“Held in the custody of childhood is a locked chest; the adolescent, by one means or another, tries to open it. The chest is opened: inside, there is nothing. So he reaches a conclusion: the treasure chest is always like this, empty. From this point on, he gives priority to this assumption of his rather than to reality. In other words, he is now a "grown-up."”

"Cigarette" ("Ta- bako") story, quoted in 三島由紀夫短編集: Seven Stories, translated by John Bester (2002), p. 110.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Held in the custody of childhood is a locked chest; the adolescent, by one means or another, tries to open it. The ches…" by Yukio Mishima?
Yukio Mishima photo
Yukio Mishima 60
Japanese author 1925–1970

Related quotes

Jerry Spinelli photo
Elizabeth Hoyt photo
Arthur Miller photo
Guy Gavriel Kay photo
Saul Bellow photo
Ben Carson photo

“Here is the treasure chest of the world - the public library, or a bookstore.”

Ben Carson (1951) 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; American neurosurgeon

Source: Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence

Suraj Sani photo

“A soldier will return as a hero either with a medal on his chest or a metal in his chest.”

Suraj Sani (1996) Nigerian writer, Spoken word artist

P. 52. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10937446-a-soldier-will-return-as-a-hero-either-with-a

Richelle Mead photo
Junot Díaz photo

Related topics