Age Quote by Barry Hughart
“I shall clasp my hands together and bow to the corners of the world. May your villages remain ignorant of tax collectors, and may your sons be many and ugly and strong and willing workers, and may your daughters be few and beautiful and excellent providers of love gifts from eminent families that live very far away, and may your lives be blessed by the beauty that has touched mine. Farewell.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, 1980
A wish for prosperity, fertility, and protection, expressed with a mix of humor and solemn blessing.
In simple terms: Wishes for wealth, many children, and safety.
Key Takeaway
Seek to protect and provide for loved ones.
Themes
prosperity
family
humor
blessing
protection
Mood
reflective
hopeful
serious
Type
cultural
ritual
humorous
When to use this quote
- marriage negotiations
- family planning
- community leadership
- ritual blessings
Key Concepts
fertility
social hierarchy
ritual
cultural values
Questions to Reflect On
- What values are you prioritizing in blessings?
- How might such wishes affect gender expectations?
A Different Perspective
May overlook individual autonomy and gender stereotypes.
![“The problem with 'the crown jewel of Chinese literature' [Dream of the Red Chamber] is that it has two thousand pages and an equal number of characters, and the hero is an effeminate ass who should have either been spanked or decapitated, both ends being equally objectionable.” quote by Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9f5/barry-hughart-19013_books_the-problem-with-the-crown-jewel-of-chin_1270548.jpg)
