QuoteProject
Jessica stopped beside him, said: 'What delicious abandon in the sleep of a child.' He spoke mechanically: 'If only adults could relax like that.' 'Yes.' 'Where do we lose it?' he murmured. 'We do, indeed, lose something,' she said.
Frank Herbert
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the carefree nature of childhood and contrasts it with the burdens of adulthood.

This quote highlights the perceived freedom and innocence found in the sleep of a child, symbolizing a state of complete relaxation and peace that often eludes adults. The dialogue between the characters suggests a deep contemplation about the loss of simplicity and ease as one grows up, prompting the question of where that sense of abandon disappears in life.

Themes

ChildhoodAbandonFreedomAdulthoodSimplicity

In practice

Example use cases

During a conversation about parenting, one might say, 'What delicious abandon in the sleep of a child.'

More from Frank Herbert

My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
Frank HerbertRead
If you need something to worship, then worship life - all life, every last crawling bit of it! We're all in this beauty together!
Frank HerbertRead
Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
Frank HerbertRead
To know a thing well, know it's limits; Only when pushed beyond it's tolerance will it's true nature be seen. -The Amtal Rule
Frank HerbertRead
Technology tends toward avoidance of risks by investors. Uncertainty is ruled out if possible. People generally prefer the predictable. Few recognize how destructive this can be, how it imposes severe limits on variability and thus makes whole populations fatally vulnerable to the shocking ways our universe can throw the dice.
Frank HerbertRead
It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
Frank HerbertRead

Similar quotes

It is a fool's prerogative to utter truths that no one else will speak.
Neil GaimanRead
Fulfill me, make me happy, make me feel safe, tell me who I am. The world cannot give you those things, and when you no longer have such expectations, all self created suffering comes to an end.
Eckhart TolleRead
To let the brain work without sufficient material is like racing an engine. It racks itself to pieces.
Arthur Conan DoyleRead
I sort of understood that when I first started: that you shouldn't repeat a success. Very often you're going to, and maybe the first time you do, it works. And you love it. But then you're trapped.
Jack NicholsonRead
Always face what you fear. Have just enough money, never too much, and some string. Even if it’s not your fault, it’s your responsibility. Witches deal with things. Never stand between two mirrors. Never cackle. Do what you must do. Never lie, but you don’t always have to be honest. Never wish. Especially don’t wish upon a star, which is astronomically stupid. Open your eyes, and then open your eyes again.
Terry PratchettRead
Take stock of your thoughts and behavior. Each night ask yourself, when were you negative when you could have been positive? When did you withhold love when you might have given it? When did you play a neurotic game instead of behaving in a powerful way? Use this process to self-correct.
Marianne WilliamsonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.