I'd rather have two good friends, than 500,000 admirers.
E. E. CummingsRead
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Growing up requires the bravery to embrace one's true self.
This quote by E. E. Cummings emphasizes that the journey to adulthood involves not just the passage of time but also the courage to reveal and accept one's authentic identity. It suggests that true growth is accompanied by a willingness to confront societal expectations and personal fears, leading to a richer and more genuine existence.
Themes
CourageGrowthIdentityAuthenticitySelf-Discovery
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech, one could use this quote to inspire young adults to embrace their true selves as they enter the next phase of life.
More from E. E. Cummings
All quotes βI'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.
E. E. CummingsRead
When god decided to invent everything he took one reath bigger than a circustent and everything began
E. E. CummingsRead
The Artist is no other than he who unlearns what he has learned, in order to know himself.
E. E. CummingsRead
Nobody else can be alive for you; nor can you be alive for anybody else.
E. E. CummingsRead
If a poet is anybody, he is somebody to whom things made matter very little - somebody who is obsessed by Making.
E. E. CummingsRead
Similar quotes
Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvellous work. It is fear that is the great cause of misery in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstitions. It is fear that is the cause of all our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment. Therefore, "arise, awake and stop not until the goal is reached.
Swami VivekanandaRead
I think there's something peculiar about me that I haven't died. It doesn't make sense but I refuse to die.
Judy GarlandRead
FEARLESS is getting back up and fighting for what you want over and over again....even though every time you've tried before you've lost.
Taylor SwiftRead
For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
Abraham LincolnRead
The course that I have uniformly pursued, ever since I became a missionary, has been rather peculiar. In order to become an acceptable and eloquent preacher in a foreign language, I deliberately abjured my own. When I crossed the river, I burnt my ships.
Adoniram JudsonRead
Loving the church also means having the courage to make difficult, trying choices, having ever before oneself the good of the church and not one's own.
Pope Benedict XviRead