"It is me, dear Daddy and Mummy,

 to be a great thinker,

 so do not lead me with brusqueness and impatience

to do the things that appeal to you,

but help me to follow my natural inclinations

so far as these are innocent of bad intent, harmless to myself and others.

You can give me inspiration and encouragement,

but I shall not benefit from being driven."

"My dreaming is not laziness:

 it is time usefully spent thinking of alternative lines of action

in order to arrive at the best one."

"Grown-up people are nearly always sure

 that they know what it is best for a child to do,

but they are not always right.

The older I get

the more unwise will it be for you to force your ways and opinions on me,

and your only excuse for doing this at any time will be

 the compulsion of necessity."