--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe you know something about young…" description: "\"“Maybe you know something about young people, and maybe you don't. I, having been one myself once upon a time, know a few things about them. One thing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/adam-gidwitz-18913_worst-thing_maybe-you-know-something-about-young-peo_1045649.jpg" --- # Maybe you know something about young people, and maybe you… ![“Maybe you know something about young people, and maybe you don't. I, having been one myself once upon a time, know a few things about them. One thing I know is that if you don't want one to do something - for example, go into a room where there's a portrait of an unbearably beautiful princess…” quote by Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/adam-gidwitz-18913_worst-thing_maybe-you-know-something-about-young-peo_1045649.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/adam-gidwitz-18913_worst-thing_maybe-you-know-something-about-young-peo_1045649.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/adam-gidwitz-18913_worst-thing_maybe-you-know-something-about-young-peo_1045649.jpg) > ““Maybe you know something about young people, and maybe you don't. I, having been one myself once upon a time, know a few things about them. One thing I know is that if you don't want one to do something - for example, go into a room where there's a portrait of an unbearably beautiful princess- saying "It might cost you your life" is about the worst thing you can possibly say. Because then that's all that young person will want to do. I mean, why didn't Johannes say something else? Like, "It's a broom closet. Why? you want to see a broom closet?" Or, "It's a fake door, silly. For decoration." Or even, "It's the ladies' bathroom, Your Majesty. Best not go poking your head in there.”” [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker warns that threatening language can backfire with youth, making forbidden things more tempting. **In simple terms:** Threats make the forbidden more appealing to young people. Key Takeaway Avoid scary warnings; give clear alternatives. Themes parenting communication psychology of rebellion Mood cautionary humorous Type advice psychological When to use this quote - discipline - teaching safety - advice to teens - conflict resolution Key Concepts reactance authority dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What alternative phrasing could deter risky behavior? - How does curiosity drive disobedience? A Different Perspective May not work for all personalities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [And over all those sleepy weeks, the dream always ended the same way, with the dragon coming for the princess saying the same words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/and-over-all-those-sleepy-weeks-the-dream-always-ended-the-same-way/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [You don't ever want to say to a young person, You can't, or, You are no good. Some people might be able to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/you-don-t-ever-want-to-say-to-a-young-person-you-can-t-or-you-are-no/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [What I always say is that young people need older people to develop their game, grow as people, and understand what Real means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-seedorf/what-i-always-say-is-that-young-people-need-older-people-to-develop/) [Clarence Seedorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-seedorf/) > [It may be a very little thing for you to say to a young man the few words that turn him from the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bartholomew-gough/it-may-be-a-very-little-thing-for-you-to-say-to-a-young-man-the-few/) [John Bartholomew Gough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bartholomew-gough/) > [Simmer down simmer down they say we are to young now to amount to anything else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/5sos/simmer-down-simmer-down-they-say-we-are-to-young-now-to-amount-to/) [5SOS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/5sos/) > [“she would say, this one is too young still, youth has no shame, shame comes with age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/she-would-say-this-one-is-too-young-still-youth-has-no-shame-shame/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [I hate when people say 'you're young you don't know what love is' like shut the hell up you don't actually know how someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-when-people-say-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-what-love-is-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's great when they say I'm young and I'm doing great things. It will get frustrating when they say: 'You're young, you don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-gauff/it-s-great-when-they-say-i-m-young-and-i-m-doing-great-things-it-will/) [Coco Gauff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-gauff/) > [They always say we're too young to love, but maybe they're too old to remember. - Wiz Khalifa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/they-always-say-we-re-too-young-to-love-but-maybe-they-re-too-old-to/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [It's like, God, I'm in my 80s. Nobody, when I die, is going to say, 'How young?' They're going to say she had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/it-s-like-god-i-m-in-my-80s-nobody-when-i-die-is-going-to-say-how/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [“In truth we were quickly reaching--had likely enough already reached--the age where it no longer made sense to talk about "promise." It was around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-r-beha/in-truth-we-were-quickly-reaching-had-likely-enough-already-reached/) Christopher R. Beha > [Being in love doesn't have an age limit, so I don't know why people always say your to young. I might be young but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-in-love-doesn-t-have-an-age-limit-so-i-don-t-know-why-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They say we're too young to love, but maybe they're just too old to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/they-say-we-re-too-young-to-love-but-maybe-they-re-just-too-old-to/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [The say we're too young to love but maybe they're too old to remember .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-aveyro/the-say-we-re-too-young-to-love-but-maybe-they-re-too-old-to-remember/) [Nathaniel Aveyro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-aveyro/) > [Some people say I'm too young, that I should go out and have fun. Don't try to be grown just be a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-latimore/some-people-say-i-m-too-young-that-i-should-go-out-and-have-fun-don-t/) [Jacob Latimore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-latimore/) ## More by Adam Gidwitz > [There is a certain kind of pain that can change you. Even the strongest sword, when placed in a raging fire, will soften and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/there-is-a-certain-kind-of-pain-that-can-change-you-even-the/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“In Hebrew, satan means an advocate of the alternative, the one who makes the arguments you don't know how to refute." Michelangelo looked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/in-hebrew-satan-means-an-advocate-of-the-alternative-the-one-who/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“Whoever destroys a single life destroys the whole world. And whoever saves a single life saves the whole world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/whoever-destroys-a-single-life-destroys-the-whole-world-and-whoever/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [Home is where you can be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/home-is-where-you-can-be-yourself/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“But Joringel had no chance to answer. For Jorinda ran at her brother and threw her arms around him and held him so tight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/but-joringel-had-no-chance-to-answer-for-jorinda-ran-at-her-brother/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“... They are to be stacked like logs, or thrown on a pyre, in the center of Paris,' Michelangelo explained. 'And they will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/they-are-to-be-stacked-like-logs-or-thrown-on-a-pyre-in-the-center-of/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [The oven became hotter and hotter, and Hansel began to sweat. Then a delicious smell wafted to his nostrils. Oh no! he thought. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/the-oven-became-hotter-and-hotter-and-hansel-began-to-sweat-then-a/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“And I read something else," Jacob goes on. "There was this discussion of the story of Cain and Abel, from the Bible. After Cain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/and-i-read-something-else-jacob-goes-on-there-was-this-discussion-of/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“She looked up, over the bandage that was nestled under her chin, and saw that the big-belly man with the red beard was starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/she-looked-up-over-the-bandage-that-was-nestled-under-her-chin-and/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“No matter how much wisdom is in a book, is it right to trade your life for it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/no-matter-how-much-wisdom-is-in-a-book-is-it-right-to-trade-your-life/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“When you are very pretty, people tend to remark on your looks. They smile at you more easily. They are more permissive of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/when-you-are-very-pretty-people-tend-to-remark-on-your-looks-they/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“Don't bring your morality around me. Morals is for people who's already got food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/don-t-bring-your-morality-around-me-morals-is-for-people-who-s/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“There is a wisdom in children, a kind of knowing, a kind of believing, that we, as adults, do not have. There is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/there-is-a-wisdom-in-children-a-kind-of-knowing-a-kind-of-believing/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [There is this weird thing that happens, when you stop worrying so much about what other people think of you...you suddenly start seeing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/there-is-this-weird-thing-that-happens-when-you-stop-worrying-so-much/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) > [“He’s a child. But he looks like the kind of child who has seen too much of life, who’s seen more than most adults.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gidwitz/he-s-a-child-but-he-looks-like-the-kind-of-child-who-has-seen-too/) [Adam Gidwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) [Explore all 33 Adam Gidwitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gidwitz/) ## More Saying quotes > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. 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It simply is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelo-tsanatelis/choose-your-battles-wisely-and-remember-what-the-heart-knows-walks/) [Angelo Tsanatelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelo-tsanatelis/) > [We are always saying: Let the Law take its Course but what we really mean is: Let the Law take OUR Course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-always-saying-let-the-law-take-its-course-but-what-we-really/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“Having a child is to show an absolute accord with mankind. If I have a child, it's as though I'm saying: I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/having-a-child-is-to-show-an-absolute-accord-with-mankind-if-i-have-a/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Oh, but there's such a difference between saying a thing yourself and hearing other people say it,' wailed Anne. 'You may know a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-but-there-s-such-a-difference-between-saying-a-thing-yourself-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' 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