I hope children will be happy with the books I've written, and go on to be readers all of their lives.
Beverly ClearyRead
I don't think children themselves have changed that much. It's the world that has changed.
Interpretation
Children remain fundamentally the same, but their environment and the world around them have evolved significantly.
Beverly Cleary's quote reflects the idea that while the intrinsic nature and characteristics of children may stay constant over time, the societal and environmental contexts in which they grow up can dramatically transform. This emphasizes the influence of external factors—such as technology, culture, and societal expectations—on the development and experiences of children, suggesting that understanding them requires an awareness of the changing world they inhabit.
In practice
In a discussion about parenting styles during different generations.
I hope children will be happy with the books I've written, and go on to be readers all of their lives.
I don't think children's inner feelings have changed. They still want a mother and father in the very same house; they want places to play.
I know that when I was a children's librarian, that was about 1940, boys particularly asked where were the books about kids like us, and there weren't any at that time.
I didn't start out writing to give children hope, but I'm glad some of them found it.
Over the years, I have been approached about making Ramona into a cartoon or movie, but I was afraid that no one could really capture the spunky character of Ramona.
I think the best teachers had a real interest in the subject they were teaching and a love for children. Some of the teachers were just doing their job, but others had that little extra. They really cared about children and they wore pretty dresses.
The whole fabric of southern society must be changed, and never can it be done if this opportunity is lost. Without this, this government can never be, as it never has been, a true republic.
We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.
The low points I had all helped make up my character, so I probably wouldn't want to do away with them because I like being flawed and I like having them help me grow and change and become better and stronger.
We know what the birth of a revolution looks like: A student stands before a tank. A fruit seller sets himself on fire. A line of monks link arms in a human chain. Crowds surge, soldiers fire, gusts of rage pull down the monuments of tyrants, and maybe, sometimes, justice rises from the flames.
Because many advances have happened, we've lost the urgency (and that's just human nature) that we had before, when we couldn't vote, couldn't use mass transportation, or drink from the fountains.
I am slowly, painfully discovering that my refuge is not found in my mother, my grandmother, of even the birds of Bear River. My refuge exists in my capacity to love. If I can learn to love death then I can begin to find refuge in change.
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