Boys Quote by Mordecai Richler
“A boy can be two, three, four potential people, but a man is only one. He murders the others.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler, 1959
A boy can imagine many possible selves, but adulthood forces a single identity, often by suppressing alternatives.
In simple terms: Youth imagines many selves; adulthood narrows to one.
Key Takeaway
Embrace authenticity, resist killing parts of yourself.
Themes
identity
growth
self‑acceptance
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- career decisions
- personal development
- creative pursuits
- relationship choices
Key Concepts
psychology
existentialism
role theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you choose which parts of yourself to keep?
- What costs arise from denying other possibilities?
A Different Perspective
May limit personal freedom and cause internal conflict.
![“We've actually seen Black man murders [in] many a major city in the United States - New York City, St. Louis, Missouri, from Cleveland to Baltimore. It was those sorts of incidents that were very much prevalent in the forefront of that jury's conscience that allowed them to believe that this man…” quote by Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/229/sterling-k-brown-3532_baltimore_we-ve-actually-seen-black-man-murders-in_909286.jpg)
