Maurice Sendak, the artist and writer behind the Where the Wild Things Are, died today at the age of 83. In his memory, we’re taking a look back at his some of his most insightful quotes from books, interviews, and media appearances:
On the Wisdom of Children:
“I don’t believe in children. I don’t believe in childhood. I don’t believe that there’s a demarcation. ‘Oh you mustn’t tell them that. You mustn’t tell them that.’ You tell them anything you want. Just tell them if it’s true. If it’s true you tell them.”
“Children are tough, though we tend to think of them as fragile. They have to be tough. Childhood is not easy. We sentimentalize children, but they know what’s real and what’s not. They understand metaphor and symbol. If children are different from us, they are more spontaneous. Grown-up lives have become overlaid with dross.”
“And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming wild things.” (after receiving the Caldecott Medal in 1964)
On Aging:
“It is a blessing to get old. It is a blessing to find the time to do the things, to read the books, to listen to the music. … I have nothing now but praise for my life.”
“There are so many beautiful things in the world which I will have to leave when I die, but I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready.”
On the Nature of Life:
“You can’t get rid of evil. We can’t, and I feel that so intensely. All the idiots that keep coming into the world and wrecking people’s lives. And it is such an abundance of idiocy that you lose courage, okay? That you lose hope — I don’t want to lose hope.”
“There must be more to life than having everything.”
“I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can’t stop them. They leave me and I love them more.”
“Live your Life. Live your Life. Live your Life.”
And of course:
“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!”
Do you have any other favorite quotes from Sendak?
