Home / Quotes / Quote by Ian Mcewan

Quote by Ian Mcewan

“Only when you are grown up, perhaps only when you have children yourself, do you fully understand that your own parents had a full and intricate existence before you were born.”

Quote by Ian Mcewan

Book:The Child in Time

Work

The Child in Time

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Ian Mcewan

Ian Mcewan is a renowned British novelist known for his unique narrative techniques and profound insights into human nature. His works often explore themes such as moral dilemmas, historical events, and personal identity. Born on June 21, 1948, Mcewan's representative works include 'Atonement', 'Freedom', and 'Amsterdam'. more

“You grew up soft. Your tender heart would nurse a frightened field mouse rescued from a trap. Would make a splint. You'd try to help but always it would die. You gave them names. You were a friendless child, a barrel-chested, sturdy little thing who played alone. You grew up soft, but still you learned to hide it. Piece by piece. The world's not built for soft and sturdy things. It likes its soft things small and white, defenceless. Princesses in castles. Maidens waiting for the perfect sword. You grew up soft, and piece by wounded piece you built a carapace around your body. Humans are peculiar little things.”

Growing Up Feminism Fairytales

Book:Tangleweed and Brine

Source: Tangleweed and Brine

“Part of growing up is narrowing your life choices to a manageable size.”

Growing Up

Book:Letting Go of Perfect: Women, Expectations, and Authenticity

Source: Letting Go of Perfect: Women, Expectations, and Authenticity

“He was still so very young. Faeries—true faeries, not their changeling throwaways—live forever, and when you have an eternity of adulthood ahead of you, you linger over childhood. You tend it and keep it close to your heart, because once it ends, it’s over. Quentin was barely fifteen. He’d never seen the Great Hunt that came down every twenty-one years, or been present for the crowning of a King or Queen of Cats, or announced his maturity before the throne of High King Aethlin. He was a child, and he should have had decades left to play; a century of games and joy and edging cautiously toward adulthood. But he didn’t. I could see his childhood dying in his eyes as he looked at me, silently begging me to answer for him.”

Loss Growing Up Sad Adulthood Seanan Mcguire An Artificial Night Choldhood

Book:An Artificial Night

Source: An Artificial Night