Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Great Book Quote

What does the following quote mean to you?

“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” — Philip Pullman

120 comments:

AVgleek17 said...

I believe this quote is trying to say that as humans, we forget things in life that aren't important to us. When Pullman said,"thou shall not is soon forgotten, but once upon a time lasts forever" he is trying to say that we will forget our mistakes that have happened in the past, but we will never forget the happy moments we have had. Remembering the joyful moment is much better than remembering the time you screwed up, so I believe the author is trying to say that we try to forget the dreadful things in life, but we try to cherish the little pleasures we get every once in a while.

Sweet said...

This quote means to mean that if we had boring old lists to tell us dos and don'ts then no one would follow them, but if we had fairy tales and stories describe what to do then more people would follow them.


“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” — Philip Pullman

G-MAN said...

What the quote is saying is that instead of writing rules people should write stories containing lessons because people forget or disobey rules. The quote says "We don't need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. This first part says that we don't need rules we need people to read and write books. The second sentence, "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.", says that we forget rules but the remeber fairy tales. The part of fairy tales that would subsitute rules would be their life lessons or morals. Therefore, I believe the quote means that we need more stories inherent with morals rather than rules because we forget rules but not the life lessons given to us by books.

Kevin O said...

I think that this quote is saying that humans don't remember boring things in life. when Philip Pullman said "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever" he meant that anything that is boring and nothing exciting you will forget. Anything that is exciting and fun you will not forget for a long time. That is what I think this quote means.

AVgleek17 said...

@Kevin O,
I agree with you! You talked about how you will forget things that are boring in your life, but the exciting moments in life, you value. Like you, I mentioned that as humans, it is our natural "instincts" (if you want to call them that) to remember the good and cheerful things in life. You and I also think that the good memories of our life will stick with us for a while. Because of this, I agree with you.

Sir Awesome said...

I think that this quote is trying to tell people that people don't remember the boring things in life but they do remember the things that they take an interest in. When you read, "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever" it reminds says this, you just have to read between the lines. It's sort of like how time flies when you're having fun and you remember every minute of it but when you're bored, it just goes on and on and on and you just can't seem to remember any of it. That is why I think that this quote says that people don't remember the boring things in life but they do remember the things that they take an interest in.

Anonymous said...

What this quote means to me is that everything we need to learn, are books to read and NOT in a list of rules. It says that,"We don't need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence." Which I think says that we don't learn from "a list of rights and wrongs" but from "books, time and silence."

AnnaDance2485 said...

To me, this quote means, that we need to remember the good times in life rather than the bad ones because we can tell stories about them. The quote says, "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." When time flies and you're having fun, you remember what you did, rather than being bored and not caring what's going on.

AnnaDance2485 said...

@Sir Awesome,
I agree with you. I liked your way of expressing what you thought. Holding on to the good memories is much better than the bad ones.

Sir Awesome said...

@G-MAN
I agree with you that instead of writing rules people should write stories containing lessons because people forget or disobey rules. I think it is absolutely easier to remember a lesson than a list of rules. A book with a lesson keeps you more engaged than a list of do's and don'ts. People just don't want to be bored when they can have fun reading a story. That is why I agree with G-MAN.

edemace said...

I also think that this means to remeber the the good times in life. I also think it means do what you want to do. Not go by a list to do and what not to do. I think this means be free.

edemace said...

@Annadance2485
I agree with you because it's right and its bad to the let the time fly and not do anything. It means to have good times in life and while the time flies by atleast you know you did something good/right/fun

Nosferatu said...

@Sir Awesome
I agree with you. This quote is saying that you should forget the boring things in life and just remember the exciting things. For example I always remember my birthday a couple of years ago. My uncle and my dad played a prank on me and my friends. He faked to scare my dad and we all ran up the stairs screaming. My Uncle came in through the front door and was crying he was laughing so hard. This is what I think that this is what the quote is about.

Jess M said...

This quote to me means that you can be told what you can and can't do many times but it wont mean anything until you realize yourself that something is right or wrong. For example most all classrooms have a set of rules, most of which don't go unbroken. But until someone sees how breaking the rule will cause harm to someone or something else they won't see the importance in the rules. So I think that until people see themselves the right and wrong thing to do right and wrong wont mean anything.

Anonymous said...

@Sir Awesome
I agree with you because you do mostly remember things if you have a lot of fun, but not when you're really bored. I was thinking the exact same thing when I FIRST read the quote.

DR. Bubblesquash said...

I think this quote means that we will eventually forget all the things we learned trough life if we were disciplined into doing it, or were under high stress (memorization, etc.) but when we learn things the way we wwant to, then it stays in our minds longer.

Emma B said...

I think this means we all make chooses some good some bad but over time they are forgotten because there could have been good or bad things that a happened years ago so why focus on that when there are things to thing about now.This show's never get caught up in to many thing at once.

Emma B said...

"Remember the good times in life rather than the bad one". I agree with her because there are so many thing positive to focus on why focus on the negative. This prove that you focus on the fun things and not the bad .

Isabelle G. said...

I think this quote means that you can't figure out life by using a set of rules. I meaningful line is,"we need books, time, and silence," this means that to figure out life you need to read books to find morals becuase once upon a time is memorable. The quote also says that we need time. TIme is essential to make mistakes and gain from them and have life experience and wisdom. Finally you have to have silence. You need the silence becuase silence gives you time to think and reflect. After I make a mistake I reflect back and think how I can avoid it next times. This is what I think the quote was trying to say.

Isabelle said...

@AnnaDance2485
I have to disagree with you. I don't think that the quote means you remember things more when you are having fun. This quote is more about learning life lessons. When I am hanging out with my friends I don't learn any life lessons. I thinkn that you remeber hanging out with your friends but you don't need to remember it for life lessons. You learn about life through mistakes, silence and books. This is why I disagree with your statement.

LittleMonster1028 said...

I think this quote means no one's opinion matters--only knowledge, time and silence do. This is because Philip Pullman wrote "We don't need a list of rights and wrongs, a table of dos and don'ts". A right and wrong are opinions, not facts. The author is trying to explain that you shouldn't factor in someone else's opinion, you should go with your gut.

LittleMonster1028 said...

@AVgleek17
I agree with you. This is because I also think "thou shall not is soon forgotten, but once upon a time lasts forever" means that humans tend to remember the happy times more often than not, but when it comes to bad times, they tend to "forget". Therefore, we agree on the interpretation of this quote.

G-MAN said...

@LittleMonster1028
I disagree with your opinion that Pullman is saying people's opinions don't matter. Granted, rules that are rights and wrongs, are the opinion of some person or a majority of people, but so is the knowledge that is gleaned from Fairy Tales. When Pullman says "Once upon a time lasts forever." he is obviously referring to fairy tales, the only place where you find Once upon a time. In any narrative of that sort it is impossible to be objective and the lessons that you infuse in your story are your opinions so the knowledge taken from reading is somebody's opinion. Therefore, I disagree with you because Pullman is obviously referring to fairy tales and their lessons lasting forever and those lessons are the author's opinions even if they are the opinions of many people

Jessica T. said...

What i believe that philip is trying to tell us that nothing is going to be perfect and we shouldn't bother to try and make everything so perfect. I know this because in the saying it says "We don't need a list of rights and wrongs" But it is also saying that we all make mistakes,and that it is ok to make mistakes they just happen.

Peter P said...

I think this quote means that people don't need to be told what to do all the time because the quote says," We don't need a list of rights and wrongs." The quote also means we should stay on top of things for the rest of our lives. Therefore, the quote means people don't need to be told what to because of Philip Pullman's first line of his quote.

Peter P said...

@Kevin O
I agree with you because most people don't remember boring things in life. Most people only remember the important things in life. For example, you took the part of the quote that says,"Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." Therefore, I agree with you because of the second part of the quote.

ShyWolf32 said...

I think this quote means we need to remember our past,and not list of rules we can to in the present. I think becuase it said we need books and that once apon a time last forever wich means that books are forever and you need do know about the past, and that the present is to full of laws we don't need. this supports my statement becuase the quote said we don't need a list of do's and don'ts which are laws, we need books and books have record of our past and the imporant thins in life

ShyWolf32 said...

@ jesscia T. i agree with you that nothing is perfect and we shouldn't be trying to make everything perfect with pointless laws. You can't control the world and the world istn't always what you wan the world to be.

MRAjGE said...

I think this quote means that people don't need rules because books are important and we learn from books not from rules. I think this because in the quote it says,"We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don'ts..." This means that we don't need rules because people still break the rules. "we need books, time, and silence" This means that books teach us more things about life and what is right and wrong than rules and laws do. "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” This means that books teaching us things should not be forgotten because books last forever and we can always learn from books. Even thought this quote doesn't make the most sense, you can still piece it together to tell that Pullman is saying books are very important things.

Unknown said...

I think that the quote “We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence.” means that we should learn how to do everything by ourselves instead of following rules. I think that this is what the quote means because the part “Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” says that rules are forgotten quickly but you can easily remember a moral from a story. That's what "Once upon a time lasts forever" means. We learn things from time because we have made mistakes in our past and after some time, we learn how to fix them. WE can think about things when it's quiet and that's what silence refers to. That's what I think this quote means.

Unknown said...

@G-MAN
I agree with you that we forget rules easily but we remember life lessons given to us by books. I agree with you because the part "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." refers to rules and fairy-tales. In other words, rules are soon forgotten but fairy tales are remembered forever. Since fairy-tales have morals in them, it makes sense that we can learn life lessons from fairy-tales. That's why I agree with you.

TheOriginalFake said...

@IsabelleG I agree with you, life is meant to be lived fully, and without regrets. If you play by the rules and live by the book, you won't go anywhere in life, which could cause you a large amount of sadness in life. And you also send you need time to succeed, which makes sense, because you won't become rich and famous by not trying.

Ali M. said...

I think that what this quote is saying is that books teach us more than anything else. They said we don't Thou shalt not is soon forgotten. This is true because when my mom tells me to not to do something I usually forget it within a few days. They also say, "Once upon a time lasts forever." I also agree with this because many books have enhanced my vocabulary and I have never forgotten the story or life lessons that these book have taught me.

Ali M. said...

I agree with you G-Man because in the beginning you said, "We should write stories containing lessons because people forget or disobey rules. " When a rule is just flat out given to someone, it is easily forgotten because there is no consequence. When you read a book, they give examples of what happens so you understand what will happen if you disobey the rule. Also in books they make it interesting and tricky to find the real meaning, or moral, in the story which helps it stick in your mind better too. I think that reading books is a much better way to learn life lessons, because they are easier to remember.

Ali M. said...

Sorry, I forgot the end of my first post.
Therefore, books teach us more, in a more interesting way, and their lessons have deeper meanings.

RyanT. said...

This quote means that we dont need things telling us what to do when we could relax and read. I guess that this means that we could just throw all of our problems away and read. Now I dont know why anyone would think of saying that but it is what this is saying to me. It also says that time lasts forever. And I think that that part is true.

Imagine11 said...

What I believe this quote means is that with stories and tales, people seem to remember them more, while if you just have a list of do's or don'ts because people seem to want to remember things that intrigue and excite them than something that is boring and dull. One example from the quote is, " We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. " Another example from the quote is, "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” Therefore, this shows that people can remember something if it holds an interest to them.

RyanT> said...

@sweet

I agree. This is because if I was told to do things by a list i wouldnt follow them. But if I was told to do the same things by a story I would do them. I believe that other people would do the same thing. That is what the quote is saying.

Imagine11 said...

@Sweet
I agree with your opinion on what this quote means to you because you said that Philip Pullman meant that people will listen to something that won't bore them. You said that, "This quote means to mean that if we had boring old lists to tell us dos and don'ts then no one would follow them". You also said, "But if we had fairy tales and stories describe what to do then more people would follow them". Therefore, since I also interpreted this, I agree with your post.

Cav98 said...

I agree with Sweet because I also think that we will not remember the boring things but people do remeber the time they have spent enjoying books. For example I do not remember exactly the name of every explorer I learned about two years ago but I do remember my favorite stories from when I was really young. This shows that we foget the boring things, like names in history, but we remember the time we have spent enjoying books, like fairy tales from our youth.

K said...

@Shywolf32. I agree with you about saying that books last forever. Books will always be there unlike other things that will come and go. This shows that books are something that we will always remember and that we will always have because with books there isn’t a time line, we don’t need to worry about them leaving, we will always have them.

Katelyn O. said...

@Shywolf32. I agree with you about saying that books last forever. Books will always be there unlike other things that will come and go. This shows that books are something that we will always remember and that we will always have because with books there isn’t a time line, we don’t need to worry about them leaving, we will always have them.

Katelyn O. said...

I think that this quote basically means that we don’t need fancy things or the latest technology, but with literature, books, or our fairy tales we grew up with, we could have a great life. It means that the little things count. The quote says, “Once upon a time lasts forever.” This shows that the little things count because of course the fairy tales were little parts of our lives, but we will always remember them.

Kibble said...

This quote means that we shouldn't have rules, regulations, and requirements. But perhaps we should have an unlimited access to books of any kind, because rules keep us confined, and books won't because they are always interesting, and acontribute to some creative thinking. I say that because this quote says that "Once upon a time lasts forever." Once upon a time represent a fantasy, or fairy tale. And by saying "lasts forever" Philip Pullman means it never gets old. Many people get lost in fatasy stories, and tales, many find them to be so interesting they keep thinking about them for a while, which soon create creative thoughts. Then "list of rights and wrongs", would be the must-do's and rules. Fairy tales are limittless, and rights, and wrongs keep you confined, and less creative. Much like thinking in the box.

Kibble said...

@ MRAjGE,
I agree with your idea of us not learning from following rules, and we do by reading books. But you also say that books last forever. By saying they last forever, do you mean they are never mentally forgotten by those that read them and find the deeper meaning, within the story, and find the deeper meanig be a rrelevnt lesson in life. Or do you mean that its physically always there, and its just something to refer back to from time to time? I also disagree with you in the fact of people not learning from rules. Shouldn't you know basic rules to compare that to a book with a good theme.

bieberlover10 said...

I think this quote means that we just should go with what life throws at us and just go with the flow. I think this because we all are on this earth for a reson, and we don't need to waste time on what others are doing that can be called out on. That is what I think of the quote.

you will never know who...... said...

@Imagine11.....
I agree with you because that happens with me all of the time; I always make a list of things that I should rember, but I always forget. But then I can remember a song by my favorite artist just like that. That is why I agree with you.

chocoholicdancer13 said...

I think this quote is trying to say that we shouldn't be told the rights from the wrongs and the things we can do versus what we cannot. You need room for the imagination or else we would all be clones of each other. Everyone would be doing the same things. So, this quote is saying we don't have to be told what to do, we need our creativity to come into play ( the books, time, and silence)

chocoholicdancer13 said...

@bieberlover10, I agree with you because in life, you have to dodge the obstacles that are thrown your way. Like you said, we are all on this world for a reason and we shouldn't have to follow what everyone else does.

cheerextremelover11 said...

This quote means to me that we should not have to have rules of what we should and should not do but that we should know the rights and wrongds of the world. but we would also forget all of the wrongs and writes so we need them.

cheerextremelover11 said...

Imagine11 said..
I do not agree with you imagine 11 I htink that what you said has absolutly nothing to do with the quote. the quote is more about comen sence.

Anonymous said...

I think that this quote means that we don’t need rules and that all we need is to read because it says, “We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence.” Basically when it says we don’t need a list of rights and wrongs and tables of dos and don’ts, I think Philip means that we don’t need rules. Also, when he says we need books, time and silence, I think he is saying we just need to read. Therefore if you put it together, he is saying we need to read and don’t need rules. This can also mean that we can learn from reading and don’t need a list or table to show us right from wrong.

Ghost said...

I believe that this quote mean do whatever your mind sets it to not do other things other people say to do. I think that Philip Pullmen was trying to say be yourself and not somebody your not.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with you @Unknown because I don’t think that Philip is trying to tell us that we should learn everything by ourselves instead of following rules. I think that he is trying to tell us that by reading instead of following a list of rights and wrongs can teach us most important things we should know. You thought that, “Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” says that rules are forgotten quickly but you can easily remember a moral from a story. However, I believe that it means that we forget things that people tell us to do but we remember life lessons from books. Moreover, I think that when Philip says that we need time and silence, it means that he wants us to read more, it can teach us a lot that we should know. Therefore, I disagree with you.

Ghost said...

@ Emma B. I agree with your point I think it is better to think about the good times in life rather than the bad. I also think it was a good motivator because it inspire people to look at the good things in life and be thankful for it.

CandyS. said...

I believe that this quote "“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” by Philip Pullman means that you should not skip over things and go for the shortcut, but figure out how things will be in the long run and take your time. I believe this because the quote talks about how we need books, time and silence which refers to learning at a good pace whereas a table of do's and don'ts is a quick way to discipline someone without teaching them a lesson.

CandyS. said...

I think this quote tells us to use our imagination instead of being forced to believe what society tells us to believe. I think this because in the quote it says "Thou shalt is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." "Thou shalt" is very commanding. It is telling you to listen and follow a certain set of rules whereas Once upon a time allows us to use our creativity and dream. Philip Pullman is telling us to not always listen to the demanding set of rules that society has laid out for us, but to use our own imagination and creativity,

YouMustBringMeAShrubbery! said...

I beleive that this quote means that you learn better by stories not from do or don'ts. I think this because in the quote, it suggested that when you read a book you remember a lesson but then when you are taught do's and don'ts you forget it. I think this supports my idea because adults read little children books to teach them right from wrong instead of lecturing them.

maia said...

i think this quote said that people should only remember their great events in life and not every single mistake they made because they will last forever where as mistakes will last not.

YouMustCutDownThatTreeWithAHerring! said...

@Candy S.
I agree with you that time will teach you a lesson. I can support this because you are learning throughout your life, and are adapting to the environment, and you learn through mistakes.

Chris G said...

I think the quote means that forget about what you've done wrong but always hold on to what you've done right, because everyone has mistakes and everyone has a victory. This is what i think the quote means

Chris G said...

I agree with maia because like mine everyone has mistakes and the need to forget about it becuase would you rather hold onto a good time, when you did a good thing or a time where you made a mistake

abc123comewithme said...

I think that this amazing quote means that you can't teach some one with raw facts; you have to let them learn at their own pace incorporating the lesson. I think this because books are a way of incorporating knowledge (raw facts) and time is needed to digest the lesson. this proves that this is what this means because the quote says the 2 things that make learning possible; therefore, it must be about earning (aka how to learn effectively.

Alex Z. said...

I think that this quote is saying that we tend to only remember the good times in life. "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." is trying to say that our mistakes are normal and a part of life, and they will be forgotten, but we will never forget the good times that we make.

StephanieZ said...

I think that this quote means that life should take it's course, and we can't just stick around one bad thing, but forget about it, and move on to great things. When the quote says, "We don't need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don'ts" it is saying that we are not programmed like a robot to do certain tasks, but we are supposed to live life to the fullest and enjoy it. Look at all the happy memories we've had with family and friends. Not the time's when your baby sister vomits in your mouth, but the times that she firsts smiles, and waves hello. Those are the moments in life that count. That is what this quote means.

Alex Z. said...

@Ali M. I agree with you. I think that this quote is also saying that books teach us lessons and help us learn. They say, "Once upon a time lasts forever." I agree with this because books have also enhanced my vocabulary and I never forget the life lessons that I learn in books.

Anonymous said...

I believe this quote is saying that people should think outside the box. Its saying that we do not learn from other people's rules and regulations, we do best by hearing and reading other people's thoughts and interpretations on certain things. For example when the quote says, "We need books, time, and silence." it shows that us as people need time to consider things and take time and think about other people’s words and thoughts on things. "Thou shall not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." I thought of that line to be saying that rules are not as important to us and we do not learn from them as of something that made an impression on us like a classic story told from one person remade by another with their own twist and thoughts made into it. I think the quote is telling us (not to not abide by the rules) but to create our own boundaries and consider other people’s thoughts,

Anonymous said...

I agree with Ali M. that this quote is about learning from classics that make in imprint on you so you will never forget it. When she said," 'Once upon a time lasts forever.' I also agree with this because many books have enhanced my vocabulary and I have never forgotten the story or life lessons that these book have taught me." I agree because I believe that people learn best from other people or what they say in their stories rather than a rule told to you a thousand times.

abc123comewithme said...

@ anonymous: i agree with you that this saying could mean this. think this might mean this because tables of do's and don'ts could mean that you think of everything very scientificly or in the box.

alcatrazjail said...

To me the quote means that we don't need rules, we just need adventures to where you life will lead you. When in Philip Pullman's quote it says "We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever" he means that it doesn't matter if you break the the rules you just need your life to lead you somewhere.

alcatrazjail said...

@StephanieZ I agree with you on what you think Pullen's quote means. There are some moments that you have to remember and cherish. In Pullen's quote it says, "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." This means that you should forget the rules and bad times in your life and only keep the best memories in your heart.

Man on the Moon said...

I agree with Pullen's quote because it states what we should be doing and what we are doing to the children of our future. In the quote it says we shouldn't be memorizing what we already know but expanding our knowledge by finding out what others have offered to share with us and that which have bothered not to acknowledge. Also it says that miracles and the fantasy of books there true meaning can actually happen which has essentially states we have hope which none of us shall ever forget because we won't ever lose hope unless you are truly depressed.

Man on the Moon said...

Anonymous I agree with you because it is kind of like what I have said about how we shall always have hope and not memorize what we already know. My id ea is sort of like yours because you are saying that we would rather listen to some on else's thoughts because I said that these people offer their ideas but we don't acknowledge it where these tables are things are rules and regulations but also things we already know. For example it is like when you know 2+2 is 4 and some just says that again and we are uninterested like when we here the same rules and regulations that we already know by heart.

JMM126 said...

I think the quote means that human beings make mistakes. That is what mnakes us humans. We learn from our mistakes. Otherwise, we wouldnt learn at all. We live and we learn. One step at a time.

JMM126 said...

@alcatrazjail
I agree with you because if we need rules we cannot learn by our mistakes. We would just hear the rules. Nobody would be learning. Everyone would just hear... Not esperience.

spongebob said...

@ JMM126
I agree with you because mistakes is what makes us humans, nobody is perfect. We can take our mistakes and turn it into a positive. We learn something out of it, so we don't make the same mistake again.

DR. Bubblesquash said...

@AVgleek17 I agree that when people try to memorize things once we are finished with, say, a test we forget it, but when we have fun we remember it better.

NonStop said...

I think Pullman is trying to say that people give up the good things in life they. I know this because we always think about the good and the bad as Pullman said. This means that Humans don't take into consideration of what they have.

NonStop said...

@AVgleek17 I absolutely agree with you. I agree because now that you put it that way I really do think that soon we will forget our mistakes and cherish the happy times.

Logan S. said...

I agree with Pullmans statement because he is trying to say that reading is the key to success. I know this because i says,"We need books, time, and silence. If there were no books then there would be no knowledge. Books are the most important things in life.

Logan S. said...

I agree with you Man On The Moon because if we did not have children in the future then the human race would stop and life on earth would stop as we know it.

Avacodo said...

The quote, "We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.", means to me that we don't need someone to tell us the difference between right and wrong. I know this because in the quote, "We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs", means that people naturally know what to do, and make good decisions. In addition, it says, "Tables of dos and don'ts." This means that we don't need to know what's right and what's wrong. Therefore, since this quote gives good examples that people know the difference between right and wrong, people naturally know the difference between them.

Sarah G. said...

This quote means that reading is the only thing the people care about. I think this because, it says here "thou shaly not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." this is saying that noting will stick in your mind like a great book. It is also saying, dont wast your time with do's and don'ts, just read. If people didn't care about do's and don'ts then reading would be theonly thing left to care about.

Avacodo said...

@ Kevin O,
I agree with you that one of the meanings of this quote is that humans don't remember the boring things in life. Like Kevin said, you will forget events that are boring. Ever since I was little, I haven't remembered anything that wasn't fairly exciting. I remember events like going to fun parks and vacations, but not things like certain school days and getting hurt. I also remember the times when I went to Florida, and went to places around the state, including Disney World. I remember the good rides and parks, but not the less exciting rides and people. Therefore, since I don't remember any bad memories, and only good ones, I agree with Kevin that people forget bad memories and only remember good ones.

Sarah G. said...

@DR.Bubblesquash i agree with you that we will keep forgetting our do's and dont's until we learn them in a great way. I think this because in the quote it says," we need books, time, ans silance." i think that the way that he had learned his do's and dont's from books and characters and he enjoyed that. I think that by reading his do's and dont's in books he listened and never forgot.

MeMaN said...

I think that this quote is saying that people in general forget everything that is boring and only remember the exciting things in life. Last year I went on a cruise and had a great time. I could tell you everything that happened over the cruise. I had the best time this is what I think this quote means.

hi said...

I think the quote from Philip Pullman means that You can learn rules from books. The moral of the story helps you learn many things. I think this because in the text it says,“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence." This tells me that we need time to learn about rules through books.

hi said...

Anonymous, i agree with you because i wrote the same idea as you. You said " We don't need rules, we just need to read." This is what i think the quote means. This is how i interpreted the quote.

u don't know me said...

I think the meaning of this quote is that a good book lasts forever. In the quote, Pullman says,"Once upon a time lasts forever". Therefore, the meaning of this quote, in my opinion, is that "Once upon a time"(aka a good story) always leaves an impression.

u don't know me said...

@Sarah G,
I agree with you when you say that the meaning of Pullman's quote is that nothing sticks in aperson's mind like a great book. Part of is quote included"Once upon a time lasts forever".Therefore, I agree with your thinking that the meaning of this quote is the remembrance of a great book.

Marissa S. said...

I think this qoute means that you can have a list of things you shouldn't do but they don't make an impression. If you do spend time trying to someone rules and let explore into a book they will learn by reading. Thou shalt not is forgotten because people don't want to listen to what they are not supposed to do. Once upon a time is remebered because it puts dos and don'ts in a fun book that people want to listen to.

Marissa S. said...

@cherextremelover11
I disagree with your post. You said that we don't need a list of rights and wrongs but we also for get rights and wrongs. By takeing your time and reading books with out some one telling you what to do will help you remember. Once upon a time isn't forgotten because people remember those storys and what they taught them.

Grace S. said...

In my opinion, this quote means that rules aren't the only thing that matter in life. I also think it means that a great book can stick with you forever. For example, it says "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." Therefore, as humans, we can spend all this time trying to learn "do's and don'ts" and "rights and wrongs", but it's not like you'll remember them for your whole life. Where as the content of a great book can really change the way you think about things and help you learn something about life.

Grace S. said...

@Sarah G.,
I agree with when you said "nothing sticks in your mind like a great book". The part of the quote that really supports that was "Once upon a time lasts forever." I think this because it's saying that books can help you make better decisions in life and you'll always remember them, no matter what.

Pandanut12 said...

I think that it means that we learn best by having something interesting to remember our lessons by because books have morals that are put there for that exact purpose. I know this because kid's books often contain lessons, like to share and say sorry. They can refer back to them when they need to remember what they learned, which proves that books have morals to help kids remember what they needed to learn.

Pandanut12 said...

@Sarah G.
I disagree with what you said because if no one cares about dos and don'ts, no one would care about them in books, either. I know this because a lot of books contain lessons or morals to help you learn what you should and should not do. If you don't care about that, then what is the point of reading the book? This is why no one would care about reading if no one cared about what you should and should not do.

Kayleigh said...

I think this book qoute means that we don't need a list of things telling us right from wrong. Also I rhink the sentence "we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." means that reading books with restore the memories we have forgotten.

Kayleigh said...

@cheerextremelover11.....I agree with you because we don't need a big list of right and wrongs.I also think it is a good idea to write down the wrongs of the world.

Gabby P said...

i think that a list of who has been naughty or nice is wrong. i think this because every one deserves holiday cheer or a least a present from "santa" or a family member no one deserves to not get something not worth smiling about. No one should be bummed or feel guilty because of the way they acted.

Gabby P said...

i disagree with Kayleigh and @cheerxtremelover11.
Kids shouldn't depend on being nice or bad no one deserves to be left out or treated differently.

!DANCE! said...

What i think this quote means is that we should not think about what we have to do and stress about what we did not do, we should live and enjoy the moment that we are in and make the most of it. I think this because in the quote it states, "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten" ant htis means to remember about the good times and make some more. Do not think about the future, think about the good times you had, recreate them, and make them better.

!DANCE! said...

@AnnaDance2485
I agree with you when you said that we should focus on the good times rather the bad. I think this because if we think about what we could have done and drag that guilt of not doing that around then we will always remember that and you should not because you did what you did and you can not take that back so you should not carry that guilt. that is why i agree with you on saying how you should remember the good times and throw out the bad.

KirillR98 said...

I think this quote means that life cannot be truely lived by a constant set of rules. Then we need time to relax for a while and read a good book. This means that all these rules that people make up will soon be forgotten but a great book will live forever with yourself. I think this because rules prevent people from having a good, well deserved break. We need time to unwind from the stresses of life and just do something that includes just pure silence. Remember every rule will be forgotten but that book that you have read will never vanish.

JVG412 said...

I think this quote means that things that were accepted once second, could be illegal the next. But books will always be acceptable

Ryan35 said...

I think that this is trying to say that if we read whats right and whats wrong, it will stick with us better. I think this because it saysthat we don't need a list of is right or wrong, but we need books. It also says that what we read in books can be remebered easily.

Ryan35 said...

@AVgleek17
I disagree with you. In that part of the quote I think that it was talking about how it would be better for us if we actually read about it than someone just telling us about it.

Demon under your Bed said...

I think it means that we need to learn things on our own instead of being told right from wrong because we will never truly understand it that way.

spongebob said...

@ Demon under your Bed, I agree with you. I think this is trying to say, it's better to learn things on our own than to have people tell us what's right and wrong. I think this because everyone has different thoughts. Maybe what you think is "right and wrong" is different to another person. It's confusing.

BH said...

I think that this quote shows that we shouldn't use tables, and graphs to find information to help us. That we should use books and novels to help us in life.

BH said...

@Sweet
I agree because if we had tables and graphs, we wouldn't know what to do. But if we had books, we would be guided through what we needed to do.

Evan F said...

I feel as though this quote means that we are all human and our mistakes show that but that our mistakes don't define us our goals as people and our goals for each other are what define us.

“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” — Philip Pullman

Evan F said...

@ BH... I agree with you that we don't need tables and graphs to find stuff for us and that it would be confusing if we did.

Anonymous said...

I think this means that people should read more then doing silly stuff then watching TV or playing video games. I think this because it says that Once Apon a time last forever, i think that means that you can read a bokk over and over again with out getting bored with it.

Anonymous said...

I agree BH cause books can teach you many things. Like how to reach your goals. This is important cause can show that the internet isn't the only way to learn somthing.

spongebob said...

@anoymous, I agree with you. I think is trying to say you can never get bored from reading no matter how many times you read it. But wasting your time on something else that is not important, is a way to get bored.

Hayley M said...

To me, this quote means that when you are told what to do you will probably forget, because all humans do, but if you are told a story of what would happen if you did/didn't you'd realize why it was a bad decision. When Phillip Pullman says "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever", I think it means that when you're told not to do something, you're not going to pay to much attention and do it anyway, but when you're told a story of the consequence, you'll remember it for a lifetime.

Hayley M said...

@AVgleek17, I agree with you because, that is what most people do. I try as hard as I can to forget the bad things in life, because it sickens me to realize how naive I was, and after a while, I really do forget them because I don't go back to them that often. BUT when something good happens to me, I savor it, until another good thing happens. Say someone gives you a compliment, you're going to remember that compliment until you get another because our brain tells us to. It's an involuntary thing that most people do.

Muffin Man 101 said...

I think that he is saying that people will forget rules but will always remember stories. No one wants to be restricted by rules but every one loves a good story.
“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.” — Philip Pullman

Devon S. said...

I think that this quote means that we will learn more by reading a story then by reading a list of laws. I think this because it says "Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." That means that we will forget a list of laws that we have read, but you will always remember a story that you have read.
(This is actually a re-post because the first one did not show up although I had it in google docs.)

panthers502 said...

to me, this quote means that we should charish our memories with our friends and family! and make our own decisions.