Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
We do not change as we grow up. The difference between the child and the adult is that the former doesn't know who he is and the latter does.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Growing up brings self-awareness, distinguishing children who are still discovering themselves from adults who have a clearer understanding of their identity.
This quote by W. H. Auden suggests that the process of growing up is less about changing in essence and more about discovering one's true self. While children are often in a state of exploration and uncertainty regarding their identity, adults typically reach a stage where they possess a better understanding of who they are, highlighting a journey of self-realization rather than transformation.
Themes
IdentitySelf-AwarenessGrowing UpAdulthoodChildhood
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational talk on personal development.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes βThat the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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