--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A common question asked of Mr. Fenn was…" description: "\"“A common question asked of Mr. Fenn was, “How old is the boy?” to which Mr. Fenn’s reply, year after year, was, “He has been somewhere between twelve ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/christopher-daniel-mechling-36_fairy-tale_a-common-question-asked-of-mr-fenn-was-h_1276933.jpg" --- # A common question asked of Mr. Fenn was, “How old is the… ![“A common question asked of Mr. Fenn was, “How old is the boy?” to which Mr. Fenn’s reply, year after year, was, “He has been somewhere between twelve and thirteen since the day I laid eyes on him.” quote by Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/christopher-daniel-mechling-36_fairy-tale_a-common-question-asked-of-mr-fenn-was-h_1276933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/christopher-daniel-mechling-36_fairy-tale_a-common-question-asked-of-mr-fenn-was-h_1276933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/christopher-daniel-mechling-36_fairy-tale_a-common-question-asked-of-mr-fenn-was-h_1276933.jpg) > ““A common question asked of Mr. Fenn was, “How old is the boy?” to which Mr. Fenn’s reply, year after year, was, “He has been somewhere between twelve and thirteen since the day I laid eyes on him.”” [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can remain eternally youthful in perception, frozen in a timeless state by the observer’s gaze. **In simple terms:** He seems forever twelve‑thirteen to the narrator. Key Takeaway Recognize how our perceptions can freeze others in time. Themes perception time subjectivity Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - mentoring - storytelling Key Concepts psychology memory identity Questions to Reflect On - How does your view of someone change over time? - Do you ever idealize people, keeping them unchanged? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Forever young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-young/) [Origin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/origin/) [Peter-the-wild-boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter-the-wild-boy/) [Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirteen/) [True story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-story/) ## Related quotes > [“…I remember this tree!” I exclaimed. “We used to climb it all the time.” Peter seemed to have this in mind also, because as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/i-remember-this-tree-i-exclaimed-we-used-to-climb-it-all-the-time/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“Prince of the Enchanted Forest. 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Peter spent as much time out of doors as possible, and he had many playmates, since all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/summer-on-the-farm-was-glorious-peter-spent-as-much-time-out-of-doors/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“…This place was once like your Enchanted Forest is- home to tens of thousands of fairies. But that was many ages ago, before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/this-place-was-once-like-your-enchanted-forest-is-home-to-tens-of/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“All through the winter months, Rose kept up the practice of sitting by the fire with Peter and a book telling him stories. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/all-through-the-winter-months-rose-kept-up-the-practice-of-sitting-by/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“Peter and the deer herd ranged over the forest together, and without words, Peter told the deer about his new life at the Palace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/peter-and-the-deer-herd-ranged-over-the-forest-together-and-without/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“I know that some people disparage you for your lack of knowledge, and I know you may not understand me, Peter, but I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/i-know-that-some-people-disparage-you-for-your-lack-of-knowledge-and/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“But I did not bring the Wild Boy to England simply so he could learn from us. 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Everyone was as happy as if Peter was right there amongst them, for you see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/the-meal-was-full-of-jovial-conversation-and-laughter-everyone-was-as/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“He might have run off then, and thus avoided a great many adventures to come, but the girl cried, “Wait!” and he turned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/he-might-have-run-off-then-and-thus-avoided-a-great-many-adventures/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“as long as our dreams outweigh our memories, America will be forever young”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-g-chang/as-long-as-our-dreams-outweigh-our-memories-america-will-be-forever/) [Gordon G. Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-g-chang/) > [Let's be forever young together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-be-forever-young-together/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wanna be your Peterpan who will be forever young in love with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanna-be-your-peterpan-who-will-be-forever-young-in-love-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Christopher Daniel Mechling > [“He might have run off then, and thus avoided a great many adventures to come, but the girl cried, “Wait!” and he turned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/he-might-have-run-off-then-and-thus-avoided-a-great-many-adventures/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“The meal was full of jovial conversation and laughter. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/all-through-the-winter-months-rose-kept-up-the-practice-of-sitting-by/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“…This place was once like your Enchanted Forest is- home to tens of thousands of fairies. But that was many ages ago, before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/this-place-was-once-like-your-enchanted-forest-is-home-to-tens-of/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“Summer on the farm was glorious. Peter spent as much time out of doors as possible, and he had many playmates, since all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/summer-on-the-farm-was-glorious-peter-spent-as-much-time-out-of-doors/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“...One cannot help but consider the future- what will it be like when all the wild places of the earth have been taken over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/one-cannot-help-but-consider-the-future-what-will-it-be-like-when-all/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“…I remember this tree!” I exclaimed. “We used to climb it all the time.” Peter seemed to have this in mind also, because as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/i-remember-this-tree-i-exclaimed-we-used-to-climb-it-all-the-time/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) > [“Prince of the Enchanted Forest. Adopted son of the Fairy Folk. Wild Boy. Your reputation precedes you, child. All of Germany has been talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-daniel-mechling/prince-of-the-enchanted-forest-adopted-son-of-the-fairy-folk-wild-boy/) [Christopher Daniel Mechling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) [Explore all 13 Christopher Daniel Mechling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-daniel-mechling/) ## More Fairy tale quotes > [“From that time on they both looked forward to sleeping together. I might even say that the goal of their lovemaking was not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/from-that-time-on-they-both-looked-forward-to-sleeping-together-i/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I know my hair is out of the '60's, my clothes are '50's and the shoes I wear are from the '40's. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-know-my-hair-is-out-of-the-60-s-my-clothes-are-50-s-and-the-shoes-i/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [“If this were a fairy tale, this would be the part where the fishboy appears and Diana shoots him through the heart. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/if-this-were-a-fairy-tale-this-would-be-the-part-where-the-fishboy/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [“Yes sir, the fish was left in place of the crystal ball. It's been bagged and tagged for analysis.” Great. Now we have another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-f-stewart/yes-sir-the-fish-was-left-in-place-of-the-crystal-ball-it-s-been/) [A.F. Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-f-stewart/) > [Here is the world of imagination, hopes, and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/here-is-the-world-of-imagination-hopes-and-dreams-in-this-timeless/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [Letters crossing in the post, unfamiliar tunes heard three times in one day, the way that blows of fate descend upon the same bowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/letters-crossing-in-the-post-unfamiliar-tunes-heard-three-times-in/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [“He always had bread crumbs in his voice, and I followed them like a fairy tale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-c-stevens/he-always-had-bread-crumbs-in-his-voice-and-i-followed-them-like-a/) [Courtney C. Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-c-stevens/) > [“What the Boy chiefly dabbled in was natural history and fairy tales, and he just took them as they came, in a sandwichy sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/what-the-boy-chiefly-dabbled-in-was-natural-history-and-fairy-tales/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“Go out into the world, traveler. 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