--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If children are different from us, they…" description: "\"If children are different from us, they are more spontaneous. Grown-up lives have become overlaid with dross.\" — Maurice Sendak" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/maurice-sendak-1273_children_if-children-are-different-from-us-they-a_2122779.jpg" --- # If children are different from us, they are more… ![“If children are different from us, they are more spontaneous. Grown-up lives have become overlaid with dross.” quote by Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/maurice-sendak-1273_children_if-children-are-different-from-us-they-a_2122779.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/maurice-sendak-1273_children_if-children-are-different-from-us-they-a_2122779.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/maurice-sendak-1273_children_if-children-are-different-from-us-they-a_2122779.jpg) > “If children are different from us, they are more spontaneous. Grown-up lives have become overlaid with dross.” [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children’s spontaneity is pure; adult life often adds unnecessary complexity. **In simple terms:** Kids are naturally creative; adults complicate life. Key Takeaway Preserve childlike wonder. Themes creativity innocence simplicity Mood playful thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - parenting - artistic work Key Concepts psychology development cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How can you simplify your adult routine? - What spontaneous activity can you try today? A Different Perspective Adults can learn from children’s freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-different-402045/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-spontaneous-2118306/) [Dross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dross/) [Grown Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown-lives-4338772/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Spontaneity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneity/) [Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous/) [Spontaneous Grown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous-grown-4338773/) ## Related quotes > [Children are tough, though we tend to think of them as fragile. They have to be tough. Childhood is not easy. We sentimentalize children,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/children-are-tough-though-we-tend-to-think-of-them-as-fragile-they/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [My husband and I were very different: I'm spontaneous and emotional; I'm loud - he was exactly the opposite. But you need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/my-husband-and-i-were-very-different-i-m-spontaneous-and-emotional-i/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [My technique is different, and I am more spontaneous. I don't like rehearsing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taapsee-pannu/my-technique-is-different-and-i-am-more-spontaneous-i-don-t-like/) [Taapsee Pannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taapsee-pannu/) > [If you have many children, the first one is always different because you can only have one child who is the first. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erno-rubik/if-you-have-many-children-the-first-one-is-always-different-because/) [Erno Rubik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erno-rubik/) > [I would try to guide my children in a different way to have a career. Something besides being an actress, singer or model. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-wilkinson/i-would-try-to-guide-my-children-in-a-different-way-to-have-a-career/) [Kendra Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-wilkinson/) > [Children have a different convention of the fearful until they have been taught the proper things to be shocked at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/children-have-a-different-convention-of-the-fearful-until-they-have/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [When we are children, we have a tranquil acceptance of mystery which is driven out of us later on, by curiosity and education and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/when-we-are-children-we-have-a-tranquil-acceptance-of-mystery-which/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [“but blaming him for the whole of the difference in my peculiar sexual identity, while convenient, was most likely not completely accurate. Abusers don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/but-blaming-him-for-the-whole-of-the-difference-in-my-peculiar-sexual/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [A Child of Happiness always seems like an old soul living in a new body, and her face is very serious until she smiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-cameron/a-child-of-happiness-always-seems-like-an-old-soul-living-in-a-new/) [Anne Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-cameron/) > [That's the one thing before parenthood that no one really impressed upon me, that all of my children would be so different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/that-s-the-one-thing-before-parenthood-that-no-one-really-impressed/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [Corny answer is of course is that everyone who wants musicals are children in different ways, aren't they? So you think of them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lloyd-webber/corny-answer-is-of-course-is-that-everyone-who-wants-musicals-are/) [Andrew Lloyd Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lloyd-webber/) > [It's like a laboratory, a micro-society of real life, so it didn't look odd to talk about bureaucracy. In the school, in the class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/it-s-like-a-laboratory-a-micro-society-of-real-life-so-it-didn-t-look/) [Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/) > [Children are different - mentally, physically, spiritually, quantitatively, qualitatively; and furthermore, they're all a little bit nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/children-are-different-mentally-physically-spiritually-quantitatively/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [My dad has children by four different mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-vikander/my-dad-has-children-by-four-different-mothers/) [Alicia Vikander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-vikander/) > [We don't want to raise sheltered children. They should see different parts of the country, and they should experience things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/we-don-t-want-to-raise-sheltered-children-they-should-see-different/) [Lisa Kennedy Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/) ## More by Maurice Sendak > [I never thought of Bumble-Ardy in that way. But I still have that same deep feeling for children who are in dire trouble. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-never-thought-of-bumble-ardy-in-that-way-but-i-still-have-that-same/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [“May I ask what you have in your black leather bag with gold buckles?" "Everything." They were climbing a narrow staircase. Rhoda stopped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/may-i-ask-what-you-have-in-your-black-leather-bag-with-gold-buckles/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-grew-up-in-a-house-that-was-in-a-constant-state-of-mourning/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Illustrations have as much to say as the text. The trick is to say the same thing, but in a different way. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/illustrations-have-as-much-to-say-as-the-text-the-trick-is-to-say-the/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm a lucky buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-a-lucky-buck/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I've convinced myself - I hope I'm right - that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-ve-convinced-myself-i-hope-i-m-right-that-children-despair-of-you/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It's no fun being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-s-no-fun-being-lonely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [You cannot write for children They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-cannot-write-for-children-they-re-much-too-complicated-you-can/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [All I liked to do when I was a kid was draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/all-i-liked-to-do-when-i-was-a-kid-was-draw/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-still-as-enamored-and-turned-on-by-work-as-i-was-when-i-was-young/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) [Explore all 262 Maurice Sendak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“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 parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) [Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If children are different from us, they are more spontaneous. 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