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Quote by Billy Collins

“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I get from reading in bad light – A kind of measles of the spirit A mumps of the psyche, A disfiguring chicken pox of the soul. You tell me it is too early to be looking back, But that is because you have forgotten The perfect simplicity of being one And the beautiful complexity introduced by two But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit At four I was an Arabian wizard I could make myself invisible By drinking a glass of milk a certain way. At seven I was a solider, at nine a prince. But now I am mostly at the window Watching the late afternoon light. Back then it never fell so solemnly Against the side of my tree house, And my bicycle never leaned against the garage As it does today, All the dark blue speed drained out of it. This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, As I walk through the universe in my sneakers. It is time to say good-bye to my imagry friends, Time to turn the first big number.”

Book:Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems

Work

Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems

This book is a compilation of poetry that showcases the author's creative expression and poetic style, offering readers a diverse range of themes and emotions through verse. more

Author

Billy Collins

Billy Collins is a renowned American poet, born on March 22, 1941. His poetry is known for its simplicity, humor, and profound insights, making it popular among readers. Collins served as the United States Poet Laureate and taught at several universities. more

“How much older can you be at your age? A half minute before that you were stepping into high school, and an unhooked brassiere was as close as you ever hoped to get to Paradise. Only a fifth of a second before that you were a small kid with a ten-week summer vacation that lasted a hundred thousand years and still ended too soon. Zip! They go rocketing by so fast.”

Age Growing Up Growing Old Ageing Growing Older Catch 22

Book:Catch-22

Source: Catch-22

“It wasn't right that you could only understand your parents' pain once you'd experienced the things they had, and by then they were gone.”

Wisdom Pain Life Lessons Knowledge Growing Up Experience Parenting Old Age Maturity Parenthood

Book:Saints for All Occasions

Source: Saints for All Occasions

“Damask roses and white picket fences, a childhood ripe with an array of senses. Forest black against starry skies, Pink clouds dusting an early sunrise. Hundreds of days slipping through hourglass years. The sands of adolescence fading with solemn tears. Oceans of certainty ebbing away, Lessons learned regardless of one's place.”

Inspirational Years Growing Up Poem Poetry Of Life A Y Greyson

Book:Midnight Fog

Source: Midnight Fog

“No matter what the cause, the result is the same: iGen teens are less likely to experience the freedom of being out of the house without their parents--those first tantalizing tastes of the independence of being an adult, those times when teens make their own decisions, good or bad.”

Freedom Responsibility Growing Up Independence Decisions Maturity Teenagers Igen

Book:iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us

Source: iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us

“Jo era feliç, però feliç és una paraula adulta. No cal preguntar-li a un nen si és feliç, ja es veu. O ho són o no ho són. Els adults parlen de ser feliços perquè en general no ho són. Parlar-ne és com intentar atrapar el vent. És molt més fàcil deixar-lo que t’encalci. Quant a això, no estic d’acord amb els filòsofs. Parlen de coses apassionants però ho fan sense passió. No parleu mai de felicitat amb un filòsof.”

Happiness Growing Up

Book:The Passion

Source: The Passion

“Let her wake as when she close her eyes. That was all Jenny asked for. That was all she begged for on this March night that was perfectly equal to the day, unique in all the season. Let her be the same sweet girl, unburdened by gifts or sorrow.”

Growing Up Childhood March

Book:The Red Garden

Source: The Red Garden

“Growing up is a lot like that, I think. Convincing the world you’ve got it all figured out. Even when we know it’s a lie. We’re all still trying.”

Life Growing Up

Book:Read This If: A Collection of Essays that Prove Someone Else Gets it, Too

Source: Read This If: A Collection of Essays that Prove Someone Else Gets it, Too