---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children should show great understanding…"
description: "\"“Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups”\" — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png"
---

#  Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups

![“Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups” quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png)

> ““Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups””

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Children should practice empathy toward adults, recognizing their perspectives.

**In simple terms:** Kids should understand grown‑ups.

Key Takeaway

Teach empathy early.

Themes

empathy generational understanding growth

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- school classrooms
- family meals
- community projects
- mentoring

Key Concepts

developmental psychology education social skills

Questions to Reflect On

- How can children learn empathy?
- What adult behaviors teach empathy?

A Different Perspective

Adults may not always model empathy themselves.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Grown Ups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown-ups/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

## Related quotes

> [I think you have a great understanding of the game of football the more you go through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-herbert/i-think-you-have-a-great-understanding-of-the-game-of-football-the/)

[Justin Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-herbert/)

> [“Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy. Great words are clear and limpid; little words are shrill and quarrelsome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuang-chou/great-understanding-is-broad-and-unhurried-little-understanding-is/)

Chuang Chou

> [Great pain, when it is honored from the heart, opens into great understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/great-pain-when-it-is-honored-from-the-heart-opens-into-great/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [For me, an ideal relationship is about supporting each other and having great understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-aaryan/for-me-an-ideal-relationship-is-about-supporting-each-other-and/)

[Kartik Aaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kartik-aaryan/)

> [“He who is slow to anger has great understanding,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kendrick/he-who-is-slow-to-anger-has-great-understanding/)

[Alex Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kendrick/)

> [Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/great-understanding-is-broad-and-unhurried-little-understanding-is-2/)

[Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/)

> [“I showed the grown ups my masterpiece, and I asked them if my drawing scared them. They answered:"why be scared of a hat?" My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/i-showed-the-grown-ups-my-masterpiece-and-i-asked-them-if-my-drawing/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You talk just like the grown-ups! That made me a little ashamed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-talk-just-like-the-grown-ups-that-made-me-a-little-ashamed/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through the walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/but-i-alas-do-not-know-how-to-see-sheep-through-the-walls-of-boxes/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Children should be very understanding of grown-ups”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/children-should-be-very-understanding-of-grown-ups/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Small children are great accepters. They don’t understand shame, or the need to hide things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/small-children-are-great-accepters-they-don-t-understand-shame-or-the/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Poor or rich, black or white, quiet or naughty, mentally defective or sharp-witted, thin or fat, all children are great!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/poor-or-rich-black-or-white-quiet-or-naughty-mentally-defective-or/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I have great respect for children. And I have great respect for their ability as writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-maclachlan/i-have-great-respect-for-children-and-i-have-great-respect-for-their/)

[Patricia MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-maclachlan/)

> [“Not long ago, two children in Great Park made a quest: a boy who sought a way to talk through the thing he dreaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mains/not-long-ago-two-children-in-great-park-made-a-quest-a-boy-who-sought/)

[David Mains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mains/)

> [What we loved about the movies we watched as children was the great character work. They are all about the place where the ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-duffer/what-we-loved-about-the-movies-we-watched-as-children-was-the-great/)

[Matt Duffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-duffer/)

## More by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/perfection-is-finally-attained-not-when-there-is-no-longer-anything/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“But for fear of disheartening them, we also spoke to them of disappointments and the bitter taste that rest has after a useless action.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/but-for-fear-of-disheartening-them-we-also-spoke-to-them-of/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-stars-are-beautiful-because-of-a-flower-that-cannot-be-seen/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are beautiful but you are empty. One could not die for you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-beautiful-but-you-are-empty-one-could-not-die-for-you/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“And the fox said to the little prince: men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-the-fox-said-to-the-little-prince-men-have-forgotten-this-truth/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-now-here-is-my-secret-a-very-simple-secret-it-is-only-with-the/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Flying is a man's job and its worries are a man's worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/flying-is-a-man-s-job-and-its-worries-are-a-man-s-worries/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Loneliness is bred of a mind that has grown earth-bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/loneliness-is-bred-of-a-mind-that-has-grown-earth-bound/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Stretched out before the fire I looked at the glowing fruit and said to myself that men did not know what an orange was.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/stretched-out-before-the-fire-i-looked-at-the-glowing-fruit-and-said/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

[Explore all 719 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## More Child quotes

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [“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 parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/)

[LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/)

[Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

[Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/children-should-show-great-understanding-towards-grown-ups/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Child"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/children-should-show-great-understanding-towards-grown-ups/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_child_children-should-show-great-understanding_2309193.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Children should show great understanding towards grown-ups” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
                "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": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Children should show great understanding towards...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/children-should-show-great-understanding-towards-grown-ups/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/children-should-show-great-understanding-towards-grown-ups/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
