Because we imagine, we can have invention and technology. It's actually play, not necessity, that is the mother of invention.
Alison GopnikAll of us gardeners know that nothing comes out the way you planned. It's a different garden every year, and it's always sort of different from what you were thinking when you began. What it really means to be a good gardener is to work hard to produce an ecosystem that will have enough diversity, enough possibilities, so it's robust, and it's resilient, and it can change when the seasons change. And that kind of robust, unexpected, variable, messy system - that's what you want to create when you're having children, too.
Alison GopnikTexts and e-mails travel no faster than phone calls and telegrams, and their content isn't necessarily richer or poorer.
Alison GopnikWhat teenagers want most of all are social rewards, especially the respect of their peers.
Alison GopnikChildren are the most amazing thing in the universe, as far as I'm concerned. If you're worrying about how it's going to turn out, you aren't experiencing that day-to-day satisfaction of being with these incredible, extraordinary creatures. Every single one of them is the most incredible, extraordinary creature that you're ever going to want to see. I think the joy of having that deep relationship - that's the core of what being a parent is.
Alison Gopnik