"Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, 'What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?' Instead, they demand: 'How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?' Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him."
He might already be categorizing me as a "grown-up". And I would reluctantly accept it.
How talented are we to attribute meanings to the most meaningless things we encounter?
Recently read the book. I thought I haven't, but some parts read too familiar; I must have read it when I was very little (and proceeded to forget because I was not mature enough to appreciate the book fully).
ReplyDeleteNow I have read it again, I appreciate it more. My favorite scene has to be the one with fox, and the following departure of the prince.
"The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat . . ."
I read this book many times (in three different languages!) but I learn new things every time I read it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the quote.
There are many quotes that I can absorb now and the book gets to my deeper thoughts that much more.