My sister's bringing up had made me sensitive. In the…
““My sister's bringing up had made me sensitive. In the little world in which children have their existence whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice. It may be only small injustice that the child can be exposed to; but the child is small, and its world is small, and its rocking-horse stands as many hands high, according to scale, as a big-boned Irish hunter. Within myself, I had sustained, from my babyhood, a perpetual conflict with injustice. I had known, from the time when I could speak, that my sister, in her capricious and violent coercion, was unjust to me. I had cherished a profound conviction that her bringing me up by hand, gave her no right to bring me up by jerks. Through all my punishments, disgraces, fasts and vigils, and other penitential performances, I had nursed this assurance; and to my communing so much with it, in a solitary and unprotected way, I in great part refer the fact that I was morally timid and very sensitive.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Early upbringing shapes sensitivity to injustice; personal conflict arises from perceived unfair treatment.
In simple terms: Childhood influences sense of fairness.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and heal early injustices.
Themes
family
injustice
psychology
Mood
melancholic
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- therapy
- family mediation
- personal journaling
Key Concepts
developmental trauma
self‑awareness
Questions to Reflect On
- How can one reframe past grievances?
- What practices foster emotional resilience?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on childhood may limit present growth.