Innocence Quote by Don DeLillo
““my arms on the cinder track. Kids came running our way, thirty girls in bright shorts, an improbable bobbing mass. The eager breathing, the overlapping rhythms of their footfalls. Sometimes I think our love is inexperienced. The question of dying becomes a wise reminder. It cures us of our innocence of the future. Simple things are doomed, or is that a superstition? We watched””
About This Quote
Source Novel: White Noise, 1985
The passage reflects on youthful innocence, fleeting moments, and the paradox of love and mortality, suggesting that awareness of death sharpens appreciation of simple experiences.
In simple terms: Youthful moments feel fragile, love is inexperienced, and death reminds us to value the present.
Key Takeaway
Embrace fleeting moments and let mortality inspire presence.
Themes
youth
love
mortality
memory
innocence
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- summer days
- first love
- coming‑of‑age reflections
- creative writing
Key Concepts
existentialism
nostalgia
ephemerality
Questions to Reflect On
- How does awareness of death change everyday joy?
- What does “inexperienced love” mean to you?
A Different Perspective
The poetic style may obscure concrete meaning for some readers.
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
