--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bee himself did not evade the…" description: "\"The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she evaded me, and even at this day I still stand somewhat bewildered, like the boy.\" — Thomas We..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg" --- # The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she… ![“The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she evaded me, and even at this day I still stand somewhat bewildered, like the boy.” quote by Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg) > “The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she evaded me, and even at this day I still stand somewhat bewildered, like the boy.” [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels confused by a child's behavior, reflecting on how adults can be equally perplexed by youthful actions. **In simple terms:** Adults can be baffled by children's actions. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity about others' motives. Themes confusion perception growth Mood puzzled reflective Type observational contemplative When to use this quote - parenting - education - interpersonal communication - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology developmental insight Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about others’ behavior? - How can you seek clearer understanding? A Different Perspective Assumes the child’s motives are simple, ignoring deeper context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees/) [Bewildered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bewildered/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Evade Schoolboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evade-schoolboy-865853/) [Evaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evaded-865854/) [Evaded Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evaded-day-865855/) [Schoolboy Evaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schoolboy-evaded-865852/) [Somewhat Bewildered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhat-bewildered-865856/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [This day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-day/) ## Related quotes > [I could have evaded the FBI a lot longer if I had been able to control my passion for hacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-could-have-evaded-the-fbi-a-lot-longer-if-i-had-been-able-to/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [“He did not fear death exactly, but he had evaded it for so many years that it had come to seem formidable simply by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-did-not-fear-death-exactly-but-he-had-evaded-it-for-so-many-years/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Have you missed me?" he asked. "What do you think?" she evaded smoothly-but not smoothly enough, because he chuckled. "Good.How much?" "Is your ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/have-you-missed-me-he-asked-what-do-you-think-she-evaded-smoothly-but/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [Some problems are better evaded than solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/some-problems-are-better-evaded-than-solved/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [While life could be evaded, death could not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/while-life-could-be-evaded-death-could-not/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Sleep evaded him like an old friend who owed him money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-newman/sleep-evaded-him-like-an-old-friend-who-owed-him-money/) [james newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-newman/) > [“I asked my mother when we first met, but she evaded the answer like she does everything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-knoebel/i-asked-my-mother-when-we-first-met-but-she-evaded-the-answer-like/) [Candace Knoebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-knoebel/) > [I have been ever of opinion that revolutions are not to be evaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-have-been-ever-of-opinion-that-revolutions-are-not-to-be-evaded/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's like a fugue of evaded responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-like-a-fugue-of-evaded-responsibility/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [There is no more dreary or more repulsive creature than the man who has evaded his genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/there-is-no-more-dreary-or-more-repulsive-creature-than-the-man-who/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Mr. da Silva had a relevant quotation for everything that happened to him and in this way evaded real life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/mr-da-silva-had-a-relevant-quotation-for-everything-that-happened-to/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I admitted that I did not understand life. What I meant was that I am bewildered by human hearts and motivations, including my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-admitted-that-i-did-not-understand-life-what-i-meant-was-that-i-am/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I've never been lost, but I've been a mite bewildered for a few days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/i-ve-never-been-lost-but-i-ve-been-a-mite-bewildered-for-a-few-days/) [Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/) > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) ## More by Thomas Wentworth Higginson > [Genius is lonely without the surrounding presence of a people to inspire it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/genius-is-lonely-without-the-surrounding-presence-of-a-people-to/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [In ancient Boeotia brides were carried home in vehicles whose wheels were burned at the door, in token, that they would never again be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/in-ancient-boeotia-brides-were-carried-home-in-vehicles-whose-wheels/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [But days even earlier than these, in April, have a charm, — even days that seem raw and rainy, when the sky is dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/but-days-even-earlier-than-these-in-april-have-a-charm-even-days-that/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [Travelers find virtue in a seeming minority in all other countries, and forget that they have left it in a minority at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/travelers-find-virtue-in-a-seeming-minority-in-all-other-countries/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [The coarsest father gains a new impulse to labor from the moment of his baby's birth; he scarcely sees it when awake, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/the-coarsest-father-gains-a-new-impulse-to-labor-from-the-moment-of/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [Do not waste a minute - not a second - in trying to demonstrate to others the merits of your performance. If your work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/do-not-waste-a-minute-not-a-second-in-trying-to-demonstrate-to-others/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [Many persons sigh for death when it seems far off, but the inclination vanishes when the boat upsets, or the locomotive runs off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/many-persons-sigh-for-death-when-it-seems-far-off-but-the-inclination/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [The Englishman's strong point is his vigorous insularity; that of the American his power of adaptation. Each of these attitudes has its perils. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/the-englishman-s-strong-point-is-his-vigorous-insularity-that-of-the/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [In an audience of rough people a generous sentiment always brings down the house. In the tumult of war both sides applaud a heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/in-an-audience-of-rough-people-a-generous-sentiment-always-brings/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [All... religions show the same disparity between belief and practice, and each is safe till it tries to exclude the rest. Test each sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/all-religions-show-the-same-disparity-between-belief-and-practice-and-2/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [There is certainly no defence or water -proof garment against adverse fortune which is, on the whole, so effectual as an habitual sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/there-is-certainly-no-defence-or-water-proof-garment-against-adverse/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [There are no days in the whole round year more delicious than those which often come to us in the latter half of April...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/there-are-no-days-in-the-whole-round-year-more-delicious-than-those/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [As the spring comes on, and the densening outlines of the elm give daily a new design for a Grecian urn, — its hue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/as-the-spring-comes-on-and-the-densening-outlines-of-the-elm-give/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/how-many-lessons-of-faith-and-beauty-we-should-lose-if-there-were-no/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [How much that the world calls selfishness is only generosity with narrow walls,--a too exclusive solicitude to maintain a wife in luxury, or make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/how-much-that-the-world-calls-selfishness-is-only-generosity-with/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) [Explore all 36 Thomas Wentworth Higginson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) ## More Bees quotes > [Those who have not been stung will hardly fear a bee the same as those who have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/those-who-have-not-been-stung-will-hardly-fear-a-bee-the-same-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Arouse a bee and it will come at you with the force of a dragon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeda-shingen/arouse-a-bee-and-it-will-come-at-you-with-the-force-of-a-dragon/) [Takeda Shingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeda-shingen/) > [Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/pray-look-upon-the-plants-and-birds-the-ants-spiders-and-bees-and-you/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [You see, years ago I was just an ordinary bee minding my own business, smelling flowers all day, and occasionally picking up part-time work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/you-see-years-ago-i-was-just-an-ordinary-bee-minding-my-own-business/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [As the bee collecteth honey with great zest, so the fool collecteth wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/as-the-bee-collecteth-honey-with-great-zest-so-the-fool-collecteth/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [It is hard to imagine a world without bees. It would be even harder to live in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gardiner/it-is-hard-to-imagine-a-world-without-bees-it-would-be-even-harder-to/) [Barry Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gardiner/) > [When I heard that the bees were in trouble, the fact that they're disappearing and not coming back to the hive, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/when-i-heard-that-the-bees-were-in-trouble-the-fact-that-they-re/) [Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/) > [Precise, graceful, and generous, the poems in SuperLoop, seem to be born out of a deep, careful attention and a profound compassion. Sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-limon/precise-graceful-and-generous-the-poems-in-superloop-seem-to-be-born/) [Ada Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-limon/) > [The little bee returns with evening's gloom, To join her comrades in the braided hive, Where, housed beside their might honey-comb, They dream their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tennyson-turner/the-little-bee-returns-with-evening-s-gloom-to-join-her-comrades-in/) [Charles Tennyson Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tennyson-turner/) > [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [“Bees chase flowers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-l-shreve/bees-chase-flowers/) [Tracy L. Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-l-shreve/) > [My banks they are furnish'd with bees, Whose murmur invites one to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/my-banks-they-are-furnish-d-with-bees-whose-murmur-invites-one-to/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-are-certain-pursuits-which-if-not-wholly-poetic-and-true-do-at/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Bee Gees are a fly-by-night sort of group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gibb/the-bee-gees-are-a-fly-by-night-sort-of-group/) [Barry Gibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gibb/) > [“I don't like to hear cut and dried sermons. No—when I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-don-t-like-to-hear-cut-and-dried-sermons-no-when-i-hear-a-man/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 770 Bees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she evaded me, and even at this day I still stand somewhat bewildered, like the boy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Wentworth Higginson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-schoolboy-more-than-she-evaded-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bees" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-schoolboy-more-than-she-evaded-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6db/thomas-wentworth-higginson-177_bees_the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-school_1671539.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The bee himself did not evade the schoolboy more than she evaded me, and even at this day I still stand…” — Thomas Wentworth Higginson", "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": "Thomas Wentworth Higginson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The bee himself did not evade...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-schoolboy-more-than-she-evaded-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/the-bee-himself-did-not-evade-the-schoolboy-more-than-she-evaded-me/#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 } } ] } ```