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Childhood Quote by Virginia Woolf

“They were happier now than they would ever be again. A tenpenny tea set made Cam happy for days. She heard them stamping and crowing on the floor above her head the moment they woke. They came bustling along the passage. Then the door sprang open and in they came, fresh as roses, staring, wide…” quote by Virginia Woolf
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““They were happier now than they would ever be again. A tenpenny tea set made Cam happy for days. She heard them stamping and crowing on the floor above her head the moment they woke. They came bustling along the passage. Then the door sprang open and in they came, fresh as roses, staring, wide awake, as if this coming into the dining-room after was a positive event to them, and so on, with one thing after another, all day long, until she went up to say good-night to them, and found them netted in their cots like birds among cherries and raspberries, still making up stories about some little bit of rubbish-–something they heard, something they had picked up in the garden. They had all their little treasures. . . And so she went down and said to her husband, Why must they grow up and lose it all? Never will they be so happy again. And he was angry. Why take such a gloomy view of life? he said. It is not sensible. For it was odd; and he believed it to be true; that with all his gloom and desperation he was happier, more hopeful on the whole, than she was. Less exposed to human worries––perhaps that was it. He had always his work to fall back on.””

Virginia Woolf

About This Quote

Source Novel: Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf, 1925

The passage reflects on fleeting childhood joy versus adult gloom, contrasting simple pleasures with complex responsibilities.

In simple terms: Childhood joy fades as adult worries grow.

Key Takeaway

Cherish simple moments before they pass.

Themes

nostalgia joy responsibility illusion growth

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • parenting
  • marriage
  • creative work
  • family life

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology memory

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you balance adult duties with preserving wonder?
  • What simple pleasures can you reclaim today?
A Different Perspective

Adult responsibilities can dim the wonder of simple joys.

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