Complex minds can’t develop on their own. If they could, feral children would be like any others. And minds don’t grow as weeds do, flourishing under indifferent attention; otherwise all children in orphanages would thrive. For a mind to even approach its full potential, it needs cultivation by other minds.

Exhalation, P106

心灵成熟变得深邃，不能甩手不管，任它独自成长。要是这样行得通，野孩子就不会是野孩子了。而且，心灵的成长，也不是野草那样，哪怕不栽培，也照样繁茂。否则，那么多孤儿院长大的孩子就都该成材。年幼的心灵，要发挥自身的潜能，就需要来自其他心灵的浇灌和呵护。