I can remember the first time I had to go to sleep. Mom said, 'Steven, time to go to sleep.' I said, 'But I don't know how.' She said, 'It's real easy. Just go down to the end of tired and hang a right.' So I went down to the end of tired, and just out of curiosity I hung a left. My mother was there, and she said 'I thought I told you to go to sleep.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Childhood confusion about abstract concepts like sleep leads to literal interpretations.
- In plain terms
- I once took my mom's directions to get sleepy too literally.
- What can you take from it?
- Children often interpret metaphors as literal instructions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What words did you once misunderstand as a child?
- How does literal thinking affect communication?
Another view
Not all children interpret metaphors this literally.
More from Steven Wright
I can levitate birds. No one cares.
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