The most depressing sentence I've read in a while:
"I saw the best minds of my generation / accept jobs on the fringes of the entertainment industry." --Zadie Smith, The Autograph Man

There are certain things I'm discovering are a lot easier than I'd figured or been led to believe, like cooking turkey or making enough lasagna for 11 people. Likewise, I'm finding that certain things that had previously seemed straightforward, if not quite easy, are surprisingly difficult, like hanging pictures or setting up wireless Internet or getting a certified check. It seems to me that realizations like this characterize the transition from childhood to adulthood and that when you finally understand how hard everything is then you've officially grown up.