Alienation Quote by Harlan Ellison
“I have but nothing to say to young girls. They're fine to look at, in the way I would look at a case filled with Shang dynasty glazes, but expecting to carry on a conversation with the average teen-aged young lady is akin to reading Voltaire to a cage filled with chimpanzees. I'm certain they would feel the same alienation for me. I can live with that knowledge.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Girl Who Was Too Young to Talk” (1995)
He feels unable to converse meaningfully with teenage girls, likening it to an impossible translation.
In simple terms: He struggles with communication with young women.
Key Takeaway
Seek common ground in dialogue.
Themes
communication
generational gap
misunderstanding
Mood
frustrated
critical
Type
personal
philosophical
When to use this quote
- dating
- friendship
- social media interaction
Key Concepts
social alienation
language barriers
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we assume others cannot understand us?
- How can we bridge generational communication gaps?
A Different Perspective
His analogy may be hyperbolic and dismissive of individual differences.
![“The shrieks were coming from two quite naked girls, who were pursued by a pair of apes snapping at their bottoms. [...] So he now raises his double-barrelled Spanish rifle, fires and kills both apes. 'God be praised, my dear Calambo! I have delivered these two poor creatures from grave peril; if…” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a9/voltaire-173_apes_the-shrieks-were-coming-from-two-quite-n_173005.jpg)
![“She [Evelina] is not, indeed, like most modern young ladies; to be known in half an hour; her modest worth, and fearful excellence, require both time and encouragement to show themselves.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0e7/anonymous-1_encouragement_she-evelina-is-not-indeed-like-most-mode_35617.jpg)
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
