When does one begin thinking?

In answer to the question, Emmanuel Levinas (A Jewish Philosopher) has an answer which really captivated me. He says that one begins thinking through traumatisms or gropings to which one does not even know how to give a verbal form: a separation, a violent scene, a sudden consciousness of the monotony of time. It is from the reading of books – not necessarily philosophical that these initial shocks become questions and problems, giving one to think.