--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people seem as if they can never…" description: "\"Some people seem as if they can never have been children, and others seem as if they could never be anything else.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg" --- # Some people seem as if they can never have been children… ![“Some people seem as if they can never have been children, and others seem as if they could never be anything else.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg) > “Some people seem as if they can never have been children, and others seem as if they could never be anything else.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some people never retain childlike wonder, while others cannot imagine being anything else, highlighting a tension between imagination and identity. **In simple terms:** People can lose wonder or be stuck in one identity. Key Takeaway Balance curiosity with grounded self‑understanding. Themes imagination identity growth stagnation Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - career planning - mental health counseling - creative workshops Key Concepts childlike wonder self‑concept personal development Questions to Reflect On - How does your childhood affect your adult self? - Can you imagine a different identity? A Different Perspective May generalize individual experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-children-480714/) ## Related quotes > [Other people can have all the children they want. Some people ask for no-smoking sections. I ask for no children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/other-people-can-have-all-the-children-they-want-some-people-ask-for/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [I don't know why some people have children at all if they know that they can only take a few weeks off work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mem-fox/i-don-t-know-why-some-people-have-children-at-all-if-they-know-that/) [Mem Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mem-fox/) > [“I am convinced that an immense number of people who have children should not have them, and do not particularly want them, except as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/i-am-convinced-that-an-immense-number-of-people-who-have-children/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [I have spent so much time and so much energy making other people's children stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-lee-miller/i-have-spent-so-much-time-and-so-much-energy-making-other-people-s/) [Abby Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-lee-miller/) > [“In the jaundiced light of a streetlamp, Sarina realizes why people have children: to see the face of the one they love at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-helene-bertino/in-the-jaundiced-light-of-a-streetlamp-sarina-realizes-why-people/) [Marie-Helene Bertino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-helene-bertino/) > [If you ask me, most people have children just as their own enthusiasm about life begins to wane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-you-ask-me-most-people-have-children-just-as-their-own-enthusiasm/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [There's no such thing as other people's children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/there-s-no-such-thing-as-other-people-s-children/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [When you don't have kids and you're in a Catholic family - one of my sisters had 10 children in 11 years - she's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-schott/when-you-don-t-have-kids-and-you-re-in-a-catholic-family-one-of-my/) [Marge Schott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-schott/) > [I always try to see things with children's eyes. Are they happy? Sad? What do they need? Everywhere I went, I realized that children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-mouskouri/i-always-try-to-see-things-with-children-s-eyes-are-they-happy-sad/) [Nana Mouskouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-mouskouri/) > [Vimes's lack of interest in other people's children was limitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/vimes-s-lack-of-interest-in-other-people-s-children-was-limitless/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Mine is an unarmed people, whose children have never seen a fighter or a tank or a warship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/mine-is-an-unarmed-people-whose-children-have-never-seen-a-fighter-or/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [“Some people have children. I have books. Much more interesting and they never ask me for money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lincoln-fenn/some-people-have-children-i-have-books-much-more-interesting-and-they/) [J. Lincoln Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lincoln-fenn/) > [I have said to people I have six children, one son, four daughters, and a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/i-have-said-to-people-i-have-six-children-one-son-four-daughters-and/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [People who have children, by and large, want children. People who don't want children are people who, by and large, don't want to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/people-who-have-children-by-and-large-want-children-people-who-don-t/) [Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/) > [Telling people not to have children is unthinkable and inhumane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ackerman/telling-people-not-to-have-children-is-unthinkable-and-inhumane/) [Gary Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ackerman/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Some people seem as if they can never have been children, and others seem as if they could never be anything else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-have-been-children-and-others/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-have-been-children-and-others/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/anonymous-1_children_some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-ha_896827.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some people seem as if they can never have been children, and others seem as if they could never be anything…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Some people seem as if they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-have-been-children-and-others/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-seem-as-if-they-can-never-have-been-children-and-others/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```