Did Maxim Gorky say “You must write for children the same way you write for adults, only better”? Goodread's quote site, attributes this quote to Maxim Gorky: > “You must write for children the same way you write for adults, only better.” Did he say or write this (or a Russian equivalent)?

Most probably not.

Besides Maxim Gorky this phrase is misattributed to S. Marshak and K.Chukovsky (both are famous Soviet children writers).

An answer to a very similar question (Russian text) provides a snippet from the book Цитаты из всемирной литературы от Гомера до наших дней (which translates as "Qutations of World Literature").

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This snippet explains the author of the phrase is the son of Vasily Yan who used it in the preface to his father's 1969 book, Повести.

It explains it is a rephrasing of Stanislavski's phrase:

> Для детей нужно играть так же, как для взрослых, но только - лучше
>
> You must play for children the same way you play for adults, only better, more delicate, more cultured, more perfect.