Everyone is born into a certain era. I wouldn't want to see anyone faced with the circumstances that prevailed at the time, when there were few or no alternatives.
Gunter GrassRead
As a child I was a great liar. Fortunately my mother liked my lies. I promised her marvelous things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Children's imagination often leads to fantastical stories that, while not true, can bring joy and wonder.
This quote reflects on the innocence of childhood and the power of imagination. Gunter Grass recalls how, as a child, he was adept at creating elaborate tales that delighted his mother. Rather than punishing him for lying, she embraced his creativity, highlighting the importance of nurturing imagination during formative years. It suggests that stories, even if fabricated, can hold beauty and significance in our lives.
Themes
ChildhoodImaginationLyingCreativityMother
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of imagination in childhood education.
More from Gunter Grass
All quotes βI wept when the muse Ulla bent over me. Blinded by tears I could not prevent her from kissing me, I could not prevent the Muse from giving me that terrible kiss. All of you who have ever been kissed by the Muse will surely understand that Oskar, once branded by that kiss, was condemned to take back the drum he had rejected years before, the drum he had buried in the sand of Sapse Cemetery.
Gunter GrassRead
Today I know that all things are watching, that nothing goes unseen, that even wallpaper has a better memory than human beings.
Gunter GrassRead
I did not volunteer for the Waffen SS, but was, as were thousands of my year group, conscripted. I did not then know as a 17-year-old that it was a criminal unit. I thought it was an elite unit.
Gunter GrassRead
Art is uncompromising, and life is full of compromises.
Gunter GrassRead
If work and leisure are soon to be subordinated to this one utopian principle - absolute busyness - then utopia and melancholy will come to coincide: an age without conflict will dawn, perpetually busy - and without consciousness.
Gunter GrassRead
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