--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 13, I thought I was pretty hot…" description: "\"When I was 13, I thought I was pretty hot stuff because I knew BASIC programming, self-taught on the family's Commodore 64. One of my crowning accompli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/walter-o-brien-15403_cloud_when-i-was-13-i-thought-i-was-pretty-hot_2369023.jpg" --- # When I was 13, I thought I was pretty hot stuff because I… ![“When I was 13, I thought I was pretty hot stuff because I knew BASIC programming, self-taught on the family's Commodore 64. One of my crowning accomplishments was writing a silly little program that showed a crudely-drawn Space Shuttle lifting off in a cloud of pixelated smoke.” quote by Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/walter-o-brien-15403_cloud_when-i-was-13-i-thought-i-was-pretty-hot_2369023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/walter-o-brien-15403_cloud_when-i-was-13-i-thought-i-was-pretty-hot_2369023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/walter-o-brien-15403_cloud_when-i-was-13-i-thought-i-was-pretty-hot_2369023.jpg) > “When I was 13, I thought I was pretty hot stuff because I knew BASIC programming, self-taught on the family's Commodore 64. One of my crowning accomplishments was writing a silly little program that showed a crudely-drawn Space Shuttle lifting off in a cloud of pixelated smoke.” [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A teenager boasts about early self‑taught programming, highlighting youthful confidence and the joy of creating simple visual programs. **In simple terms:** Teen pride in early coding achievements. Key Takeaway Celebrate early curiosity and learning. Themes technology confidence creativity Mood enthusiastic nostalgic Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - education workshops - coding bootcamps - retro computing clubs - personal tech projects Key Concepts self‑directed learning nostalgia tech history Questions to Reflect On - What drives early tech enthusiasm? - How can we sustain it into adulthood? A Different Perspective Early confidence may not translate to later expertise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [C Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/c-programming/) [Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cloud/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Hot Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot-stuff/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space shuttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-shuttle/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Computer programming has always been a self-taught, maverick occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/computer-programming-has-always-been-a-self-taught-maverick-occupation/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [It was more fun trying to figure out I Want To Hold Your Hand than to take lessons. By this time I knew basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/it-was-more-fun-trying-to-figure-out-i-want-to-hold-your-hand-than-to/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I only knew basic western trail riding. Nothing fancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/i-only-knew-basic-western-trail-riding-nothing-fancy/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [I've been in the industry doing games since the BBC Micro, the Acorn Atom, the Commodore 64.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-molyneux/i-ve-been-in-the-industry-doing-games-since-the-bbc-micro-the-acorn/) [Peter Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-molyneux/) > [I've been playing video games since the Commodore 64 when I was about 5 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheamus/i-ve-been-playing-video-games-since-the-commodore-64-when-i-was-about/) [Sheamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheamus/) > [My first computer was a Commodore 64. 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There’s an awful lot of bleeding and naked bodies on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/the-problem-with-our-society-is-that-our-values-aren-t-in-the-right/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [Any nerd who grew up around the time that I did, BBC programming was a treasure chest for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/any-nerd-who-grew-up-around-the-time-that-i-did-bbc-programming-was-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) ## More by Walter O'Brien > [I was about nine years old when a teacher administered my IQ test. Unfortunately, as I was nine, I didn't know that I needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/i-was-about-nine-years-old-when-a-teacher-administered-my-iq-test/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [As software engineers trained to turn ambiguity into absolutes and fuzzy requirements into ones and zeros, we had a 'eureka' moment when we realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/as-software-engineers-trained-to-turn-ambiguity-into-absolutes-and/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [The California Science Center is a cornerstone in California's push to educate and encourage students to reach their full potential and to pursue careers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/the-california-science-center-is-a-cornerstone-in-california-s-push/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [High IQ individuals don't like surprises and are pessimistic, because it's logical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/high-iq-individuals-don-t-like-surprises-and-are-pessimistic-because/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [Flying down a tunnel of 1s and 0s is not how hacking is really done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/flying-down-a-tunnel-of-1s-and-0s-is-not-how-hacking-is-really-done/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [It's common in rural Ireland to pick up a nickname that relates to an animal, bird, or a spider. 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I was a big guy -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/as-a-youth-i-and-most-of-the-other-smarter-kids-in-school-got-picked/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [Humans have 3 percent human error, and a lot of companies can't afford to be wrong 3 percent of the time anymore, so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-o-brien/humans-have-3-percent-human-error-and-a-lot-of-companies-can-t-afford/) [Walter O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-o-brien/) > [If you look at any normal organization, the CEO is the person with the highest E.Q. 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