--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few boys have been as fortunate as I…" description: "\"“Few boys have been as fortunate as I, raised into manhood with only the gentlest of words and blandishments in my ears and the kindest of caresses upo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/ruth-ozeki-2896_independent-thinking_few-boys-have-been-as-fortunate-as-i-rai_661033.jpg" --- # Few boys have been as fortunate as I, raised into manhood… ![“Few boys have been as fortunate as I, raised into manhood with only the gentlest of words and blandishments in my ears and the kindest of caresses upon my person, by a mother who sheltered us from everything that is harsh and ugly in this world. I was spoiled, utterly unprepared for cruelty, and…” quote by Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/ruth-ozeki-2896_independent-thinking_few-boys-have-been-as-fortunate-as-i-rai_661033.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/ruth-ozeki-2896_independent-thinking_few-boys-have-been-as-fortunate-as-i-rai_661033.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/ruth-ozeki-2896_independent-thinking_few-boys-have-been-as-fortunate-as-i-rai_661033.jpg) > ““Few boys have been as fortunate as I, raised into manhood with only the gentlest of words and blandishments in my ears and the kindest of caresses upon my person, by a mother who sheltered us from everything that is harsh and ugly in this world. I was spoiled, utterly unprepared for cruelty, and perhaps this sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not! You mustn't think I blame you. I'm afraid I must sound like the most ungrateful son in the world, when in fact the opposite is true. I am more grateful now than ever for the way you raised us, teaching us the value of kindness, of education, of independent thinking and liberal ideals, in the face of the fascism that is sweeping our country. The cruelest punishments now fail to bring even a tear to my eye, but the thought of the hardship you've suffered on behalf of your ideals makes me weep like a baby.”” [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gratitude for a nurturing upbringing emerges despite harsh external forces, emphasizing kindness, education, and independent thought as resistance. **In simple terms:** Kind upbringing fosters resilience against oppression. Key Takeaway Value kindness, education, and critical thinking. Themes gratitude kindness education resistance family Mood reflective determined Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - authoritarian regimes - personal trauma - social activism - parental guidance - cultural preservation Key Concepts liberalism fascism personal growth social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does gratitude shape resistance? - What role does education play in confronting fascism? A Different Perspective Even with gratitude, external oppression can still cause suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Independent thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-thinking/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“Everybody goes where everybody goes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vato/everybody-goes-where-everybody-goes/) [Thomas Vato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vato/) > [“I find it difficult to converse with robots…Don't be afraid to be an independent thinker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/just-jewel/i-find-it-difficult-to-converse-with-robots-don-t-be-afraid-to-be-an/) Just Jewel > [“Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-people-do-not-have-a-problem-with-you-thinking-for-yourself-as/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“When we step outside ourselves and stop being merely subjective witnesses, we can recognize how the relentless cut and thrust of our own self-righteousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-step-outside-ourselves-and-stop-being-merely-subjective/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The essence of science is independent thinking, hard work, and not equipment. 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When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flags-are-bits-of-colored-cloth-that-governments-use-first-to-shrink/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“I do not know by what extraordinary mental accident modern writers so constantly connect the idea of progress with the idea of independent thinking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-do-not-know-by-what-extraordinary-mental-accident-modern-writers-so/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagat-singh/merciless-criticism-and-independent-thinking-are-the-two-necessary/) [Bhagat Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagat-singh/) > [“Autonomous people assert themselves against the status quo. They don't accept the prevailing opinion just because it's the one given to them. Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) Maria Brito > [“Most people say that Shakespeare rocked merely because most people say that Shakespeare rocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-people-say-that-shakespeare-rocked-merely-because-most-people/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Ruth Ozeki > [“Time plays tricks on mothers. It teases you with breaks and brief caesuras, only to skip wildly forward, bringing breathtaking changes to your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/time-plays-tricks-on-mothers-it-teases-you-with-breaks-and-brief/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Everything seemed to grow blacker as I sat there, except for the fireflies whose tiny pulsing lights drew arcs through the dark summer air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/everything-seemed-to-grow-blacker-as-i-sat-there-except-for-the/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [That's what it feels like when I write, like I have this beautiful world in my head, but when I try to remember it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/that-s-what-it-feels-like-when-i-write-like-i-have-this-beautiful/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen,” he said, without looking up. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/premonitions-are-coincidences-waiting-to-happen-he-said-without/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“As someone who has to teach for a living, I shouldn't be saying this, but the planet can do quite well without books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/as-someone-who-has-to-teach-for-a-living-i-shouldn-t-be-saying-this/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/life-is-fleeting-don-t-waste-a-single-moment-of-your-precious-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/do-not-think-that-time-simply-flies-away-do-not-understand-flying-as/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZAZEN First of all, you have to sit down, which you’re probably already doing. The traditional way is to sit on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/instructions-for-zazen-first-of-all-you-have-to-sit-down-which-you-re/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“this feeling of alive is not so easy to experience. Even although life is a thing that seems to have some kind of weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/this-feeling-of-alive-is-not-so-easy-to-experience-even-although-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Writing is solitary. You spend so much time alone and in your own mind, telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/writing-is-solitary-you-spend-so-much-time-alone-and-in-your-own-mind/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [It was really a means-of-production problem. It costs so much to make films. 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Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) Maria Brito > [Merciless criticism and independent thinking are the two necessary traits of revolutionary thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagat-singh/merciless-criticism-and-independent-thinking-are-the-two-necessary/) [Bhagat Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagat-singh/) > [“I do not know by what extraordinary mental accident modern writers so constantly connect the idea of progress with the idea of independent thinking.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-do-not-know-by-what-extraordinary-mental-accident-modern-writers-so/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people’s brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead. 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It was all brainwashing bullshit. Their trio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoltan-istvan/from-our-first-day-alive-on-this-planet-they-began-teaching-society/) [Zoltan Istvan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoltan-istvan/) > [In Hinduism, conscience, reason and independent thinking have no scope for development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/in-hinduism-conscience-reason-and-independent-thinking-have-no-scope/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [Everyone goes to the same exhibitions and the same parties, stays in the same handful of hotels, eats at the same no-star restaurants, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/everyone-goes-to-the-same-exhibitions-and-the-same-parties-stays-in/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [The essence of science is independent thinking, hard work, and not equipment. When I got my Nobel Prize, I had spent hardly 200 rupees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/the-essence-of-science-is-independent-thinking-hard-work-and-not/) [C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/) > [“When we step outside ourselves and stop being merely subjective witnesses, we can recognize how the relentless cut and thrust of our own self-righteousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-step-outside-ourselves-and-stop-being-merely-subjective/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“Most people do not have a problem with you thinking for yourself, as long as your conclusions are the same as or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-people-do-not-have-a-problem-with-you-thinking-for-yourself-as/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“I find it difficult to converse with robots…Don't be afraid to be an independent thinker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/just-jewel/i-find-it-difficult-to-converse-with-robots-don-t-be-afraid-to-be-an/) Just Jewel > [“Most people say that Shakespeare rocked merely because most people say that Shakespeare rocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-people-say-that-shakespeare-rocked-merely-because-most-people/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 74 Independent thinking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-thinking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Few boys have been as fortunate as I, raised into manhood with only the gentlest of words and blandishments in my ears and the kindest of caresses upon my person, by a mother who sheltered us from everything that is harsh and ugly in this world. I was spoiled, utterly unprepared for cruelty, and perhaps this sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not! You mustn't think I blame you. I'm afraid I must sound like the most ungrateful son in the world, when in fact the opposite is true. I am more grateful now than ever for the way you raised us, teaching us the value of kindness, of education, of independent thinking and liberal ideals, in the face of the fascism that is sweeping our country. 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