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I learned that five- and-six-year-old kids have already figured out how to be intolerant.
Octavia E. Butler
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Children can exhibit intolerance from a very young age, as they learn behaviors from their surroundings.

In this quote, Octavia E. Butler reflects on the early development of prejudiced attitudes among young children. She suggests that intolerance is not a trait that develops solely through experience, but is often absorbed from societal influences, indicating the need for conscious guidance and education to foster tolerance from a young age.

Themes

IntoleranceChildrenEducationSocietyBehavior

In practice

Example use cases

During a workshop on diversity, this quote can highlight the importance of teaching children about tolerance.

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When I was 7 and went to the zoo with my second-grade class, I saw chimpanzee eyes for the first time - the eyes of an unhappy animal, all alone, locked in a bare, concrete-floored, iron-barred cage in one of the nastier, old-fashioned zoos. I remember looking at the chimp, then looking away.
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The lovely thing about writing is, well, two things. One, writing fiction allows us to bring an order to our lives that doesn't exist in real life. And two, it allows us to create human characters that we know better than we will ever know anyone in real life.
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Quote by Octavia E. Butler | QuoteProject