“It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. It's as simple as that.”

Understanding the quote

Jansson asserts that curiosity is a basic condition of being alive: losing interest or growing indifferent is a real kind of dying. The line appears in her novel Fair Play and reads as plain, intimate advice rather than abstract theory.

In the original · sv

Det är helt enkelt så här: tröttna inte, tappa aldrig intresset, bli aldrig likgiltig – förlorar du din ovärderliga nyfikenhet låter du dig själv dö. Så enkelt är det.

The story behind it

The sentence is voiced by a character, not Jansson herself: in the book Wladyslaw delivers it during a casual, direct exchange.

Going further

The era

In the late 20th century, as Jansson wrote about older artists living between Helsinki and a small island.

The thinking

It’s practical: keep being curious and attentive to stay engaged with life; indifference here means shutting down to people and art, not mere tiredness.

Key word

Curiosity: sustained attention and openness to the world that keeps one emotionally and intellectually alive.

Who quoted it

The line is frequently reposted on quotation sites and appears on the official Moomin website credited to Fair Play.