...even nursery tales only echo an almost pre-natal leap of interest and amazement. These tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water. G.k. Chesterton
About This Quote

The idea of the nursery tale is that we start life as perfect and fully developed human beings. The moment we become conscious we realize we are not quite ready for the big world and we need to go back and grow up. However, before we learn that, we believe these stories about people who were full grown and totally developed before they began their journey of life. These tales teach us that, before we ever start to develop, we already know everything there is to know.

Even if they contain a few elements of truth such as the notion that apples were once golden and rivers run with wine, most of these tales are made up. They do not reflect the truth of our lives at all. They are simply to help get us through the day.

Source: Orthodoxy

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