People say you're born innocent, but it's not true. You inherit all kinds of things that you can do nothing about. You inherit your identity, your history, like a birthmark that you can't wash off. ... We are born with our heads turned back, but my mother says we have to face into the future now. You have to earn your own innocence, she says. You have to grow up and become innocent.
Hugo Hamilton, The Sailor in the Wardrobe
character, future, growing-up, growth, heritage, history, identity, innocence, maturity, past, personal-history, personality, predispositions, self-discovery