--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up. I began to think the United…" description: "\"I grew up. I began to think the United States had some problems that really required the help of artistic people to solve. And I gave myself permission..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/wallace-shawn-7437_art_i-grew-up-i-began-to-think-the-united-st_2286666.jpg" --- # I grew up. I began to think the United States had some… ![“I grew up. I began to think the United States had some problems that really required the help of artistic people to solve. And I gave myself permission to be a writer instead of a civil servant.” quote by Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/wallace-shawn-7437_art_i-grew-up-i-began-to-think-the-united-st_2286666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/wallace-shawn-7437_art_i-grew-up-i-began-to-think-the-united-st_2286666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/wallace-shawn-7437_art_i-grew-up-i-began-to-think-the-united-st_2286666.jpg) > “I grew up. I began to think the United States had some problems that really required the help of artistic people to solve. And I gave myself permission to be a writer instead of a civil servant.” [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He left civil service for writing, believing art can address societal problems better than bureaucracy. **In simple terms:** He chose writing over bureaucracy to help society. Key Takeaway Use creative skills to impact social issues. Themes career change artistic purpose social responsibility Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - writing - teaching - community projects - advocacy Key Concepts literature public policy creative activism Questions to Reflect On - How can art collaborate with policy? - What concrete steps can writers take to effect change? A Different Perspective Art alone may not solve systemic problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Civil servants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-servants/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Servant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Even if states sometimes have problems with each other, arts and sports should not suffer from that. Arts and sports are there to bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/even-if-states-sometimes-have-problems-with-each-other-arts-and/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [When you get a bit older, life can start kicking and it was mainly the area I grew up in that began to lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-yarde/when-you-get-a-bit-older-life-can-start-kicking-and-it-was-mainly-the/) [Anthony Yarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-yarde/) > [As I grew, I began learning and speaking a word or two in Bengali and that increased my friends circle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gulzar/as-i-grew-i-began-learning-and-speaking-a-word-or-two-in-bengali-and/) [Gulzar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gulzar/) > [Many people who say they have financial problems really mean that they want more than they need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peace-pilgrim/many-people-who-say-they-have-financial-problems-really-mean-that/) [Peace Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peace-pilgrim/) > [I'd like to see people, instead of spending so much time on the ethical problem, get after the problems that really affect the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-d-like-to-see-people-instead-of-spending-so-much-time-on-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [If we look at the complexity of the challenges facing western societies today, we see that the problems are not really about outsiders, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/if-we-look-at-the-complexity-of-the-challenges-facing-western/) [Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/) > [“We should have realized that our problems were really solutions to one another—one an offer with no catch, the other a request with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/we-should-have-realized-that-our-problems-were-really-solutions-to/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You create superheroes to take care of problems that can't really be solved another way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodriguez/you-create-superheroes-to-take-care-of-problems-that-can-t-really-be/) [Robert Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rodriguez/) > [If your life has no problems, you're not really living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-life-has-no-problems-you-re-not-really-living-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We only have problems we really want to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/we-only-have-problems-we-really-want-to-have/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [When life is going to present you with tons of problems - really hard ones, some less hard, some debilitating - it's what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-zingano/when-life-is-going-to-present-you-with-tons-of-problems-really-hard/) [Cat Zingano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-zingano/) > [We had many years with refueling in Formula 1 and we had a few problems, but not really very dangerous problems to be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-massa/we-had-many-years-with-refueling-in-formula-1-and-we-had-a-few/) [Felipe Massa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-massa/) > [Environmental problems are really social problems anyway. They begin with people as the cause and end with people as the victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/environmental-problems-are-really-social-problems-anyway-they-begin/) [Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/) > [I got a lot of problems, but I'm really good at intuiting what I need to do to be happy with whatever I create.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/i-got-a-lot-of-problems-but-i-m-really-good-at-intuiting-what-i-need/) [Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/) > [I literally do my best to have no problems with anyone but something about you really really gets on my nerves..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-literally-do-my-best-to-have-no-problems-with-anyone-but-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Wallace Shawn > [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [You can go to a play that is enjoyable because it's funny, and then on the next night you can go to a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-can-go-to-a-play-that-is-enjoyable-because-it-s-funny-and-then-on/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [The actor's role in the community is quite unlike anyone else's. Businessmen, for example, don't take their clothes off or cry in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/the-actor-s-role-in-the-community-is-quite-unlike-anyone-else-s/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [From being a writer of plays, it was not that surprising that somebody thought of giving me a job as an actor. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/from-being-a-writer-of-plays-it-was-not-that-surprising-that-somebody/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I have more free time than a lot of individuals, so, instead of talking, I sometimes write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-have-more-free-time-than-a-lot-of-individuals-so-instead-of-talking/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [My personal life is lived as 'me,' but my professional life is lived as other people. 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I don't know... maybe everybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-am-recognized-a-lot-for-clueless-but-i-am-recognized-a-great-deal/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [Sleep: a poor substitute for caffeine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/sleep-a-poor-substitute-for-caffeine/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm a very lucky man. It's a beautiful thing for a writer, to see people allowing your words to enter their own unconscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-a-very-lucky-man-it-s-a-beautiful-thing-for-a-writer-to-see/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [And my singing, I don't think I could sing Wagner or opera, but I could probably carry a tune. I was in a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/and-my-singing-i-don-t-think-i-could-sing-wagner-or-opera-but-i-could/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I think I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-think-i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. The way I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or-the-way/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was first starting to write plays, I quite literally had never heard of the idea of studying playwriting. I wouldn't have studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-first-starting-to-write-plays-i-quite-literally-had-never/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was a child, I did always feel that people were hiding things, and that they weren't expressing their true feelings. When adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-a-child-i-did-always-feel-that-people-were-hiding-things/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) [Explore all 91 Wallace Shawn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up. 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