--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (Precocious children rarely grow up…" description: "\"“(Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and uncles thought me quite atrocious. For using words more adult than I should”\" — W.H. Auden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg" --- # (Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and… ![“(Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and uncles thought me quite atrocious. For using words more adult than I should” quote by W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg) > ““(Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and uncles thought me quite atrocious. For using words more adult than I should”” [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on being judged for mature language as a child, suggesting that early sophistication can be misunderstood. **In simple terms:** Mature speech in youth is judged harshly. Key Takeaway Accept that growth can be misread. Themes growth misunderstanding childhood language Mood reflective melancholic Type poetic observational When to use this quote - school settings - family gatherings - creative writing Key Concepts developmental psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - How does early talent affect later confidence? - What can we do to support precocious youth? A Different Perspective Societal expectations may stifle authentic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aunts and uncles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aunts-and-uncles/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all funny, and I felt that energy, that delivery, that timing, that sarcasm. All that stuff seeped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/my-parents-grandparents-aunts-and-uncles-were-all-funny-and-i-felt/) [Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/) > [I don't write about the intimate details of my cousins and aunts and uncles, and my mother and my father because it's not right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-don-t-write-about-the-intimate-details-of-my-cousins-and-aunts-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Imagine that you wanted your children to learn the names of all their cousins, aunts and uncles. But you never actually let them meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-x-foley/imagine-that-you-wanted-your-children-to-learn-the-names-of-all-their/) Brian X. Foley > [The friends I have from childhood are definitely like family to me - extended sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/the-friends-i-have-from-childhood-are-definitely-like-family-to-me/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Mum and Dad used to do a lot of entertaining. We had quite a nice house, so everybody descended on us at Christmas -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/mum-and-dad-used-to-do-a-lot-of-entertaining-we-had-quite-a-nice/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [I have a big family. Even though it's only three kids in our family, it's always aunts and uncles and the whole thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/i-have-a-big-family-even-though-it-s-only-three-kids-in-our-family-it/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) > [I wasn't what you would envision for the son of an Army man. I liked doll baby clothes and twirled a baton. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jordan/i-wasn-t-what-you-would-envision-for-the-son-of-an-army-man-i-liked/) [Leslie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jordan/) > [Education in my family was not merely emphasized, it was our raison d'être. Virtually all of our aunts and uncles had Ph.D.s in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/education-in-my-family-was-not-merely-emphasized-it-was-our-raison-d/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [But in the east the sky was pale and through the gray woods came lanterns with wagons and horses, bringing Grandpa and Grandma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/but-in-the-east-the-sky-was-pale-and-through-the-gray-woods-came/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [I've had aunts and uncles who not only haven't read my books but could hardly believe that I was a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-ve-had-aunts-and-uncles-who-not-only-haven-t-read-my-books-but/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [Across the board, from my mother to my father to my aunts and uncles, everybody has always given me a lot of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-lee/across-the-board-from-my-mother-to-my-father-to-my-aunts-and-uncles/) [Amos Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-lee/) > [I was possessed with a wonderful example of my Italian American family. They would come over and join us every Sunday, all my aunts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bennett/i-was-possessed-with-a-wonderful-example-of-my-italian-american/) [Tony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bennett/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Our house was always full of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-clay/our-house-was-always-full-of-grandparents-and-aunts-and-uncles-and/) [Bryan Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-clay/) > [My mum was incredibly resourceful and there were loads of aunts and uncles around who helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-blades/my-mum-was-incredibly-resourceful-and-there-were-loads-of-aunts-and/) [Jay Blades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-blades/) ## More by W.H. Auden > [“Part came from Lane, and part from D.H. Lawrence; Gide, though I didn't know it then, gave part. They taught me to express my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/part-came-from-lane-and-part-from-d-h-lawrence-gide-though-i-didn-t/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“As his wife, Emilia must know Iago better than anybody else. She does not know, any more than the others, that he is malevolent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/as-his-wife-emilia-must-know-iago-better-than-anybody-else-she-does/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“A child's reading is guided by pleasure, but his pleasure is undifferentiated; he cannot distinguish, for example, between aesthetic pleasure and the pleasures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/a-child-s-reading-is-guided-by-pleasure-but-his-pleasure-is/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“No poet or novelist wishes he was the only one who ever lived, but most of them wish they were the only one alive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/no-poet-or-novelist-wishes-he-was-the-only-one-who-ever-lived-but/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Human "nature" is a nature continually in quest of itself, obliged at every moment to transcend what it was a moment before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/human-nature-is-a-nature-continually-in-quest-of-itself-obliged-at/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Cassio is a ladies’ man, that is to say, a man who feels most at home in feminine company where his looks and good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/cassio-is-a-ladies-man-that-is-to-say-a-man-who-feels-most-at-home-in/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Lay your sleeping head, my love, Human on my faithless arm; Time and fevers burn away Individual beauty from Thoughtful children, and the grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/lay-your-sleeping-head-my-love-human-on-my-faithless-arm-time-and/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“In any first-class work of art, you can find passages that in themselves are extremely boring, but try to cut them out, as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/in-any-first-class-work-of-art-you-can-find-passages-that-in/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Healing is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/healing-is-not-a-science-but-the-intuitive-art-of-wooing-nature/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“For a desert island, one would choose a good dictionary rather than the greatest literary masterpiece imaginable, for, in relation to its readers, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/for-a-desert-island-one-would-choose-a-good-dictionary-rather-than/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Sorry, my dear, one mustn't be bohemian!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/sorry-my-dear-one-mustn-t-be-bohemian/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Our hunting fathers told the story Of the sadness of the creatures, Pitied the limits and the lack Set in their finished features; Saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/our-hunting-fathers-told-the-story-of-the-sadness-of-the-creatures/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“After Portia has trapped Shylock through his own insistence upon the letter of the law of Contract, she produces another law by which any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/after-portia-has-trapped-shylock-through-his-own-insistence-upon-the/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Iago’s treatment of Othello conforms to Bacon’s definition of scientific enquiry as putting Nature to the Question. If a member of the audience were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/iago-s-treatment-of-othello-conforms-to-bacon-s-definition-of/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“But round your image there is no fog, and the Earth can still astonish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/but-round-your-image-there-is-no-fog-and-the-earth-can-still-astonish/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) [Explore all 89 W.H. Auden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) ## More Aunts and uncles quotes > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love San Francisco so much. I call it the Emerald City and have been coming here since 1992. I have a few old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/i-love-san-francisco-so-much-i-call-it-the-emerald-city-and-have-been/) [Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/) > [I was born in love with music. My mother is a singer. Many of my aunts and uncles on my mother's side are musical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-was-born-in-love-with-music-my-mother-is-a-singer-many-of-my-aunts/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all funny, and I felt that energy, that delivery, that timing, that sarcasm. All that stuff seeped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/my-parents-grandparents-aunts-and-uncles-were-all-funny-and-i-felt/) [Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/) > [Our house was always full of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-clay/our-house-was-always-full-of-grandparents-and-aunts-and-uncles-and/) [Bryan Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-clay/) > [When I was growing up, Asians weren't known for dancing. I knew all my older aunts and uncles did, like, ballroom dancing and stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/when-i-was-growing-up-asians-weren-t-known-for-dancing-i-knew-all-my/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I feel like the most human among us are the weirdest among us. Those voices can be the most creative and the most special.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-feel-like-the-most-human-among-us-are-the-weirdest-among-us-those/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [Why were you lurking under our window?" "Yes - yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our windows, boy?" "Listening to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-were-you-lurking-under-our-window-yes-yes-good-point-petunia-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was possessed with a wonderful example of my Italian American family. They would come over and join us every Sunday, all my aunts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bennett/i-was-possessed-with-a-wonderful-example-of-my-italian-american/) [Tony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bennett/) > [“There is a saying that "paper is more patient than man";it came back to me on one of my slightly melancholy days,while I sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/there-is-a-saying-that-paper-is-more-patient-than-man-it-came-back-to/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [I come from an enormous and very close family. I have over a dozen aunts and uncles in Pakistan, dozens of cousins. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-come-from-an-enormous-and-very-close-family-i-have-over-a-dozen/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [1 - 2 A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/1-2-a-long-time-ago-when-all-the-grandfathers-and-grandmothers-of/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [Across the board, from my mother to my father to my aunts and uncles, everybody has always given me a lot of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-lee/across-the-board-from-my-mother-to-my-father-to-my-aunts-and-uncles/) [Amos Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-lee/) > [I'd sort of dabbled in Black Magic, not practicing it, but I was interested in it. All these horrible things kept happening to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geezer-butler/i-d-sort-of-dabbled-in-black-magic-not-practicing-it-but-i-was/) [Geezer Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geezer-butler/) [Browse all 78 Aunts and uncles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aunts-and-uncles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“(Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and uncles thought me quite atrocious. For using words more adult than I should”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W.H. Auden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good-my-aunts-and-uncles-thought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aunts and uncles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good-my-aunts-and-uncles-thought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/w-h-auden-2-7412_aunts-and-uncles_precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good_1792035.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(Precocious children rarely grow up good). My aunts and uncles thought me quite atrocious. For using words…” — W.H. Auden", "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": "W.H. Auden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“(Precocious children rarely grow up good)....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good-my-aunts-and-uncles-thought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/precocious-children-rarely-grow-up-good-my-aunts-and-uncles-thought/#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 } } ] } ```