--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're young, you make mistakes. The…" description: "\"“When you're young, you make mistakes. The big thing that's different now is that when I was a kid, you could survive your mistakes. We didn't have gun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/walter-dean-myers-2582_failure_when-you-re-young-you-make-mistakes-the_2625404.jpg" --- # When you're young, you make mistakes. The big thing that's… ![“When you're young, you make mistakes. The big thing that's different now is that when I was a kid, you could survive your mistakes. We didn't have guns. Today, kids have access to guns. The same kids that would have been in trouble and gotten a stern talking-to are now going to jail for fifteen or…” quote by Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/walter-dean-myers-2582_failure_when-you-re-young-you-make-mistakes-the_2625404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/walter-dean-myers-2582_failure_when-you-re-young-you-make-mistakes-the_2625404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/walter-dean-myers-2582_failure_when-you-re-young-you-make-mistakes-the_2625404.jpg) > ““When you're young, you make mistakes. The big thing that's different now is that when I was a kid, you could survive your mistakes. We didn't have guns. Today, kids have access to guns. The same kids that would have been in trouble and gotten a stern talking-to are now going to jail for fifteen or twenty years. Instead of bloody noses there are bodies lying in the street with chalk outlines around them. The values are basically the same, but it's easier to mess up.”” [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Youth today face harsher consequences for mistakes because of easy gun access, turning minor errors into deadly outcomes. **In simple terms:** Gun access makes mistakes deadly. Key Takeaway Advocate for safer environments and responsible gun policies. Themes youth violence responsibility Mood concerned hopeful urgent Type policy social When to use this quote - school safety programs - community outreach - legislative advocacy Key Concepts public policy social change education Questions to Reflect On - How can communities reduce gun exposure for kids? - What alternatives to punitive measures help youth learn from mistakes? A Different Perspective Counterpoint: Not all youth have access to guns; broader social factors also play roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Guns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guns/) ## Related quotes > [Not that I have any little kids running around I need to keep away from the guns. I had any kids I'd get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-huston/not-that-i-have-any-little-kids-running-around-i-need-to-keep-away/) [Charlie Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-huston/) > [“A gun is psychologically a penis-substitute and a symbol of power: the age-range of toy-shop clientele begins at about six or seven, rises sharply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hall/a-gun-is-psychologically-a-penis-substitute-and-a-symbol-of-power-the/) Adam Hall > [If you look at Paris, they didn't have guns and they were slaughtered. 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Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I grew up with my dad's music, so my introduction to rock was Alice Cooper and Cinderella and Dio and Black Sabbath, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/i-grew-up-with-my-dad-s-music-so-my-introduction-to-rock-was-alice/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [Guns aren't the problem; sick people are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/guns-aren-t-the-problem-sick-people-are/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [If you reduce the guns and the ammo, you'll reduce the murders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/if-you-reduce-the-guns-and-the-ammo-you-ll-reduce-the-murders/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I'm OK with guns in schools, if it's a security, trained security personnel. But every teacher having a gun, I don't know if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/i-m-ok-with-guns-in-schools-if-it-s-a-security-trained-security/) [Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/) ## More by Walter Dean Myers > [There is a crisis involving reading in certain communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/there-is-a-crisis-involving-reading-in-certain-communities/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [When we think of war, the tendency is to picture young soldiers only in their military roles. 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(p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. 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