--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not going to throw my imagination…" description: "\"I'm not going to throw my imagination away. I refuse to lie down to expectation. If I can just hold out till I'm thirty, I'll be incredible.\" — Wendy W..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/wendy-wasserstein-17736_expectations_i-m-not-going-to-throw-my-imagination-aw_995032.png" --- # I'm not going to throw my imagination away. I refuse to… ![“I'm not going to throw my imagination away. I refuse to lie down to expectation. If I can just hold out till I'm thirty, I'll be incredible.” quote by Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/wendy-wasserstein-17736_expectations_i-m-not-going-to-throw-my-imagination-aw_995032.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/wendy-wasserstein-17736_expectations_i-m-not-going-to-throw-my-imagination-aw_995032.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/wendy-wasserstein-17736_expectations_i-m-not-going-to-throw-my-imagination-aw_995032.png) > “I'm not going to throw my imagination away. I refuse to lie down to expectation. If I can just hold out till I'm thirty, I'll be incredible.” [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Refusing to conform, one must preserve imagination and resist societal expectations. **In simple terms:** Stay true to your vision. Key Takeaway Protect your creative spirit. Themes creativity resistance self‑belief Mood hopeful defiant Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career development - personal growth - artistic projects Key Concepts Artistic integrity psychological resilience Questions to Reflect On - What expectations limit you? - How can you nurture imagination? A Different Perspective Societal pressure can stifle imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [My imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-imagination/) ## Related quotes > [I like the notion of making stuff up or letting your imagination go away with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-jackson/i-like-the-notion-of-making-stuff-up-or-letting-your-imagination-go/) [Stevie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-jackson/) > [ How extraordinary was my life an incident may illustrate... \[As a youth\] I was fascinated by a description of Niagara Falls. I had perused,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/how-extraordinary-was-my-life-an-incident-may-illustrate-as-a-youth-i/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [If I need a cause for celebration, Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind, I rely on my imagination, And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-i-need-a-cause-for-celebration-or-a-comfort-i-can-use-to-ease-my/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [My imagination is more tweaked by imagining the lives of the people who were there before us. I don't need to give myself the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-imagination-is-more-tweaked-by-imagining-the-lives-of-the-people/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I wanted to write something visual that I could read to the children. This was when I created the idea of Redwall Abbey in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/i-wanted-to-write-something-visual-that-i-could-read-to-the-children/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [Perhaps my early problems with dyslexia made me more intuitive: when someone sends me a written proposal, rather than dwelling on detailed facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/perhaps-my-early-problems-with-dyslexia-made-me-more-intuitive-when/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I don't necessarily start with the beginning of the book. I just start with the part of the story that's most vivid in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-don-t-necessarily-start-with-the-beginning-of-the-book-i-just-start/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [I have friends say, "Don't you want to have a little you?" The jury's still out on that for me. I don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-paulson/i-have-friends-say-don-t-you-want-to-have-a-little-you-the-jury-s/) [Sarah Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-paulson/) > [I have been afraid all my life that I am going to die. All my life it has been stuffed in my imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-duke/i-have-been-afraid-all-my-life-that-i-am-going-to-die-all-my-life-it/) [Patty Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-duke/) > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/i-suffer-from-the-delusion-that-every-product-of-my-imagination-is/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [Dreaming by the river, I dedicated my imagination to water, to clear, green water, the water that makes the meadows green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/dreaming-by-the-river-i-dedicated-my-imagination-to-water-to-clear/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Being on a trapeze is like dreaming. I feel totally outside of myself when I'm flying. You know, designing shoes, my imagination is flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/being-on-a-trapeze-is-like-dreaming-i-feel-totally-outside-of-myself/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [I need the pain of loneliness to make my imagination work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-the-pain-of-loneliness-to-make-my-imagination-work/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) ## More by Wendy Wasserstein > [One of the things about what . . . I do - writing plays - is that a poll is not taken before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/one-of-the-things-about-what-i-do-writing-plays-is-that-a-poll-is-not/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [anyone who writes plays is unbelievably persistent, because there isn't a need in the world for plays. Somehow you internally have to feel a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/anyone-who-writes-plays-is-unbelievably-persistent-because-there-isn/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [I really worked at becoming more assertive, and now none of my friends talk to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/i-really-worked-at-becoming-more-assertive-and-now-none-of-my-friends/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Sometimes I want to clean up my desk and go out and say, respect me, I'm a respectable grown-up, and other times I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/sometimes-i-want-to-clean-up-my-desk-and-go-out-and-say-respect-me-i/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Personally I don't spend much time thinking about being funny. For me it's always been just a way to get by, a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/personally-i-don-t-spend-much-time-thinking-about-being-funny-for-me/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [No matter how lonely you get or how many birth announcements you receive, the trick is not to get frightened. There's nothing wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/no-matter-how-lonely-you-get-or-how-many-birth-announcements-you/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [The trick. . .is to find the balance between the bright colors of humor and the serious issues of identity, self-loathing, and the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/the-trick-is-to-find-the-balance-between-the-bright-colors-of-humor/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [being funny is a way of being liked and a way of dealing with sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/being-funny-is-a-way-of-being-liked-and-a-way-of-dealing-with-sadness/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Being a grownup means assuming responsibility for yourself, for your children, and - here's the big curve - for your parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/being-a-grownup-means-assuming-responsibility-for-yourself-for-your/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [No matter how successful I become as a playwright, my mother would be thrilled to hear me tell her that I'd just lost twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/no-matter-how-successful-i-become-as-a-playwright-my-mother-would-be/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [I very much write from characters. Those people start speaking, and then I have them in the house with me and I live with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/i-very-much-write-from-characters-those-people-start-speaking-and/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [“In the world of The Age of Innocence , a financial disaster or moral scandal would permanently exile a guest from the finest dinner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/in-the-world-of-the-age-of-innocence-a-financial-disaster-or-moral/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [to live life as a writer is a very lucky thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/to-live-life-as-a-writer-is-a-very-lucky-thing/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Sloth is the fastest-growing lifestyle movement in the world, and that's because it is completely doable. If you embrace sloth, it's the last thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/sloth-is-the-fastest-growing-lifestyle-movement-in-the-world-and-that/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Our lives are not totally random. We make commitments, we cause things to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/our-lives-are-not-totally-random-we-make-commitments-we-cause-things/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) [Explore all 36 Wendy Wasserstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) ## More Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not going to throw my imagination away. I refuse to lie down to expectation. 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