--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote this story for you, but when I…" description: "\"I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy ta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/anonymous-1_affectionate_i-wrote-this-story-for-you-but-when-i-be_1044656.jpg" --- # I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not… ![“I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/anonymous-1_affectionate_i-wrote-this-story-for-you-but-when-i-be_1044656.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/anonymous-1_affectionate_i-wrote-this-story-for-you-but-when-i-be_1044656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/anonymous-1_affectionate_i-wrote-this-story-for-you-but-when-i-be_1044656.jpg) > “I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather, C. S. Lewis.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories age slower than readers; as we outgrow them, we later return with deeper appreciation, finding new meaning. **In simple terms:** We outgrow tales but later revisit them with richer insight. Key Takeaway Re‑read old stories later. Themes growth nostalgia literature age Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - childhood reading - adult literature clubs - library programs - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology development cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - When did you rediscover a childhood story? - What new meaning did it reveal? A Different Perspective Some may view revisiting childhood tales as escapism rather than growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affectionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affectionate/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Deaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf/) [Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Fairy tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tales/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Old enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-enough/) [Old Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-fairy-1321201/) [Printed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printed/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-fairy-2462445/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves/) [Start Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-reading-326913/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [That girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/that-girl/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wrote Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-story/) ## Related quotes > [Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-day-you-will-be-old-enough-to-start-reading-fairy-tales-again/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel bad for all the little girls reading fairy tales about princes who come and save them. They should learn that they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-bad-for-all-the-little-girls-reading-fairy-tales-about-princes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one is too old for fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-is-too-old-for-fairy-tales/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ None of \[the books are\] worth reading. There are no fairy tales, no faerie tails, no sword-swinging princesses or lightning-throwing gods. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/none-of-the-books-are-worth-reading-there-are-no-fairy-tales-no/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“Here are my criteria for a good book: you start reading and you don't stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/here-are-my-criteria-for-a-good-book-you-start-reading-and-you-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If we turn now to such vestiges of cult as are associated otherwise than with time and season, we discover a definite recognition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-spence/if-we-turn-now-to-such-vestiges-of-cult-as-are-associated-otherwise/) [Lewis Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-spence/) > [“In the old stories, despite the impossibility of the incidents, the interest is always real and human.  The princes and princesses fall in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/in-the-old-stories-despite-the-impossibility-of-the-incidents-the/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Victor Vigny: It is like the old fairy tale. The boy saves the princess; they fall in love. He invents a flying machine -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/victor-vigny-it-is-like-the-old-fairy-tale-the-boy-saves-the-princess/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [“You’re too old for fairy tales,” Baasen said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/you-re-too-old-for-fairy-tales-baasen-said/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [One of my heroes, G.K. Chesterton, said, "The old fairy tales endure forever. The old fairy tale makes the hero a normal human boy;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-doman/one-of-my-heroes-g-k-chesterton-said-the-old-fairy-tales-endure/) [Regina Doman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-doman/) > [The old fairy tales are very, very violent, and these days I think we could do with a little less of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/the-old-fairy-tales-are-very-very-violent-and-these-days-i-think-we/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [I do not know the meaning of my sadness; there is an old fairy tale that I cannot get out of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/i-do-not-know-the-meaning-of-my-sadness-there-is-an-old-fairy-tale/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [And it’s Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I’ve been saying it for years but she still won’t go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-it-s-johnson-johnson-with-the-quaffle-what-a-player-that-girl-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know that girl that always forgave you? That always loved you? That always took you back? Pretty soon, she’ll give up and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-that-girl-that-always-forgave-you-that-always-loved-you-that-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Look, I'm not really an affectionate person. People aren't meant to be together, forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-i-m-not-really-an-affectionate-person-people-aren-t-meant-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Affectionate quotes > [“Emira realized that Briar probably didn't know how to say good-bye because she never had to do it before. But whether she said good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiley-reid/emira-realized-that-briar-probably-didn-t-know-how-to-say-good-bye/) [Kiley Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiley-reid/) > [“She scanned the room, and her grin broadened when she saw Christian. She then sought me out. Her smile for him had been affectionate;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/she-scanned-the-room-and-her-grin-broadened-when-she-saw-christian/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-must-understand-that-god-does-not-love-us-without-liking-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [There never was a tonic that would cure more social ailments than a healthy, happy home. There never was a greater source of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-l-evans/there-never-was-a-tonic-that-would-cure-more-social-ailments-than-a/) [Richard L. Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-l-evans/) > [I am convinced that human nature is basically affectionate and good. If our behavior follows our kind and loving nature, immense benefits will result,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-convinced-that-human-nature-is-basically-affectionate-and-good/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [I can be affectionate about a lot of things without watching them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-can-be-affectionate-about-a-lot-of-things-without-watching-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [ If I do manage to come up with a scheme \[to naming\], however, I stick to it, which is why my cats are named… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/if-i-do-manage-to-come-up-with-a-scheme-to-naming-however-i-stick-to/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [Josh Radnor is that rare thing: a writer-director who thinks like an actor but still knows how to create a comedy with shape and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-gleiberman/josh-radnor-is-that-rare-thing-a-writer-director-who-thinks-like-an/) [Owen Gleiberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-gleiberman/) > [Always when I see a man fond of praise I always think it is because he is an affectionate man craving for affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-butler-yeats/always-when-i-see-a-man-fond-of-praise-i-always-think-it-is-because/) [Jack Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-butler-yeats/) > [I feel that a genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day-to-day lives. How one creates that smile largely depends on one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-feel-that-a-genuine-affectionate-smile-is-very-important-in-our-day/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Shyama was very good looking and a good human being. She was warm and affectionate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waheeda-rehman/shyama-was-very-good-looking-and-a-good-human-being-she-was-warm-and/) [Waheeda Rehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waheeda-rehman/) > [I simply contend that the middle-class ideal which demands that people be affectionate, respectable, honest and content, that they avoid excitements and cultivate serenity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-simply-contend-that-the-middle-class-ideal-which-demands-that/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“I would trust you with my life. I'm betting that something evil would appear pleasing but feel foul." Gregori's glittering silver eyes settled on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/i-would-trust-you-with-my-life-i-m-betting-that-something-evil-would/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) [Browse all 282 Affectionate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affectionate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather, C. S. 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