Coming of Age Quotes in Dune

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

He found his stillsuit's watertube in its clip at his neck, drew a warm swallow into his mouth, and he thought that here he truly began an Arrakeen existence—living on reclaimed moisture from his own breath and body. (23.15)

There comes a moment in any coming-of-age story when the character passes a threshold: first love, first man killed, first car purchased. Lots of firsts in these kinds of stories. For Paul, the threshold is his first gulp of tepid water.

Quote #8

"Sire!" Kynes said, and the word was torn from him, but Jessica saw that he was not now speaking to a boy of fifteen, but to a man, to a superior. Now Kynes meant the word. (25.120)

Equality. It's what coming of age is all about. When teenagers start treating you as an equal, you're officially a teenager. When it's adults, you're an adult. When people start treating you with little to no respect, congratulations, you've come of age as a parent.

Quote #9

To Paul, the sound [of dripping water] was like moments ticking away. He could feel time flowing through him, the instants never to be recaptured. He sensed a need for decision, but felt powerless to move. (34.150)

Perhaps more than equality, Paul's coming of age is about time. The time it takes him to grow up, the concern for time lost, and all that worrying about a time yet to come. Time, time, time, always on his mind.