--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The goal in raising one's child is to…" description: "\"The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person who can be satisfied with himself ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/bruno-bettelheim-14782_able_the-goal-in-raising-one-s-child-is-to-en_19279.png" --- # The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first… ![“The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person who can be satisfied with himself and his way of life. Eventually he ought to be able to do in his life whatever seems important, desirable, and worthwhile to him to do; to develop…” quote by Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/bruno-bettelheim-14782_able_the-goal-in-raising-one-s-child-is-to-en_19279.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/bruno-bettelheim-14782_able_the-goal-in-raising-one-s-child-is-to-en_19279.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/bruno-bettelheim-14782_able_the-goal-in-raising-one-s-child-is-to-en_19279.png) > “The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person who can be satisfied with himself and his way of life. Eventually he ought to be able to do in his life whatever seems important, desirable, and worthwhile to him to do; to develop relations with other people that are constructive, satisfying, mutually enriching; and to bear up well under the stresses and hardships he will unavoidably encounter during his life.” [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parenting should foster self‑knowledge, self‑acceptance, purposeful action, healthy relationships, and resilience to life's inevitable challenges. **In simple terms:** Guide children to know themselves, act meaningfully, connect well, and endure hardship. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑awareness and resilience. Themes Self‑Discovery Purpose Relationships Resilience Personal Growth Mood Reflective Encouraging Type Philosophical Didactic When to use this quote - Adolescents choosing a career path - Young adults navigating friendships - Parents supporting a child through loss Key Concepts Identity Formation Intrinsic Motivation Social Connection Coping Skills Practical Applications - Family counseling - Life‑skill workshops Questions to Reflect On - How can parents balance guidance with allowing independent self‑exploration? - What practices help children develop lasting resilience? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Hardship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardship/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Satisfying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfying/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) [Worthwhile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthwhile/) ## Related quotes > [Various channels of dialogue must be kept open to build trust. I will meet North Korea's leader if it is needed to develop relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-geun-hye/various-channels-of-dialogue-must-be-kept-open-to-build-trust-i-will/) [Park Geun-hye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-geun-hye/) > [ We were also going to develop relations with the current administration \[of Barack Obama\], but somehow they did not work out well in key… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/we-were-also-going-to-develop-relations-with-the-current/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“There is something about raising a child that helps to sharpen one's sense of what is real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-is-something-about-raising-a-child-that-helps-to-sharpen-one-s/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Hillary Clinton famously talked about how raising a child takes a village. Except our society isn't set up that way. We're organized in nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-weymouth/hillary-clinton-famously-talked-about-how-raising-a-child-takes-a/) [Katharine Weymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-weymouth/) > [I was raising a child full time, sharing the responsibility with his mom. He lived with me half the time, so I chose not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-keaton/i-was-raising-a-child-full-time-sharing-the-responsibility-with-his/) [Michael Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-keaton/) > [Raising a child is very much like building a skyscraper. If the first few stories are slightly out of line. no one will notice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/raising-a-child-is-very-much-like-building-a-skyscraper-if-the-first/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [Raising a child is an on-the-job kind of thing. There arent a whole lot of manuals for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/raising-a-child-is-an-on-the-job-kind-of-thing-there-arent-a-whole/) [Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/) > [I think the best thing a parent can do, when raising a child, is simply get out of their way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-think-the-best-thing-a-parent-can-do-when-raising-a-child-is-simply/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In Taiwan there's a saying: Raising a child is more important than giving birth. Raising a child is greater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chien-ming-wang/in-taiwan-there-s-a-saying-raising-a-child-is-more-important-than/) [Chien-Ming Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chien-ming-wang/) > [I'm not the first to admit that raising a child in Park Slope, Brooklyn, can bear an embarrassing resemblance to the TV show 'Portlandia.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/i-m-not-the-first-to-admit-that-raising-a-child-in-park-slope/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [Well, I say that the most important job you can possibly have is raising a child, and it needs to be treated that way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/well-i-say-that-the-most-important-job-you-can-possibly-have-is/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Raising a child is an on-the-job kind of thing. There aren't a whole lot of manuals for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/raising-a-child-is-an-on-the-job-kind-of-thing-there-aren-t-a-whole/) [Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/) > [Raising a child is like taking care of someone who's on way too many shrooms, while you yourself are on a moderate amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-funches/raising-a-child-is-like-taking-care-of-someone-who-s-on-way-too-many/) Ron Funches > [The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pittman/the-end-product-of-child-raising-is-not-the-child-but-the-parent/) [Frank Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pittman/) ## More by Bruno Bettelheim > [The question for the child is not Do I want to be good? but Whom do I want to be like?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-question-for-the-child-is-not-do-i-want-to-be-good-but-whom-do-i/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Raising children is a creative endeavor, an art rather than a science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/raising-children-is-a-creative-endeavor-an-art-rather-than-a-science/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Since there are thousands of fairy tales, one may safely guess that there are probably equal numbers where the courage and determination of females…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/since-there-are-thousands-of-fairy-tales-one-may-safely-guess-that/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Not only is our love for our children sometimes tinged with annoyance, discouragement, and disappointment, the same is true for the love our children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/not-only-is-our-love-for-our-children-sometimes-tinged-with-annoyance/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [To be a good enough parent one must be able to feel secure in one's parenthood, and one's relation to one's child...The security of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/to-be-a-good-enough-parent-one-must-be-able-to-feel-secure-in-one-s/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Parents ought, through their own behavior and the values by which they live, to provide direction for their children. But they need to rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/parents-ought-through-their-own-behavior-and-the-values-by-which-they/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [The child intuitively comprehends that although these stories are unreal, they are not untrue ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-child-intuitively-comprehends-that-although-these-stories-are/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [No longer can we be satisfied with a life where the heart has its reasons which reason cannot know. Our hearts must know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/no-longer-can-we-be-satisfied-with-a-life-where-the-heart-has-its/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Plato--who may have understood better what forms the mind of man than do some of our contemporaries who want their children exposed only to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/plato-who-may-have-understood-better-what-forms-the-mind-of-man-than/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [The good enough parent, in addition to being convinced that whatever his child does, he does it because at that moment he is convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-good-enough-parent-in-addition-to-being-convinced-that-whatever/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [The fear of failure is so great, it is no wonder that the desire to do right by one's children has led to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-fear-of-failure-is-so-great-it-is-no-wonder-that-the-desire-to-do/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [The good enough mother, owing to her deep empathy with her infant, reflects in her face his feelings; this is why he sees himselfin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-good-enough-mother-owing-to-her-deep-empathy-with-her-infant/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [You can't teach children to be good. The best you can do for your child is to live a good life yourself. What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/you-can-t-teach-children-to-be-good-the-best-you-can-do-for-your/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [Play permits the child to resolve in symbolic form unsolved problems of the past and to cope directly or symbolically with present concerns. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/play-permits-the-child-to-resolve-in-symbolic-form-unsolved-problems/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) > [The ability to read becomes devalued when what one has learned to read adds nothing of importance to one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-bettelheim/the-ability-to-read-becomes-devalued-when-what-one-has-learned-to/) [Bruno Bettelheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) [Explore all 44 Bruno Bettelheim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-bettelheim/) ## More Able 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/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person who can be satisfied with himself and his way of life. 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