Never such innocence, Never before or since, As changed itself to past Without a word--the men Leaving the gardens tidy, The thousands of marriages Lasting a little while longer: Never such innocence again.
Philip LarkinRead
Above all, though, children are linked to adults by the simple fact that they are in process of turning into them. For this they may be forgiven much. Children are bound to be inferior to adults, or there is no incentive to grow up.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Children's growth is a process influenced by adults, and this journey includes making mistakes.
This quote by Philip Larkin emphasizes the inherent connection between children and adults, highlighting that children are in a continual process of developing into their adult selves. It suggests that understanding this transformation allows for greater compassion towards children's shortcomings and reinforces the idea that being inferior is part of the growing experience, which motivates them to become better individuals.
Themes
ChildrenAdultsGrowthDevelopmentForgiveness
In practice
Example use cases
In a parenting workshop discussing child development.
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I can't understand these chaps who go round American universities explaining how they write poems: It's like going round explaining how you sleep with your wife.
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I have a sense of melancholy isolation, life rapidly vanishing, all the usual things. It's very strange how often strong feelings don't seem to carry any message of action
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