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Butterfly Quote by Woodrow Wilson

“They [the children] live in a world of delightful imagination; they pursue persons and objects that never existed; they make an Argosy laden with gold out of a floating butterfly,--and these stupid [grown-up people] try to translate these things into uninteresting facts.” quote by Woodrow Wilson
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“They [the children] live in a world of delightful imagination; they pursue persons and objects that never existed; they make an Argosy laden with gold out of a floating butterfly,--and these stupid [grown-up people] try to translate these things into uninteresting facts.”

Woodrow Wilson

About This Quote

Source Speech: Democratic National Convention, 1912

Children’s vivid imaginations create fantastical worlds, yet adults often force them into mundane reality.

In simple terms: Kids imagine; adults constrain.

Key Takeaway

Encourage adult imagination and resist stifling facts.

Themes

imagination education creativity conformity

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

  • classroom teaching
  • parenting
  • media creation
  • policy making

Key Concepts

developmental psychology pedagogy cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can imagination be integrated into learning?
  • What value do “uninteresting facts” hold?
A Different Perspective

Adults may lack the tools to translate imagination constructively.

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