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There is a little boy inside the man who is my brother... Oh, how I hated that little boy. And how I love him too.
Anna Quindlen
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote expresses the complex emotions of love and resentment towards a sibling's inner child.

In this quote, Anna Quindlen reflects on the duality of feelings we can have towards our family members, particularly siblings. She acknowledges the presence of a vulnerable, childish part in her brother that can evoke both frustration and deep affection, illustrating the intricate bond between siblings that encompasses both joy and pain.

Themes

BrotherLoveHateEmotionsChildRelationships

In practice

Example use cases

In a family therapy session to discuss sibling relationships.

More from Anna Quindlen

The life you have led doesn't need to be the only life you have.
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The future is built on brains, not prom court, as most people can tell you after attending their high school reunion. But you'd never know it by talking to kids or listening to the messages they get from the culture and even from their schools.
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I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.
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With reference to the younger generation..."If the experience of their exhausted, insomniac, dispirited elders makes them decide they'd prefer not to go straight from the classroom to the cubicle to the coffin, it doesn't mean they're lazy. It means they're sane."
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Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don't discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it's stupid. Banning books shows you don't trust your kids to think and you don't trust yourself to be able to talk to them.
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I conveniently forgot to remember that people only have two hands, or, as another parent once said of having a third child, it's time for a zone defense instead of man-to-man.
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