Brian Aldiss, Billion Year Spree : The History of Science Fiction (1973); and the revised edition: Trillion Year Spree : The History of Science Fiction (1986).
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When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of Hell. That is why we dread children, even if we love them. They show us the state of our decay.

— Brian Aldiss on Childhood

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of Hell. That is why we dread children, even if we love them. They show us the state of our decay." in the context of "Brian Aldiss, Billion Year Spree : The History of Science Fiction (1973); and the revised edition: Trillion Year Spree : The History of Science Fiction (1986)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Childhood" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Brian Aldiss

About Brian Aldiss

Brian Wilson Aldiss (August 18, 1925 – August 19, 2017) was an English writer of general fiction and science fiction.