---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A child's instincts are often the most…"
description: "\"“A child's instincts are often the most honest.”\" — Brandon Sanderson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg"
---

#  A child's instincts are often the most honest.

![“A child's instincts are often the most honest.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg)

> ““A child's instincts are often the most honest.””

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

## About This Quote

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

Children often express truth without the filters adults develop, revealing raw honesty.

**In simple terms:** Kids speak honestly because they lack social masks.

Key Takeaway

Listen to children's perspectives for unfiltered insight.

Themes

honesty childhood authenticity perception

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- education
- creative brainstorming
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology of development social conditioning communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can adult bias distort a child's truth?
- What can we learn from children's candidness?

A Different Perspective

Adults may misinterpret child honesty as naivety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Instincts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-instincts-2369658/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Instincts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instincts/) [Instincts Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instincts-honest-2369659/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Act before you think - your instincts are more honest than your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanford-meisner/act-before-you-think-your-instincts-are-more-honest-than-your-thoughts/)

[Sanford Meisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanford-meisner/)

> [I don't know if I'm teaching my kids right, but you have to go with your own instincts. You can't be so sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-teaching-my-kids-right-but-you-have-to-go-with/)

[Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/)

> [“Our instincts may have even guided us to hide parts of ourselves in order to keep them alive when we were younger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes-2/our-instincts-may-have-even-guided-us-to-hide-parts-of-ourselves-in/)

[T.D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes-2/)

> [We believe that civilization has been created under the pressure of the exigencies of life at the cost of satisfaction of the instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-believe-that-civilization-has-been-created-under-the-pressure-of/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Performa's founder and prime mover, Roselee Goldberg, has great instincts for which artists might collaborate well together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-smith/performa-s-founder-and-prime-mover-roselee-goldberg-has-great/)

[Roberta Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberta-smith/)

> [“...because you have been purifying your fields for many incarnations so you no longer belong in the heavy density of the third dimension and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-rangel-gerry-o-malley/because-you-have-been-purifying-your-fields-for-many-incarnations-so/)

[Ana Rangel &amp; Gerry O'malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-rangel-gerry-o-malley/)

> [Trust your instincts: they tend to see you right. By listening to them, at least you can sleep at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trust-your-instincts-they-tend-to-see-you-right-by-listening-to-them/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My instincts are always against people who want to fasten some sort of hegemony onto things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/my-instincts-are-always-against-people-who-want-to-fasten-some-sort/)

[Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/)

> [“Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts; it may be all you have to trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-murray/sometimes-you-just-have-to-trust-your-instincts-it-may-be-all-you/)

[Jocelyn Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-murray/)

> [“He had all the self-preservation instincts of a bug near a shiny windshield.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/he-had-all-the-self-preservation-instincts-of-a-bug-near-a-shiny/)

[Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/)

> [There are seasons in life. Don't ever let anyone try to deny you the joy of one season because they believe you should stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-clayson/there-are-seasons-in-life-don-t-ever-let-anyone-try-to-deny-you-the/)

[Jane Clayson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-clayson/)

> [“You have permission to walk away from anything that doesn't feel right. Trust your instincts and listen to your inner-voice — it's trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-have-permission-to-walk-away-from-anything-that-doesn-t-feel/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [Instincts are a really important guide for any artist, but particularly filmmakers because it takes a lot to stay true to your instincts as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yance-ford/instincts-are-a-really-important-guide-for-any-artist-but/)

[Yance Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yance-ford/)

> [I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-be-myself-for-good-or-ill-and-see-what/)

[John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

## More by Brandon Sanderson

> [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

[Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“A child's instincts are often the most honest.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brandon Sanderson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-honest/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Child"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-honest/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/brandon-sanderson-112_child_a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-h_234847.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A child's instincts are often the most honest.” — Brandon Sanderson",
                "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": "Brandon Sanderson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“A child's instincts are often the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-honest/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/a-child-s-instincts-are-often-the-most-honest/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
