William Golding Quotes

These are the influences that everybody has. Some individuals might stand out because of one thing or another, but whether one's perception as a child of what was important or not is accurate, I don't know.

I had a messy signature as a child, and my grandmother said this suggested I had no regard for other people. She was right.

I'm the youngest of six. When you're in a big family, you get put to the test right away. Do I like being the center of attention? Or do I not like it? You have to make that decision a lot growing up. I knew from a very young age that I liked it.

As an adult, I can't blame my parents any more.

One of the problems of our youth is that the family unit is broken up. When we'd sit down to dinner together as a family, we'd learn about each other. We had something people don't get today.

I was so determined not to pass on to my children what I perceived to be the faults of my upbringing.

My first conscious thought of 'I should be like that and not like this' was probably at about six, and I was playing with... I have a twin brother, and we were playing with our twin cousins, who are a boy and a girl.

Little girls are cute and small only to adults. To one another they are not cute. They are life-sized.

'Thirteen' was really hard on my family. I wrote this movie about them and their flaws and imperfections and what it was like growing up. It was from one kid's perspective and not a well rounded one. You get older, and it's like, 'How dare I portray my father as being a totally vacant, careless schmuck?'

While 'Friends' was about a 20-something population and what they were going through, they were also dealing with issues with their family.

I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been suburban experiences.

When I'm around the kids I feel like I act the most grown-up just because you're supposed to. And I say things, like every other day, that remind me of my own parents.

I didn't lead a very wise life, myself, but it was a full one and a grown-up one. You come of age very quickly through shipwreck and disaster.

One of the most startling events in my life was when my older son was about 16, and he blamed me for all the troubles of the world. So I, I felt like telling him, 'Oh no, I was just like you when I was your age; I wanted to change the world, too.'

There is a probably natural and learned reticence with myself talking about my early life.

'East of Eden' is an important story for me. It's about a kid that's misunderstood and feels like he's not loved by his father. It's a very father-son kind of story, and it's not until the end that they sort of make up. I like that because every boy has trouble with his father, so it's very relatable.

The problem for me was, I lived my childhood in my 20s. You should really try to live your childhood when you're a child, because if you do it when you're 26, it can be dangerous.

I was indeed very slow as a youngster.

It's a very hard thing for all of us to accept ourselves at all the different stages - the horrible side, the wonderful side, the adorable side - and who you are as a grownup. And then to bring what you learned as a child to that grownup: that is the magic of creativity.

I've grown up on TV, and there were some phases that weren't pretty.

I think the shyness one feels in childhood is often overcome with time. There are children who hide behind their parents' legs, but you don't see grown-ups hiding behind people. It just doesn't happen. I mean, not that often. People develop social skills over time.

I didn't like children. I didn't think of myself as a child. I didn't like any of the things other children were interested in.

Too bad, whenever adults tell kids to enjoy their childhoods, kids are like, 'You don't understand anything,' and everyone is right.

I'm realizing that my childhood is not my daughter's, that I can't heal myself by any actions I take with her - and that it's definitely time for me to go back to my own childhood... with my therapist.

I think it's important to figure out you and to have fun and to be dating and to figure out what you like and what you don't like. It's what growing up is all about.