Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
I find no change of consequence in grown people, I do not miss the dead. It does not surprise me to hear that this friend or that friend died at such and such a time, because I fully expected that sort of news. But somehow I had made no calculation on the infants. It never occurred to me that infants grow up...These unexpected changes, from infancy to youth, and from youth to maturity, are by far the most startling things I meet with.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the inevitable changes that occur from infancy to adulthood, emphasizing the unexpected nature of growth.
Mark Twain expresses a sense of surprise and reflection regarding the transformation from childhood to adulthood. While he is accustomed to the death of friends, which feels predictable, the transition of infants growing into mature individuals catches him off guard. This leads to a deeper contemplation of the surprising nature of life’s changes that occur without our conscious realization.
Themes
ChangeGrowthLifeTransformationSurprise
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a graduation speech to highlight the rapid changes students will face in their lives.
More from Mark Twain
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To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
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In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
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