Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that adults often display more harmful and monstrous behaviors than children, challenging perceptions of innocence and maturity.
In this quote, Stephen King encapsulates a profound realization that Eddie has about the world of adulthood. It reflects the idea that as people grow up, they often become jaded, selfish, and morally compromised, potentially embodying the very monsters that children fear. This perspective invites readers to reconsider their assumptions about maturity and innocence, suggesting that the true monsters in life may be those who have lost their sense of compassion and empathy rather than the fears that dwell in the imagination.
Themes
MonstersAdulthoodTruthChildhoodFear
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the loss of innocence in childhood, this quote could serve as a poignant reminder.
More from Stephen King
All quotes →Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.
Stephen KingRead
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
Stephen KingRead
That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
Stephen KingRead
Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
Stephen KingRead
At nineteen, it seems to me, one has a right to be arrogant; time has usually not begun its stealthy and rotten subtractions. It takes away your hair and your jump-shot, according to a popular country song, but in truth it takes away a lot more than that.
Stephen KingRead
Similar quotes
Hell, in my opinion, is never finding your true self and never living your own life or knowing who you are.
John BradshawRead
I worry about global anti-Semitism - not just as a bad idea that originates from bad people, but also as something that arises as a challenge to global order.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
Feminism is the struggle to end sexist oppression. Its aim is not to benefit solely any specific group of women, any particular race or class of women. It does not privilege women over men. It has the power to transform meaningfully all our lives
Bell HooksRead
Fundamentally, footballers don't look around a dressing room and think, 'He's a black player... he's Japanese.' They don't think like that. They think, 'He's a good player; he can help. He's not very good.' I'm not trying to defend anyone's actions, but there are going to be isolated incidents because it's an emotive, passionate sport.
Gary LinekerRead
Evolution is the creation-myth of our age. By telling us our origin it shapes our views of what we are. It influences not just our thought, but our feelings and actions too, in a way which goes far beyond its official function as a biological theory.
Mary MidgleyRead
In one way, I suppose, I have been 'in denial' for some time, knowingly burning the candle at both ends and finding that it often gives a lovely light.
Christopher HitchensRead