Educating a son I should allow him no fairy tales and only a very few novels. This is to prevent him from having 1. the sense of romantic solitude which identification with the hero gives. 2. cant ideas of right and wrong, absurd systems of honor and morality which never never will he be able completely to get rid of, 3. the attainment of “ideals,” of a priori desires, of a priori emotions. He should amuse himself with fact only: he will then not learn that if the weak younger son does or does not the magical honorable thing he will win the princess with hair like flax.

Arthur Quiller-Couch