I want to still be me when I wake up one fine morning and have breakfast at Tiffany´s.
Truman CapoteRead
Past certain ages or certain wisdoms it is very difficult to look with wonder; it is best done when one is a child; after that, and if you are lucky, you will find a bridge of childhood and walk across it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
As we age, it becomes harder to experience wonder, a feeling often found in childhood, but it is possible to reconnect with that sense through memories.
Truman Capote's quote reflects on how the innocence and wonder of childhood often fade as we grow older. He suggests that while looking at the world with wonder becomes increasingly difficult with maturity, there is hope; one can find a 'bridge of childhood'—memories and experiences—that allows one to reconnect with that innate sense of awe and joy.
Themes
WonderChildhoodWisdomExperienceMemory
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about embracing creativity in adulthood, one might invoke this quote to emphasize the importance of retaining a sense of wonder.
More from Truman Capote
All quotes →All writing, all art, is an act of faith. If one tries to contribute to human understanding, how can that be called decadent? It's like saying a declaration of love is an act of decadence. Any work of art, provide it springs from a sincere motivation to further understanding between people, is an act of faith and therefore is an act of love.
Truman CapoteRead
No one will ever know what 'In Cold Blood' took out of me. It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. I think, in a way, it did kill me.
Truman CapoteRead
Hot weather opens the skull of a city, exposing its white brain, and its heart of nerves, which sizzle like the wires inside a lightbulb. And there exudes a sour extra-human smell that makes the very stone seem flesh-alive, webbed and pulsing.
Truman CapoteRead
I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together.
Truman CapoteRead
The quietness of his tone italicized the malice of his reply.
Truman CapoteRead
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Begin this moment, wherever you find yourself, and take no thought of the morrow. Look not to Russia, China, India, not to Washington, not to the adjoining county, city or state, but to your immediate surroundings. Forget Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed and all the others. Do your part to the best of your ability, regardless of the consequences. Above all, do not wait for the next man to follow suit.
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