Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age. The child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
A Poem from Edna St. Vincent Millay: Grown-up Was it for this I uttered prayers, And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs, That now, domestic as a plate, I should retire at half-past eight?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the disillusionment of adult responsibilities and the loss of youthful dreams.
In this poem, Edna St. Vincent Millay expresses frustration and disappointment at the mundane reality of adulthood, contrasting it sharply with the passionate desires and aspirations of youth. The imagery of praying, sobbing, and kicking stairs conveys her struggle against the constraints of domestic life, ultimately questioning whether the sacrifices made for maturity were worth it, as she finds herself resigned to a life of routine and early bedtimes.
Themes
DisillusionmentAdulthoodDreamsResponsibilityLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the challenges of adult life, one might use this quote to illustrate the feeling of disappointment in lost dreams.
More from Edna St. Vincent Millay
All quotes →I went to Boston fully expecting to be arrested - arrested by a polizia created by a government that my ancestors rebelled to establish.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
Listen, children: Your father is dead. From his old coats I'll make you little jackets; I'll make you little trousers From his old pants. There'll be in his pockets Things he used to put there, Keys and pennies Covered with tobacco; Dan shall have the pennies To save in his bank; Anne shall have the keys To make a pretty noise with. Life must go on, Though good men die; Anne, eat your breakfast; Dan, take your medicine; Life must go on; I forget just why.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
I would I were alive again To kiss the fingers of the rain, To drink into my eyes the shine Of every slanting silver line, To catch the freshened, fragrant breeze From drenched and dripping apple-trees. For soon the shower will be done, And then the broad face of the sun Will laugh above the rain-soaked earth Until the world with answering mirth Shakes joyously, and each round drop Rolls twinkling, from its grass-blade top.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
I drank at every vine, the last was like the first. I came upon no wine so wonderful as thirst.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
She learned her hands in a fairy-tale, And her mouth on a valentine.
Edna St. Vincent MillayRead
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