will-bring-you-peace/) [W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) > [“Such a small question, little mouse. Why. Yet, such a large answer. Suffice it to say that the gods are at war. And when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/such-a-small-question-little-mouse-why-yet-such-a-large-answer/) [W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) [Explore all 5 W.M. Driscoll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) ## More Aphorisms quotes > [“Some women walk towards a better future. Others have chauffeurs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/some-women-walk-towards-a-better-future-others-have-chauffeurs/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“If you send someone a snarky Tweet, does that make you an Angry Bird?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avram-ohm/if-you-send-someone-a-snarky-tweet-does-that-make-you-an-angry-bird/) [Avram Ohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avram-ohm/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“The real purpose of the opposition is to minimize the amount of money the ruling party will have stolen from the people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/the-real-purpose-of-the-opposition-is-to-minimize-the-amount-of-money/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“This is the point where the knowing, irony-infused author laughs along with his readers about his time among the aphorisms, how he was once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-carr/this-is-the-point-where-the-knowing-irony-infused-author-laughs-along/) [David Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-carr/) > [“People who smile while they are alone used to be called insane, until we invented smartphones and social media.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/people-who-smile-while-they-are-alone-used-to-be-called-insane-until/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Some people’s self-esteem was secretly improved when they discovered that their then-lovers had killed themselves over them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-s-self-esteem-was-secretly-improved-when-they-discovered/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Never fear being wrong, just staying wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/never-fear-being-wrong-just-staying-wrong/) [W.M. Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/) > [This delivering of knowledge in distinct and disjointed aphorisms doth leave the wit of man more free to turn and toss, and to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon-sr/this-delivering-of-knowledge-in-distinct-and-disjointed-aphorisms/) [Francis Bacon Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon-sr/) > [“You have to bow to reach the top.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/you-have-to-bow-to-reach-the-top/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [One of the aphorisms occurred to me now and I wrote it under the picture: "Fate and temperament are two words for one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/one-of-the-aphorisms-occurred-to-me-now-and-i-wrote-it-under-the/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The old aphorisms are basically sound. First impressions are lasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-redmon-fauset/the-old-aphorisms-are-basically-sound-first-impressions-are-lasting/) [Jessie Redmon Fauset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-redmon-fauset/) > [“Water flows, but never changes. It's always H2O.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/water-flows-but-never-changes-it-s-always-h2o/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) [Browse all 249 Aphorisms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aphorisms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being young is having the world by the tail Growing up is tracing it to your own posterior”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W.M. Driscoll" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-tail-growing-up-is-tracing-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aphorisms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-tail-growing-up-is-tracing-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/w-m-driscoll-64651_aphorisms_being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-t_236108.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being young is having the world by the tail Growing up is tracing it to your own posterior” — W.M. Driscoll", "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": "W.M. Driscoll", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-m-driscoll/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Being young is having the world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-tail-growing-up-is-tracing-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-m-driscoll/being-young-is-having-the-world-by-the-tail-growing-up-is-tracing-it/#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 } } ] } ```