“I've had kids express themselves as they are, impolitely, lovingly — they don't mean any harm. They just don't know what the right way is.
And as it turns out sometimes the so-called "right way" is utterly the wrong way.”
NOW interview (2004)
Context: We're animals. We're violent. We're criminal. We're not so far away from the gorillas and the apes, those beautiful creatures. … And then, we're supposed to be civilized. We're supposed to go to work every day. We're supposed to be nice to our friends and send Christmas cards to our parents.
We're supposed to do all these things which trouble us deeply because it's so against what we naturally would want to do. And if I've done anything, I've had kids express themselves as they are, impolitely, lovingly — they don't mean any harm. They just don't know what the right way is.
And as it turns out sometimes the so-called "right way" is utterly the wrong way. What a monstrous confusion.
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Maurice Sendak 53
American illustrator and writer of children's books 1928–2012Related quotes
In Search of the Miraculous (1949), Ch. 10. p. 203
http://www.urb.com/features/1204/FiveMinuteswithDJAM.php Five Minutes with DJ AM
August 2008
“It is impossible to recognize a wrong way without knowing the right way.”
In Search of the Miraculous (1949), Ch. 10. p. 203
Context: It is impossible to recognize a wrong way without knowing the right way. This means that it is no use troubling oneself how to recognize a wrong way. One must think of how to find the right way.
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
In response to the question, "What is your favourite curse word?" from Inside the Actors Studio (2007) http://uk.youtube.com/user/pfeifferpfan2
Context: That would have to be the F-word. Do you want me to say it? It's so descriptive, it can be used in so many ways — it can be used lovingly, it can be used in the most hateful — it's just very versatile... and you know, it's just, sometimes no other word will do.
Source: David Brancaccio (2013) " Nobel Prize in Economics winner Lars Peter Hansen on imperfect models http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/nobel-prize-economics-winner-lars-peter-hansen-imperfect-models" at marketplace.org.