---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Childhood, after all, is not an ending…"
description: "\"Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state full of potent curiosity.\" — Rachel Cusk"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png"
---

#  Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state…

![“Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state full of potent curiosity.” quote by Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png)

> “Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state full of potent curiosity.”

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Childhood is a dynamic state of intense curiosity, not a conclusion, encouraging continuous wonder throughout life.

**In simple terms:** Childhood is a curious, ongoing state.

Key Takeaway

Maintain curiosity beyond youth.

Themes

growth curiosity identity

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- learning
- creative work
- travel
- personal development

Key Concepts

Philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you nurture curiosity today?
- What childhood wonder can you revive?

A Different Perspective

Curiosity can wane without deliberate effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-ending-240619/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Potent Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potent-curiosity-2239792/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [State Potent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-potent-2239793/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/)

## Related quotes

> [Beginning with Santa in infancy, and ending with the Tooth Fairy as the child acquires adult teeth. Or, plainly put, beginning with all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/beginning-with-santa-in-infancy-and-ending-with-the-tooth-fairy-as/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“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/)

> [“Everything was brighter and more colorful in those years, as if my childhood was ending in an explosion of unreal passion that made my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/everything-was-brighter-and-more-colorful-in-those-years-as-if-my/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [It is my goal as governor to steady the ship of state and improve the image of Alabama, part of that entails ending unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ivey/it-is-my-goal-as-governor-to-steady-the-ship-of-state-and-improve-the/)

[Kay Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ivey/)

> [Friendship doesn't has ending...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-doesn-t-has-ending/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/)

[Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/)

> [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/)

[Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/)

> [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

> [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/)

[Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/)

> [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/)

[Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/)

> [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/)

[Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/)

> [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/)

[Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/)

## More by Rachel Cusk

> [A creative writing workshop will contain students whose ambitions and abilities, whose conceptions of literature itself, are so diverse that what they have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-creative-writing-workshop-will-contain-students-whose-ambitions-and/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [“If a man had a nasty side to his character, she wanted to get to it immediately and confront it. She didn’t want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-a-man-had-a-nasty-side-to-his-character-she-wanted-to-get-to-it/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [If I know somebody is coming 'round, it is incredibly difficult for me to work because I'm waiting for this interruption - even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-i-know-somebody-is-coming-round-it-is-incredibly-difficult-for-me/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [I felt that I could swim for miles, out into the ocean: a desire for freedom, an impulse to move, tugged at me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-felt-that-i-could-swim-for-miles-out-into-the-ocean-a-desire-for/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [The creativity of childhood was often surrendered amid feelings of unworthiness. So the idea that others are demanding to be given it back -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/the-creativity-of-childhood-was-often-surrendered-amid-feelings-of/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [A neighbor is something that belongs to the stable world of home life, the thing that lives next door to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-neighbor-is-something-that-belongs-to-the-stable-world-of-home-life/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [Help is dangerous because it exists outside the human economy: the only payment for help is gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/help-is-dangerous-because-it-exists-outside-the-human-economy-the/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [A feminist man is a bit like a vegetarian: it's the humanitarian principle he's defending, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-feminist-man-is-a-bit-like-a-vegetarian-it-s-the-humanitarian/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [Feminism remains something that needs to be explained to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/feminism-remains-something-that-needs-to-be-explained-to-people/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [“At the time, he had got rid of her so efficiently and so suavely that she had felt almost reassured even as she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/at-the-time-he-had-got-rid-of-her-so-efficiently-and-so-suavely-that/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [“From the distance of England the Italian cuisine seems to be all things to all people. It does not expect you to bend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/from-the-distance-of-england-the-italian-cuisine-seems-to-be-all/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [You could time a suburban story by your watch: it lasts as long as it takes a small furry animal that's lonely to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/you-could-time-a-suburban-story-by-your-watch-it-lasts-as-long-as-it/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [It is expected that a children's story will raise a difficulty and then resolve it: increasingly, this resolution is so prompt and so resounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/it-is-expected-that-a-children-s-story-will-raise-a-difficulty-and/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [Human beings have a need, generally, to destroy things. The Freudian principle of civilisation is correct. There's always, always a difference between the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/human-beings-have-a-need-generally-to-destroy-things-the-freudian/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [I don't think I knew that you could be a novelist. I think a lot of my students are in the same condition. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-don-t-think-i-knew-that-you-could-be-a-novelist-i-think-a-lot-of-my/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

[Explore all 128 Rachel Cusk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

## 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": "Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state full of potent curiosity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rachel Cusk"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but-rather-a-state-full-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Child"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but-rather-a-state-full-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/rachel-cusk-3482_child_childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but_2637490.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state full of potent curiosity.” — Rachel Cusk",
                "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": "Rachel Cusk",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Childhood, after all, is not an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but-rather-a-state-full-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/childhood-after-all-is-not-an-ending-but-rather-a-state-full-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
