Childhood Quote by Dorothee Soelle
““Among the first questions a native mother asks her child in the morning is: what did you dream? When I heard this for the first time I felt ashamed because I used to ask my children only: Did you do your mathematics homework? Do you have your lunch? The experiences of other cultures may not be immediately helpful to us, but they do at least make us aware of the deficits of our own culture . . . I want to remind us of the buried mysticism of childhood. There are for many of us - I almost want to say for every one of us - moments of heightened experience in childhood in which we are grasped by a remarkable, seemingly unshakable certainty. Mystics of the various ages have called upon this buried experience.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Buried Mysticism of Childhood”, 1995
Morning questions reveal cultural values; recalling childhood wonder highlights our own cultural gaps and invites deeper self‑awareness.
In simple terms: Ask children about dreams to uncover hidden wonder.
Key Takeaway
Value curiosity and reflect on cultural blind spots.
Themes
cultural awareness
childhood wonder
self reflection
Mood
reflective
nostalgic
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- parent‑child conversations
- educational curricula
- mindfulness retreats
Key Concepts
mysticism
deficits
cultural comparison
Questions to Reflect On
- What childhood moments of certainty do you recall?
- How can schools foster dream‑sharing?
A Different Perspective
Modern schedules may limit time for such reflective questioning.
![“And I wanted to do a movie [Moonrise Kingdom] about a childhood romance - a very powerful experience of childhood romance. About what it's like to just be blindsided, when you're in fifth grade or sixth grade, by these kinds of feelings. Along the way, I sort of mixed in some interest in "young…” quote by Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d89/wes-anderson-9598_adults_and-i-wanted-to-do-a-movie-moonrise-king_1805520.jpg)
