--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I die very young, hear this: I was…" description: "\"“If I die very young, hear this: I was never anything but a kid playing. I was a heathen like the sun and the water, I had the universal religion only ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/alberto-caeiro-7759_existence_if-i-die-very-young-hear-this-i-was-neve_452291.jpg" --- # If I die very young, hear this: I was never anything but a… ![“If I die very young, hear this: I was never anything but a kid playing. I was a heathen like the sun and the water, I had the universal religion only people don’t have. I was happy because I didn’t ask for anything at all, Or tried to find anything, And I didn’t find any more explanation Than the…” quote by Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/alberto-caeiro-7759_existence_if-i-die-very-young-hear-this-i-was-neve_452291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/alberto-caeiro-7759_existence_if-i-die-very-young-hear-this-i-was-neve_452291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/347/alberto-caeiro-7759_existence_if-i-die-very-young-hear-this-i-was-neve_452291.jpg) > ““If I die very young, hear this: I was never anything but a kid playing. I was a heathen like the sun and the water, I had the universal religion only people don’t have. I was happy because I didn’t ask for anything at all, Or tried to find anything, And I didn’t find any more explanation Than the word explanation having no meaning at all.”” [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees life as a simple, child‑like play, finding joy without seeking meaning or material gain, embracing a universal, natural spirituality. **In simple terms:** Life is simple play, no need for deeper meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace childlike wonder and let go of over‑analysis. Themes simplicity spirituality joy innocence Mood reflective peaceful contemplative Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - childhood - creative work - personal reflection - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism naturalism nihilism Questions to Reflect On - What would you lose by stopping the search for meaning? - How can childlike wonder improve daily life? A Different Perspective May lack depth for those seeking structured purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Heathen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heathen/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Paganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paganism/) [Pantheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pantheism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Tranquility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquility/) ## Related quotes > [“Even so, I’m somebody. I’m the Discoverer of Nature. I’m the Argonaut of true sensations. 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I’m listening to my voice as if it were someone else’s, And my voice is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/i-don-t-know-how-to-talk-because-i-m-feeling-i-m-listening-to-my/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“Let’s be simple and calm, Like brooks and trees, And God will love us by making Beautiful things like the trees and brooks for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/let-s-be-simple-and-calm-like-brooks-and-trees-and-god-will-love-us/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“If science wants to be truthful, What science is more truthful than the science of things without science? I close my eyes and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/if-science-wants-to-be-truthful-what-science-is-more-truthful-than/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“The man stopped talking and was looking at the sunset. But what does someone who hates and loves want with a sunset?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/the-man-stopped-talking-and-was-looking-at-the-sunset-but-what-does/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“Now I sense the perfume of flowers like seeing a new thing. I know they smell just as well as I know I existed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/now-i-sense-the-perfume-of-flowers-like-seeing-a-new-thing-i-know/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“I don’t regret anything I was before because I still am. I only regret not having loved you. Put your hands in mine And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/i-don-t-regret-anything-i-was-before-because-i-still-am-i-only-regret/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“I was born subject like others to errors and defects, But never to the error of wanting to understand too much, Never to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/i-was-born-subject-like-others-to-errors-and-defects-but-never-to-the/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“There are no roses in my yard: what wind brought you? But I suddenly come from far away. I was sick for a moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/there-are-no-roses-in-my-yard-what-wind-brought-you-but-i-suddenly/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“A stagecoach passed by on the road and went on; And the road didn’t become more beautiful or even more ugly. That’s human action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/a-stagecoach-passed-by-on-the-road-and-went-on-and-the-road-didn-t/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“But if God is the trees and the flowers And the hills and the moonlight and the sun, Why should I call him God?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/but-if-god-is-the-trees-and-the-flowers-and-the-hills-and-the/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“I’m a keeper of flocks. The flock is my thoughts And my thoughts are all sensations. 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I was sick for a moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/there-are-no-roses-in-my-yard-what-wind-brought-you-but-i-suddenly/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“But if God is the flowers and the trees And the hills and the sun and the moonlight, Then I believe in him, Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/but-if-god-is-the-flowers-and-the-trees-and-the-hills-and-the-sun-and/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“I was born subject like others to errors and defects, But never to the error of wanting to understand too much, Never to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/i-was-born-subject-like-others-to-errors-and-defects-but-never-to-the/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“My look blue as the sky Is as calm as water in the sun. It’s that way, blue and calm, Because it doesn’t question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/my-look-blue-as-the-sky-is-as-calm-as-water-in-the-sun-it-s-that-way/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“I don’t regret anything I was before because I still am. I only regret not having loved you. Put your hands in mine And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/i-don-t-regret-anything-i-was-before-because-i-still-am-i-only-regret/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“Pensar é não compreender.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/pensar-n-o-compreender/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“Now I sense the perfume of flowers like seeing a new thing. I know they smell just as well as I know I existed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/now-i-sense-the-perfume-of-flowers-like-seeing-a-new-thing-i-know/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“The man stopped talking and was looking at the sunset. But what does someone who hates and loves want with a sunset?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/the-man-stopped-talking-and-was-looking-at-the-sunset-but-what-does/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [“If science wants to be truthful, What science is more truthful than the science of things without science? I close my eyes and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/if-science-wants-to-be-truthful-what-science-is-more-truthful-than/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) [Explore all 78 Alberto Caeiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. 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May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. 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