When 'Eat, Pray, Love' author Elizabeth Gilbert drew the line between being 'childlike' and 'childish'. Why it could change your life?

Economic Times

25-05-2025

Elizabeth Gilbert's conversation with Marie Forleo in an old podcast spotlighted the powerful distinction between childlike wonder and childish entitlement. According to Gilbert, being childlike fuels creativity and resilience, while being childish breeds frustration and blame.
It's not every day that a bestselling author reframes something as fundamental as your relationship with wonder. But in a quietly powerful moment on The Marie Forleo Podcast back in 2015, Elizabeth Gilbert—yes, the Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame—did just that. She wasn't selling a book, planning another world trip, or decoding spirituality this time. Instead, she was decoding you. Or more precisely, the part of you that still believes in magic—but often gets confused about how to use it in the real world. 'You have to be childlike in the pursuit of your life, but you cannot be childish,' Gilbert said, with the kind of clarity that stays with you. Her voice didn't preach, but it pressed gently—like someone holding up a mirror and asking you to really look.
Being childlike , she explained, is about wide-eyed wonder. It's a return to awe, curiosity, and the ability to greet each moment as if it's the first of its kind. In contrast, being childish is what happens when entitlement kicks in: 'I didn't get what I wanted, so I quit.' It's a tantrum dressed up as adult disappointment.
At a time when burnout is chronic and cynicism trendy, Gilbert's insight is a gentle rebellion. 'I believe you can be childlike and mature at the same time,' she said, inviting us all to carry a backpack filled with both wonder and wisdom.
Gilbert's reminder couldn't be timelier. In an age of productivity hacks and personal branding, we often forget the original joy of learning, trying, failing, and laughing through it all. Life, after all, isn't a performance—it's a practice. And maturity, Gilbert suggests, doesn't have to mean losing your sense of wonder. It means anchoring it in responsibility.
'You can embody both childlike wonder and mature responsibility simultaneously,' she said. That line alone is worth framing on a wall—or better yet, carrying in your heart. So often, the narrative of adulthood is synonymous with loss—loss of spontaneity, loss of playfulness, loss of belief in the unseen. But Gilbert argues for a reunion. That your ability to marvel is not childish. In fact, it's one of the most profound tools for resilience, reinvention, and even healing.
Let's not forget who's speaking here. Elizabeth Gilbert isn't merely a memoirist. Her life and work—spanning from fiction and essays to the deeply personal Big Magic —have consistently nudged readers toward self-discovery without shame or fluff. She's traveled the world, challenged societal norms, and stood vulnerable in front of millions of readers. Her words don't just sound good—they come from a life tested by grief, growth, and global adoration. When she talks about 'being ready to be amazed,' it's not just romantic rhetoric. It's a daily discipline. A conscious uncynical stance in a complicated world.
Gilbert's insight begs a question worth asking yourself every morning: Am I approaching this day with childlike wonder or childish resistance?
Are you letting awe lead you through your creative blocks, your life transitions, your hardest conversations? Or are you throwing tantrums about what you didn't get, whom the world didn't give you, and why things aren't fair?
In an age when personal growth often sounds like a self-help algorithm, Elizabeth Gilbert gives us something beautifully analog: a human reminder that we don't have to choose between growing up and staying enchanted. We can do both. And maybe, just maybe, that's where the real magic begins.