--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If he could only prevent himself growing…" description: "\"“If he could only prevent himself growing up! He did not want to be a man.”\" — Thomas Hardy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/thomas-hardy-410_childhood_if-he-could-only-prevent-himself-growing_1180965.jpg" --- # If he could only prevent himself growing up! He did not… ![“If he could only prevent himself growing up! He did not want to be a man.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/thomas-hardy-410_childhood_if-he-could-only-prevent-himself-growing_1180965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/thomas-hardy-410_childhood_if-he-could-only-prevent-himself-growing_1180965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/thomas-hardy-410_childhood_if-he-could-only-prevent-himself-growing_1180965.jpg) > ““If he could only prevent himself growing up! He did not want to be a man.”” [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of adulthood can lead to a desire to stay youthful and avoid responsibility. **In simple terms:** Growing up feels scary, so we wish to stay young. Key Takeaway Accept growth while honoring youthful spirit. Themes cominghood responsibility fear identity Mood thoughtful melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career decisions - parenting - personal development Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does adulthood mean to you? - How can you balance youthfulness and responsibility? A Different Perspective Avoiding maturity may stunt personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Forever young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever-young/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) ## Related quotes > [If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/if-you-were-born-without-wings-do-nothing-to-prevent-them-from-growing/) [Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/) > [Growing up, I did not have many friends with parents who were together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-scott/growing-up-i-did-not-have-many-friends-with-parents-who-were-together/) [Adam Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-scott/) > [So if you find out how you prevent yourself from growing, from using your potential, you have away of increasing this, making life richer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-salomon-perls/so-if-you-find-out-how-you-prevent-yourself-from-growing-from-using/) [Frederick Salomon Perls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-salomon-perls/) > [Quitting because you don't want to be uncomfortable will prevent you from growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-morin/quitting-because-you-don-t-want-to-be-uncomfortable-will-prevent-you/) [Amy Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-morin/) > [“They seemed, like himself, to be living in a world which did not want them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/they-seemed-like-himself-to-be-living-in-a-world-which-did-not-want/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [The old G's that beat the game. Forever young, Peter Pan 35, still playin'. child support, still payin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/the-old-g-s-that-beat-the-game-forever-young-peter-pan-35-still/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) > [Youthfulness is not determined by age. It is determined by one's life force. One who possesses hope is forever young. One who continually advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/youthfulness-is-not-determined-by-age-it-is-determined-by-one-s-life/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Books get older as well; their body also wears out, but unlike us, their brain remains forever young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/books-get-older-as-well-their-body-also-wears-out-but-unlike-us-their/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I wanna be forever young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphaville/i-wanna-be-forever-young/) Alphaville > [All these girls swooning over hunky vampires, what they really want is to give away their freedom, to be controlled and told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/all-these-girls-swooning-over-hunky-vampires-what-they-really-want-is/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I bet your 'Forever Young' tattoo is going to look so cute when you're 90.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-your-forever-young-tattoo-is-going-to-look-so-cute-when-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A woman / who loves a woman / is forever young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/a-woman-who-loves-a-woman-is-forever-young/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“as long as our dreams outweigh our memories, America will be forever young”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-g-chang/as-long-as-our-dreams-outweigh-our-memories-america-will-be-forever/) [Gordon G. Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-g-chang/) > [Let's be forever young together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-be-forever-young-together/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wanna be your Peterpan who will be forever young in love with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanna-be-your-peterpan-who-will-be-forever-young-in-love-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Thomas Hardy > [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“She was in a sound sleep, Jude, dying of anxiety lest she should have caught a chill which might permanently injure her, was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-was-in-a-sound-sleep-jude-dying-of-anxiety-lest-she-should-have/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-could-sometimes-see-her-twelfth-year-in-her-cheeks-or-her-ninth/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It was mid-May time, bringing with it weather not, perhaps, quite so blooming as that assumed to be natural to the month by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-was-mid-may-time-bringing-with-it-weather-not-perhaps-quite-so/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Measurement of life should be proportioned rather to the intensity of the experience than to its actual length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/measurement-of-life-should-be-proportioned-rather-to-the-intensity-of/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-was-court-martialed-in-my-absence-and-sentenced-to-death-in-my/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It being the first time in his life that he had touched female fingers under water, Dick duly registered the sensation as rather a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-being-the-first-time-in-his-life-that-he-had-touched-female/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More Childhood quotes > [“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/) > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/) [Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/) > [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) [Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If he could only prevent himself growing up! 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