Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
John RuskinRead
In great countries, children are always trying to remain children, and the parents want to make them into adults. In vile countries, the children are always wanting to be adults and the parents want to keep them children.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote addresses the contrasting desires of children and parents in different societal contexts regarding maturity and childhood.
John Ruskin's quote reflects on the dynamics between children and parents in various cultural settings. In prosperous or 'great' societies, children strive to retain their innocence and the joys of youth, while parents are eager to prepare them for adulthood. Conversely, in less fortunate or 'vile' societies, children are often eager to grow up and take on adult responsibilities, while parents may wish to shield them from the harsh realities of life. This perspective highlights how societal conditions influence the perceptions of childhood and adulthood.
Themes
ChildrenParentsSocietyAdulthoodChildhood
In practice
Example use cases
During a parenting workshop, you could use this quote to illustrate the pressures parents face in different cultures.
More from John Ruskin
All quotes →In health of mind and body, men should see with their own eyes, hear and speak without trumpets, walk on their feet, not on wheels, and work and war with their arms, not with engine-beams, nor rifles warranted to kill twenty men at a shot before you can see them.
John RuskinRead
You talk of the scythe of Time, and the tooth of Time: I tell you, Time is scytheless and toothless; it is we who gnaw like the worm - we who smite like the scythe. It is ourselves who abolish - ourselves who consume: we are the mildew, and the flame.
John RuskinRead
To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered.
John RuskinRead
See that your children be taught, not only the labors of the earth, but the loveliness of it.
John RuskinRead
A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.
John RuskinRead
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