Children Quote by Jack Kerouac
““So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all the rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: On the Road (excerpt), 1957
The speaker reflects on vast American landscapes, the collective suffering of children, and a yearning for meaning, invoking spiritual and literary allusions.
In simple terms: He muses on America’s expanse, children’s pain, and spiritual longing.
Key Takeaway
Seek empathy for collective sorrow and personal spiritual connection.
Themes
America
spirituality
loneliness
journey
nostalgia
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- travel
- social observation
- personal introspection
- poetic expression
Key Concepts
existentialism
beat generation
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does geography shape personal identity?
- What role does spirituality play in coping with societal pain?
A Different Perspective
Romantic idealism may ignore concrete solutions to suffering.
