--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I was beginning to intuit that…" description: "\"“But I was beginning to intuit that full-blown maturity was not so very different from childhood. Both states in their extreme were all about following..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg" --- # But I was beginning to intuit that full-blown maturity was… ![“But I was beginning to intuit that full-blown maturity was not so very different from childhood. Both states in their extreme were all about following the rules.” quote by Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg) > ““But I was beginning to intuit that full-blown maturity was not so very different from childhood. Both states in their extreme were all about following the rules.”” [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Maturity and childhood share a core similarity: both involve strict adherence to rules, especially when taken to extremes. **In simple terms:** Both mature and childlike states can become overly rule‑bound. Key Takeaway Avoid rigid rule‑following; stay flexible. Themes growth psychology development Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - education - parenting - self‑development - leadership Key Concepts rule adherence extremes maturity childhood Questions to Reflect On - When have you followed a rule that limited you? - How can you incorporate flexibility into structured environments? A Different Perspective Strict rules can stifle creativity and adaptability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blown Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blown-maturity-2492650/) [Childhood States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-states-2492649/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Different Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-childhood-1170299/) [Following The Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-the-rules/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Maturity Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity-different-2492648/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) ## Related quotes > [Some people will say I'm an arrogant person, but my childhood was different. Most of my childhood was busy with work and trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-pereira/some-people-will-say-i-m-an-arrogant-person-but-my-childhood-was/) [Alex Pereira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-pereira/) > [Having a white parent undoubtedly makes for a different childhood experience than having two black parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/having-a-white-parent-undoubtedly-makes-for-a-different-childhood/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [I couldn't really tell if it was a different childhood because I was used to it, it was kind of normal to me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-yedlin/i-couldn-t-really-tell-if-it-was-a-different-childhood-because-i-was/) [DeAndre Yedlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-yedlin/) > [Happiness was different in childhood. It was so much then a matter simply of accumulation, of taking things - new experiences, new emotions -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/happiness-was-different-in-childhood-it-was-so-much-then-a-matter-2/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“Happiness was different in childhood. It was so much then a matter simply of accumulation, of taking things--new experiences, new emotions--and applying them like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/happiness-was-different-in-childhood-it-was-so-much-then-a-matter/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Following the rules of your industry will only get you so far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/following-the-rules-of-your-industry-will-only-get-you-so-far/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) > [Rebellion is not always the right thing. Following the rules is not always the right thing. You have to think for yourself and identify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/rebellion-is-not-always-the-right-thing-following-the-rules-is-not/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [“Maybe that works for Tiny, but it never works for me. Shutting up works. Following the rules works. So I shut up, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/maybe-that-works-for-tiny-but-it-never-works-for-me-shutting-up-works/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I should like the woman I choose to be very honest, generous, and to have a sincere faith in God, rather than mindlessly following…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-dickerson/i-should-like-the-woman-i-choose-to-be-very-honest-generous-and-to/) [Melanie Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-dickerson/) > [For those who are here illegally and not following the rules, we need to send them home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kemp/for-those-who-are-here-illegally-and-not-following-the-rules-we-need/) [Brian Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kemp/) > [The rhyme always knows better than you, and leads you to places where you wouldn't otherwise have gotten to and that is absolutely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-rhyme-always-knows-better-than-you-and-leads-you-to-places-where/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [As a performer, I need to change in the ring, to be a little bit more aggressive and go about things in a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayley/as-a-performer-i-need-to-change-in-the-ring-to-be-a-little-bit-more/) [Bayley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayley/) > [If you're remarkable, then it's likely that some people won't like you. That's part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-remarkable-then-it-s-likely-that-some-people-won-t-like-you/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules, but by people following the rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-crimes-in-the-world-are-not-committed-by-people-breaking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times, we find the rules restrict you from doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/there-are-certain-things-that-we-can-deal-with-by-following-the-rules/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) ## More by Lionel Shriver > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I’m a journalist, and journalists need news. Deprive them of it, and they go a bit barking. Deprive them of news long enough, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-m-a-journalist-and-journalists-need-news-deprive-them-of-it-and/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“One of the things I learned with Charles," said Gray carefully, "was that finding someone like you does not necessarily mean that either of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/one-of-the-things-i-learned-with-charles-said-gray-carefully-was-that/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [In the particular dwells the tawdry. In the conceptual dwells the grand, the transcendent, the everlasting. Earthly countries and single malignant boys can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/in-the-particular-dwells-the-tawdry-in-the-conceptual-dwells-the/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“The idea is that you don't only have one destiny. Younger and younger, kids are pressed to decide what they want to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-idea-is-that-you-don-t-only-have-one-destiny-younger-and-younger/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [Oddly, for a book to do well merely because people like it is surprisingly rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/oddly-for-a-book-to-do-well-merely-because-people-like-it-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [The sign that I don't like the book I'm reading is finding myself watching reruns of 'Come Dine With Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-sign-that-i-don-t-like-the-book-i-m-reading-is-finding-myself/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [We speak often of 'destroying the planet' when what we mean is destroying its habitability for humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/we-speak-often-of-destroying-the-planet-when-what-we-mean-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [My agent had warned that, while a fine film would do my profile a world of good, a bad one wouldn't help me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/my-agent-had-warned-that-while-a-fine-film-would-do-my-profile-a/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I think that's the biggest favor you can grant anyone, don't you? Permission to be dull. I know Henry will sometimes say something so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-think-that-s-the-biggest-favor-you-can-grant-anyone-don-t-you/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“They were determined to find something mechanically wrong with him - because broken machines are easier to fix. p303”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/they-were-determined-to-find-something-mechanically-wrong-with-him/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“Bur Armenians have a talent for sorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/bur-armenians-have-a-talent-for-sorrow/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“What is cool changes; that there is such a thing as cool is immutable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/what-is-cool-changes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as-cool-is-immutable/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I have theorized that you can locate most people on a spectrum of the crudest sort and that it may be their position on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-have-theorized-that-you-can-locate-most-people-on-a-spectrum-of-the/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) [Explore all 375 Lionel Shriver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I was beginning to intuit that full-blown maturity was not so very different from childhood. Both states in their extreme were all about following the rules.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lionel Shriver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full-blown-maturity-was-not-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full-blown-maturity-was-not-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/lionel-shriver-744_children_but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full_1048454.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I was beginning to intuit that full-blown maturity was not so very different from childhood. Both states…” — Lionel Shriver", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lionel Shriver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But I was beginning to intuit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full-blown-maturity-was-not-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/but-i-was-beginning-to-intuit-that-full-blown-maturity-was-not-so/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```