--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on…" description: "\"“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg" --- # Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either… ![“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truthis, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.’…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg) > ““Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truthis, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.’ She thought for a moment. Then she smiled. ‘Except for Granny, of course.’ We sat there, side by side, on the old wooden bench, not saying anything. I thought about adults. I wondered if that was true: if they were all really children wrapped in adult bodies, like children’s books hidden in the middle of dull, long books. The kind with no pictures or conversations.”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults are fundamentally children at heart, masking innocence with adult responsibilities. **In simple terms:** Adults hide childlike nature. Key Takeaway Embrace inner child while growing up. Themes identity growth innocence responsibility Mood nostalgic reflective playful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - education - mental health counseling - creative writing - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology developmental stages literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be a “grown‑up”? - How can we honor our inner child? A Different Perspective Adults may resist acknowledging their childlike traits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children'S Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-s-books-2/) [Grown Ups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown-ups/) [Side by side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side-by-side/) ## Related quotes > [“Oh, monsters are scared', said Lettie. 'And as for grown-ups...' She stopped talking, rubbed her freckled nose with a finger. Then, 'I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-and-as-for-grown-ups-she-stopped/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I'm going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-m-going-to-tell-you-something-important-grown-ups-don-t-look-like/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I thought about adults. I wondered if that was true: if they were all really children wrapped in adult bodies, like children’s books hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-thought-about-adults-i-wondered-if-that-was-true-if-they-were-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“As we continued upward, I thought about how adults sometimes complain that kids only think about ourselves, but it’s not true. We care a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-continued-upward-i-thought-about-how-adults-sometimes-complain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many teachers think of children as immature adults. It might lead to better and more 'respectful' teaching, if we thought of adults as atrophied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/many-teachers-think-of-children-as-immature-adults-it-might-lead-to-2/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [Many teachers think of children as immature adults. It might lead to better and more 'respectful' teaching, if we thought of adults as atrophied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/many-teachers-think-of-children-as-immature-adults-it-might-lead-to/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [“Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-the-inside-either-outside-they-4/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/maybe-there-weren-t-any-grown-ups-only-people-who-had-worked-hard-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“...There is no such thing as grown ups...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-is-no-such-thing-as-grown-ups/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-the-inside-either-outside-they/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Fiction has two uses. Firstly, it’s a gateway drug to reading. The drive to know what happens next, to want to turn the page,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/fiction-has-two-uses-firstly-it-s-a-gateway-drug-to-reading-the-drive/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I wondered if that was true: if they were all really children wrapped up in adult bodies, like children's books hidden in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-wondered-if-that-was-true-if-they-were-all-really-children-wrapped/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I have a feeling,’ he said, ‘I have a feeling that we were meant to be together. That we have fought the good fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-have-a-feeling-he-said-i-have-a-feeling-that-we-were-meant-to-be/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [He had read books, newspapers and magazines. He knew that if you ran away you sometimes met bad people who did bad things to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/he-had-read-books-newspapers-and-magazines-he-knew-that-if-you-ran/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I looked from the gadget-readied spear and body armor to my slender staff of plain old wood and leather duster. "My dick is better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-looked-from-the-gadget-readied-spear-and-body-armor-to-my-slender/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Adult quotes > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I am a big outliner. For my adult book, 'The Visibles,' I did not outline, and it took me two years to write because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/i-am-a-big-outliner-for-my-adult-book-the-visibles-i-did-not-outline/) [Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I have spent my entire adult life trying to make Liberty University the world-class Christian university that was envisioned at its founding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell-jr/i-have-spent-my-entire-adult-life-trying-to-make-liberty-university/) [Jerry Falwell, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell-jr/) > [“To love was a privilege not afforded to those of us born in these trying times when survival was never guaranteed. We were products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-x-chang/to-love-was-a-privilege-not-afforded-to-those-of-us-born-in-these/) Molly X. Chang > [Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/adults-look-upon-a-child-as-something-empty-that-is-to-be-filled/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“There's such an intimate kind of beauty in the act of listening to music being created right in front of your eyes, watching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-frank/there-s-such-an-intimate-kind-of-beauty-in-the-act-of-listening-to/) [M.C. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-frank/) > [Whether we think of Disney's blonde beauty and her pumpkin carriage or Marissa Meyer's recent recasting of 'Cinderella' as a cyborg in the young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-rutkoski/whether-we-think-of-disney-s-blonde-beauty-and-her-pumpkin-carriage/) [Marie Rutkoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-rutkoski/) > [You have, unfortunately, a K-12 educational system where the requirements to graduate are not the requirements to be college and career-ready. So if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-chertavian/you-have-unfortunately-a-k-12-educational-system-where-the/) [Gerald Chertavian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-chertavian/) > [Child actors going on to become adult actors never really works, apart from a few. Jodie Foster was the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lester/child-actors-going-on-to-become-adult-actors-never-really-works-apart/) Mark Lester > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [“Oh, I don’t mean to infer that you’re not a great guy. I’m sure you’re the exception to the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-frances/oh-i-don-t-mean-to-infer-that-you-re-not-a-great-guy-i-m-sure-you-re/) Jaye Frances Browse all 1,153 Adult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truthis, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.’ She thought for a moment. Then she smiled. ‘Except for Granny, of course.’ We sat there, side by side, on the old wooden bench, not saying anything. I thought about adults. I wondered if that was true: if they were all really children wrapped in adult bodies, like children’s books hidden in the middle of dull, long books. The kind with no pictures or conversations.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-the-inside-either-outside-they-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-the-inside-either-outside-they-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/neil-gaiman-29_books_grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-t_1769016.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they…” — Neil Gaiman", "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": "Neil Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-the-inside-either-outside-they-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/grown-ups-don-t-look-like-grown-ups-on-the-inside-either-outside-they-2/#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 } } ] } ```