--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And then my grandfather explained -in his…" description: "\"“And then my grandfather explained -in his language- that utopias are not for mortals. And that people are like flies, that the stories they are told m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/david-grossman-9948_death_and-then-my-grandfather-explained-in-his_2269226.jpg" --- # And then my grandfather explained -in his language- that… ![“And then my grandfather explained -in his language- that utopias are not for mortals. And that people are like flies, that the stories they are told must be like flypaper. Utopias are gold-covered paper, he said, and flypaper is covered in everything man secretes from his body and his life…” quote by David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/david-grossman-9948_death_and-then-my-grandfather-explained-in-his_2269226.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/david-grossman-9948_death_and-then-my-grandfather-explained-in-his_2269226.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/david-grossman-9948_death_and-then-my-grandfather-explained-in-his_2269226.jpg) > ““And then my grandfather explained -in his language- that utopias are not for mortals. And that people are like flies, that the stories they are told must be like flypaper. Utopias are gold-covered paper, he said, and flypaper is covered in everything man secretes from his body and his life. Especially the suffering. And our hope is that its measure is the measure of man, and forgiveness.”” [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Utopias are unattainable ideals; human stories are messy, full of suffering, and forgiveness measures our humanity. **In simple terms:** Utopias are impossible; life is messy and forgiveness defines us. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection, seek forgiveness. Themes idealism human nature forgiveness reality illusion Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - political discourse - personal relationships - creative writing Key Concepts existentialism philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance idealism with reality? - What role does forgiveness play in confronting suffering? A Different Perspective Utopias often ignore practical constraints and human flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Flypaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flypaper-2991975/) [Flypaper Utopias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flypaper-utopias-5251587/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Flypaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-flypaper-2694777/) [Said Flypaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-flypaper-5251588/) [Utopias Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utopias-mortals-5251589/) ## Related quotes > [“The very best people are like that. They don’t entangle you like flypaper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/the-very-best-people-are-like-that-they-don-t-entangle-you-like/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [Books are like flypaper, memories cling to the printed pages better than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/books-are-like-flypaper-memories-cling-to-the-printed-pages-better/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“I'm like flypaper for the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/i-m-like-flypaper-for-the-soul/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. 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By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More by David Grossman > [“He falls quiet again and tries to understand how he can be saying these things, how it can be that his dark words are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/he-falls-quiet-again-and-tries-to-understand-how-he-can-be-saying/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [“and suddenly I am washed over by a wave of happiness for it, for my little story, because it is a place, a home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/and-suddenly-i-am-washed-over-by-a-wave-of-happiness-for-it-for-my/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [“Only now, in rhythmic waves, was she struck by her stupidity, her blindness, her estheronautiness , and, above all, her longing, the insult of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/only-now-in-rhythmic-waves-was-she-struck-by-her-stupidity-her/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [“again, her singing was her only absolute, the only thing that was completely her. a thousand classes hadn't given her this concrete insight: her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/again-her-singing-was-her-only-absolute-the-only-thing-that-was/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [“I write. 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