---
title: "2 Child development Quotes By Paul Tough"
description: "2 Child development quotes by Paul Tough. Plus more from Paul Tough and more Child development sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/paul-tough-17766_child-development_what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-developme_1328421.png"
---

> [“What matters most in a child's development, they say, is not how much information we can stuff into her brain in the first few years. What matters, instead, is whether we are able to help her develop a very different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-development-they-say-is-not-how-much-2/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/paul-tough-17766_child-development_what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-developme_1328421.png)

> [“Ellington would be growing up in a culture saturated with an idea you might call the cognitive hypothesis: the belief... that success today primarily depends on cognitive skills - the kind of intelligence that gets measured on IQ tests... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/ellington-would-be-growing-up-in-a-culture-saturated-with-an-idea-you/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/paul-tough-17766_child-development_ellington-would-be-growing-up-in-a-cultu_3002938.jpg)

## Other authors on Child development

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-benjamin-nzuki-55326.jpg) Benjamin Nzuki 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/benjamin-nzuki/)

## More by Paul Tough

> [“Most broadly, they refer to the ability to deal with confusing and unpredictable situations and information. One”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/most-broadly-they-refer-to-the-ability-to-deal-with-confusing-and/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“What matters, instead, is whether we are able to help her develop a very different set of qualities, a list that includes persistence, self-control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/what-matters-instead-is-whether-we-are-able-to-help-her-develop-a/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“the child of a supermom who gets lots of extra tutoring and one-on-one support is going to do way better than an average well-loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/the-child-of-a-supermom-who-gets-lots-of-extra-tutoring-and-one-on/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“the best way for a young person to build character is for him to attempt something where there is a real and serious possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/the-best-way-for-a-young-person-to-build-character-is-for-him-to/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“The idea of building grit and building self-control is that you get that through failure,” Randolph told me. “And in most highly academic environments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/the-idea-of-building-grit-and-building-self-control-is-that-you-get/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“Tools of the Mind, by contrast, doesn’t focus much on reading and math abilities. Instead, all of its interventions are intended to help children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/tools-of-the-mind-by-contrast-doesn-t-focus-much-on-reading-and-math/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [Optimists, by contrast, look for specific, limited, short-term explanations for bad events, and as a result, in the face of a setback, they’re more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/optimists-by-contrast-look-for-specific-limited-short-term/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [And in most highly academic environments in the United States, no one fails anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/and-in-most-highly-academic-environments-in-the-united-states-no-one/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“a passionate commitment to a single mission and an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission. She decided she needed to name this quality, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/a-passionate-commitment-to-a-single-mission-and-an-unswerving/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“children were no longer receiving enough cognitive stimulation in the first three years of life, in part because of the increasing number of single-parent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/children-were-no-longer-receiving-enough-cognitive-stimulation-in-the/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“We “activate a physiological system that has evolved for responding to acute physical emergencies,” Sapolsky writes, “but we turn it on for months on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/we-activate-a-physiological-system-that-has-evolved-for-responding-to/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [What if the Secret to Success is Failure?,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“Chemistry is not destiny, certainly. But these scientists have demonstrated that the most reliable way to produce an adult who is brave and curious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/chemistry-is-not-destiny-certainly-but-these-scientists-have/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“Researchers, including Michael Meaney and Clancy Blair, have demonstrated that for infants to develop qualities like perseverance and focus, they need a high level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/researchers-including-michael-meaney-and-clancy-blair-have/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

> [“Think about it,” Spiegel said. “Remember, when I ask you a question, you don’t have to answer right away. But you do have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/think-about-it-spiegel-said-remember-when-i-ask-you-a-question-you/)

[Paul Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tough/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/#itemlist",
            "name": "2 Child development Quotes By Paul Tough",
            "numberOfItems": 2,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“What matters most in a child's development, they say, is not how much information we can stuff into her brain in the first few years. What matters, instead, is whether we are able to help her develop a very different set of qualities, a list that includes persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Paul Tough"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-development-they-say-is-not-how-much-2/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/paul-tough-17766_child-development_what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-developme_1328421.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/paul-tough-17766_child-development_what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-developme_1328421.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/paul-tough-17766_child-development_what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-developme_1328421.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“What matters most in a child's development, they say, is not how much information we can stuff into her…” — Paul Tough",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Ellington would be growing up in a culture saturated with an idea you might call the cognitive hypothesis: the belief... that success today primarily depends on cognitive skills - the kind of intelligence that gets measured on IQ tests... and that the best way to develop these skills is to practice them as much as possible, beginning as early as possible. ...But in the past decade, a disparate group of scientists have begun to produce evidence that calls into question the cognitive hypothesis. What matters most in a child's development... is whether we are able to help her develop a very different set of qualities: self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit, and self-confidence. Economists refer to these as noncognitive skills, psychologists call them personality traits, and the rest of us sometimes think of them as character.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Paul Tough"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tough/ellington-would-be-growing-up-in-a-culture-saturated-with-an-idea-you/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/paul-tough-17766_child-development_ellington-would-be-growing-up-in-a-cultu_3002938.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/paul-tough-17766_child-development_ellington-would-be-growing-up-in-a-cultu_3002938.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/paul-tough-17766_child-development_ellington-would-be-growing-up-in-a-cultu_3002938.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Ellington would be growing up in a culture saturated with an idea you might call the cognitive hypothesis…” — Paul Tough",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/",
            "name": "Child development Quotes by Paul Tough",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/paul-tough-17766_child-development_what-matters-most-in-a-child-s-developme_1328421.png"
            },
            "description": "2 Child development quotes by Paul Tough. Plus more from Paul Tough and more Child development sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Child Development",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Paul Tough",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/paul-tough/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```