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The side of fairytales I don't like is that they always have happy endings, that there's just good and evil, and things are perfect. But life is a little more complicated, and that's what I try to teach my kids.
Angelina Jolie
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Fairytales oversimplify life by presenting only good and evil, while reality is much more complex.

Angelina Jolie expresses her discontent with the simplistic nature of fairytales, which often portray a world of clear good and evil, culminating in perfect and happy endings. She believes that life is far more complicated than these stories suggest, and she aims to impart this understanding to her children, teaching them about the nuances and complexities of real life.

Themes

LifeComplexityFairytalesRealityParenting

In practice

Example use cases

A parent could share this quote while discussing the lessons of reality versus fiction with their children.

More from Angelina Jolie

I think every teenager is a hero. When we are young we feel so much pain. Go to school is like going to war, people let you down all the time. Sometimes it's very, very difficult to stay strong, but you have to.
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I don't see the point of doing an interview unless you're going to share the things you learn in life and the mistakes you make. So to admit that I'm extremely human and have done some dark things I don't think makes me unusual or unusually dark. I think it actually is the right thing to do, and I'd like to think it's the nice thing to do.
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It was weird to be married; you kind of lose your identity. You're suddenly somebody's wife. And you're like, 'Oh, I'm half of a couple now. I've lost me.'
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I had a C-section, and I found it fascinating. I didn't find it a sacrifice, and I didn't find it a painful experience. I found it a fascinating miracle of what a body can do.
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There's something about death that is comforting. The thought that you could die tomorrow frees you to appreciate your life now.
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When I was growing up I wanted to adopt, because I was aware there were kids that didn't have parents. It's not a humanitarian thing, because I don't see it as a sacrifice. It's a gift. We're all lucky to have each other.
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