Welcome to the Striving to Thriving Youth Quote Library. Here you’ll find a curated collection of more than 5,700 quotes from young people ages 15-22 living in communities across the United States. In the library you can see how young people describe their multifaceted identities, how they understand and apply meaning to language around job, work and career, how they think about and assign value to relationships, networking and connections, and their future goals and the education and career choices they believe will lead them there. You can also view additional notes on curation, categories and filters.
“Okay so this is today and I put make money to pay off that because I had went to school before. I only went one semester. Then the next semester they had financial aid and I didn’t use it because I didn’t end up going, so now I have to get all of that money to pay them back. That is why right now I am just trying to save money to pay that off.”
“Forty-five, I am deep in my career already. My wife and I be married over 20 years. Kids will be out of the house, so they all be in college, paid for. Traveling consultant. I’m traveling the world. I have a house in New Orleans, which I’m from…Traveling. How much time I spend working? At that particular time, I would, it will be so deep in my career, I wouldn’t categorize it as work, but that I travel and make money, and I enjoy it, you know. That’s the goal, which is put into place…”
“It’s something I’m interested in and I feel good about helping people.”
“These questions, it seems like it is about the future and so that first question was unclear. It was like was it our goals or our future goals? The future is always uncertain; we know what we want to do or we have an idea. Then for the second one it was like what advice can you offer for me. The reason I put myself in the first box is because I am starting new based off of graduating…. I don’t know what advice I can give to people if I haven’t really done what I plan on doing yet.”
[At 70] “I’m still going to be traveling, but I would like to be retired by then, spending my days with my loved ones and enjoying the time I have left.”
“Procrastination.”
“[On careers] Long term, being excited to go into work, and it would be your choice on what you pick. I know my career; I know what I want to do. That is what I am pursuing. I am trying to just do what I want to do.”
[At 45] “Forty-five, I don’t, well, I was just saying like…it’d be great if you could be retired at 45. That’d be amazing. But I’m saying like, realistically, for me, at least, like I’m trying to be a doctor. And so I know by, I’m going to like, I’m going to get my, I’m going to be like 30 around that time, 28 around that time even becoming like really a doctor. This would be M.D., but, basically, like, for instance, like 45, you’re still in the middle of it.”
“Obviously my sister. She does eyelashes, and she literally just started doing it…She is super good. She has a lot of clients. She works just morning, and she is able to have my niece with her because customers don’t mind. It is pretty cool.”
“I agree with being adaptable. My mother used to tell me I was bipolar and stuff like that, and people used to tell me I’m fake. But it’s more so like being able to change and adjust to the people you’re around because not everyone can deal with certain personality types. And you don’t always want drama so you just need to change just a little bit, not being a whole different person but just being able to understand who you’re around and how you should be and whatnot.”