--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And when you realize that their…" description: "\"“And when you realize that their activities are shabby, that their vocations are petrified and no longer connected with life, why not then continue to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/rainer-maria-rilke-193_children_and-when-you-realize-that-their-activiti_2976438.jpg" --- # And when you realize that their activities are shabby… ![“And when you realize that their activities are shabby, that their vocations are petrified and no longer connected with life, why not then continue to look upon it all as a child would, as if you were looking at something unfamiliar, out of the depths of your own solitude, which is itself work and…” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/rainer-maria-rilke-193_children_and-when-you-realize-that-their-activiti_2976438.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/rainer-maria-rilke-193_children_and-when-you-realize-that-their-activiti_2976438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/rainer-maria-rilke-193_children_and-when-you-realize-that-their-activiti_2976438.jpg) > ““And when you realize that their activities are shabby, that their vocations are petrified and no longer connected with life, why not then continue to look upon it all as a child would, as if you were looking at something unfamiliar, out of the depths of your own solitude, which is itself work and status and vocation? Why should you want to give up a child’s wise not-understanding in exchange for a defensiveness and scorn, since not-understanding is, after all, a way of being alone, whereas defensiveness and scorn are participation in precisely what, by these means, you want to separate yourself from.”” [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage urges embracing naïve wonder and solitude rather than defensive pride, seeing child‑like perception as a path to authentic existence. **In simple terms:** Value childlike wonder over defensive pride. Key Takeaway Choose openness and solitude. Themes authenticity solitude wonder defensiveness pride Mood contemplative melancholic inspirational Type philosophical literary reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative work - spiritual practice - teaching - counseling Key Concepts existentialism psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance childlike openness with adult responsibility? - When does defensiveness protect you? A Different Perspective Childlike perception can be immature or impractical in complex adult life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Defensiveness Scorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defensiveness-scorn-1772099/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Scorn Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scorn-understanding-1772098/) [Separate Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separate-yourself/) [Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation/) [Vocations Petrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocations-petrified-4608666/) [Wise Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-understanding-1772100/) ## Related quotes > [Why should you want to give up a child's wise not-understanding in exchange for defensiveness and scorn, since not-understanding is, after all, a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/why-should-you-want-to-give-up-a-child-s-wise-not-understanding-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Mistakes are the stepping stones to wisdom, we learn from trial & error, we become wise by understanding problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-brown/mistakes-are-the-stepping-stones-to-wisdom-we-learn-from-trial-error/) [Leon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-brown/) > [To be great at whatever it is that you do, it's going to take some discipline to separate yourself from the average.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/to-be-great-at-whatever-it-is-that-you-do-it-s-going-to-take-some/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [“Separate yourself from those who hinder your vision. 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