--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see the children with their boredom and…" description: "\"I see the children with their boredom and their vacant stares.\" — Billy Joel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png" --- # I see the children with their boredom and their vacant… ![“I see the children with their boredom and their vacant stares.” quote by Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png) > “I see the children with their boredom and their vacant stares.” [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing disengaged youth, highlighting their emptiness and lack of engagement. **In simple terms:** Kids seem bored and detached. Key Takeaway Engage them with purpose. Themes youth disengagement empathy Mood concerned reflective Type observational social commentary When to use this quote - classroom - community programs - parenting - after‑school activities Key Concepts social observation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we create meaningful connections for disengaged youth? - What underlying factors cause their vacant stares? A Different Perspective Boredom may stem from systemic issues, not just individual apathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) ## Related quotes > [“He was hot. 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The one thing no one could ever forgive?” She stares hard into him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dunbar/what-s-the-one-thing-so-terrible-that-you-ve-never-told-anyone-the/) [Robert Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dunbar/) > [“You know the horrible life of the alarm clock – it’s a monster that has always appalled me because of the number of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-vache/you-know-the-horrible-life-of-the-alarm-clock-it-s-a-monster-that-has/) Jacques Vache > [His dark hair is perfectly recklessly up today, those tanned muscles flexing as he extends out his arms and does his little turn. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-evans/his-dark-hair-is-perfectly-recklessly-up-today-those-tanned-muscles/) [Katy Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-evans/) > [“The dread of being stares us in the eye, and in a deadly gush we perceive how the minds are dangling in threads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/the-dread-of-being-stares-us-in-the-eye-and-in-a-deadly-gush-we/) [Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/) > [ “\[A\]s I stepped over the curb, I became excruciatingly aware of my skin color, and my heart pounded with social anxiety. In going around… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-taylor/a-s-i-stepped-over-the-curb-i-became-excruciatingly-aware-of-my-skin/) [Jared Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-taylor/) > [“I love you,” he says as he stares into my eyes; I fight not to look away. “You may not hear me say this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-you-he-says-as-he-stares-into-my-eyes-i-fight-not-to-look-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It often happens that what stares us in the face is the most difficult to perceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/it-often-happens-that-what-stares-us-in-the-face-is-the-most/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [You don’t mind when he stares at you.” Cecil jerked his head toward Eldric. "He doesn’t stare,” I said. “He looks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/you-don-t-mind-when-he-stares-at-you-cecil-jerked-his-head-toward/) [Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/) > [“I love you,” he whispers before he pulls back and stares down into her eyes. “You’re gonna get really fucking tired of hearing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-beckett/i-love-you-he-whispers-before-he-pulls-back-and-stares-down-into-her/) [Madeleine Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-beckett/) > [“Look," I say at last. 'You know me. You know my life. I always thought-or hoped-" "You thought what?" "I just want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-grunwald/look-i-say-at-last-you-know-me-you-know-my-life-i-always-thought-or/) [Lisa Grunwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-grunwald/) > [“For a moment we sit in silence. Eventually, I turn to him and say, "Do you believe in God?" His eyes narrow for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-sparrow/for-a-moment-we-sit-in-silence-eventually-i-turn-to-him-and-say-do/) [Rebecca Sparrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-sparrow/) > [“Well at least your awake," he sighs "You had me worried." "Get your hands away from me." He waves sheathed fingers in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/well-at-least-your-awake-he-sighs-you-had-me-worried-get-your-hands/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“The way he stares at me—it’s as if he doesn’t even see the outside anymore. His eyes pierce me as if he can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/the-way-he-stares-at-me-it-s-as-if-he-doesn-t-even-see-the-outside/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) ## More by Billy Joel > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Only the good die young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/only-the-good-die-young/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I don't want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies, all I want is someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-don-t-want-some-pretty-face-to-tell-me-pretty-lies-all-i-want-is/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I've always said about 50% of what happens at a concert has to do with the audience. If you play for a dead audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-always-said-about-50-of-what-happens-at-a-concert-has-to-do-with/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [She's the quiet type who's into heavy metal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/she-s-the-quiet-type-who-s-into-heavy-metal/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Don't make music for some vast, unseen audience or market or ratings share or even for something as tangible as money. Though it's crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/don-t-make-music-for-some-vast-unseen-audience-or-market-or-ratings/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Usually when I'm writing, I try to write fairly quickly. If a song sits around too long, it starts to take on a stink.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/usually-when-i-m-writing-i-try-to-write-fairly-quickly-if-a-song-sits/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [My daughter sent me on a mission to get as many autographs as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/my-daughter-sent-me-on-a-mission-to-get-as-many-autographs-as-possible/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [ I was listening to stuff and I realized that I've had a lot of different lives. You know the theory \[that says\] every seven… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-was-listening-to-stuff-and-i-realized-that-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If you said good-bye to me tonight, There would still be music left to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-you-said-good-bye-to-me-tonight-there-would-still-be-music-left-to/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If I need a cause for celebration, Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind, I rely on my imagination, And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-i-need-a-cause-for-celebration-or-a-comfort-i-can-use-to-ease-my/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk and modern man accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-carrying-the-weight-of-all-the-useless-junk-and-modern-man/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [What will it take for you to believe in me, the way that I believe in you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/what-will-it-take-for-you-to-believe-in-me-the-way-that-i-believe-in/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) [Explore all 311 Billy Joel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More Boredom quotes > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think anyone wants to do the same thing over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bachmann/i-don-t-think-anyone-wants-to-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [Eric Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bachmann/) > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [We shop out of boredom, for release, for excitement, for a sense of achievement, for a sense of control over our unruly existences. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/we-shop-out-of-boredom-for-release-for-excitement-for-a-sense-of/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The worst sin, the ultimate sin for me, in anything, is to be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/the-worst-sin-the-ultimate-sin-for-me-in-anything-is-to-be-bored/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“To me, at least in retrospect, the really interesting question is why dullness proves to be such a powerful impediment to attention. Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Listen deeply. Meditate on that which is arising. Even if it's boredom or difficulty or maybe a feeling of being stuck, that in itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/listen-deeply-meditate-on-that-which-is-arising-even-if-it-s-boredom/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) [Browse all 1,505 Boredom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I see the children with their boredom and their vacant stares.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Joel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-and-their-vacant-stares/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boredom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-and-their-vacant-stares/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/billy-joel-1000_boredom_i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-an_2385324.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I see the children with their boredom and their vacant stares.” — Billy Joel", "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": "Billy Joel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I see the children with their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-and-their-vacant-stares/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-see-the-children-with-their-boredom-and-their-vacant-stares/#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 } } ] } ```