--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All children are essentially criminal." description: "\"All children are essentially criminal.\" — Denis Diderot" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png" --- # All children are essentially criminal. ![“All children are essentially criminal.” quote by Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png) > “All children are essentially criminal.” [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children are viewed as inherently criminal, reflecting a pessimistic view of human nature. **In simple terms:** Children are seen as naturally criminal. Key Takeaway Challenge the assumption of innate criminality. Themes education psychology human nature Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - school curricula - parenting strategies - juvenile justice reform Key Concepts Nature vs. nurture moral development Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports or refutes innate criminality? - How can society nurture positive behavior? A Different Perspective Overlooks capacity for positive development and social influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-essentially-763525/) [Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially/) [Essentially Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially-criminal-3849712/) ## Related quotes > [The relation between parents and children is essentially based on teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-relation-between-parents-and-children-is-essentially-based-on/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“The dominant view was that children were essentially defective adults. They were defined by the things they didn’t know and couldn’t do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/the-dominant-view-was-that-children-were-essentially-defective-adults/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [I have never stuck up for any criminal. I have merely asked for the orderly administration of an impartial justice...Due legal process is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/i-have-never-stuck-up-for-any-criminal-i-have-merely-asked-for-the/) [Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/) > [Whenever you're going after something that belongs to you, anyone who's depriving you of the right to have it is a criminal. Understand that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/whenever-you-re-going-after-something-that-belongs-to-you-anyone-who/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Ignorance, when it is voluntary, is criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/ignorance-when-it-is-voluntary-is-criminal/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The true criminal must be defined as a man who commits a crime though he is as decently fed and clothed as others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshida-kenk/the-true-criminal-must-be-defined-as-a-man-who-commits-a-crime-though/) [Yoshida Kenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshida-kenk/) > [I sincerely believe that I have served a criminal. I led my soldiers in good conscience... but for a criminal government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-model/i-sincerely-believe-that-i-have-served-a-criminal-i-led-my-soldiers/) [Walter Model](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-model/) > [The last thing I would have ever expected to happen to me in my life would be that, in fact, I would be accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-lay/the-last-thing-i-would-have-ever-expected-to-happen-to-me-in-my-life/) [Kenneth Lay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-lay/) > [But certainly I didn't know he was doing anything that was criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-lay/but-certainly-i-didn-t-know-he-was-doing-anything-that-was-criminal/) [Kenneth Lay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-lay/) > [Vladimir Putin is a war criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/vladimir-putin-is-a-war-criminal/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Criminality is now legal. I guess criminal racketeering these days would be like burning little children at the stake or something. That's about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-jones/criminality-is-now-legal-i-guess-criminal-racketeering-these-days/) [Alex Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-jones/) > [A military without political training is a potential criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/a-military-without-political-training-is-a-potential-criminal/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [I'm not working-class: I come from the criminal classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-not-working-class-i-come-from-the-criminal-classes/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [No one prepares you at 7 years of age to have your father tell you he is a criminal - you are still a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-escobar/no-one-prepares-you-at-7-years-of-age-to-have-your-father-tell-you-he/) [Juan Pablo Escobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-escobar/) > [In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-holland-i-have-seen-well-meaning-principled-people-blinded-by/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) ## More by Denis Diderot > [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [One declaims endlessly against the passions; one imputes all of man's suffering to them. One forgets that they are also the source of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-declaims-endlessly-against-the-passions-one-imputes-all-of-man-s/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Time, matter, space - all, it may be, are no more than a point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/time-matter-space-all-it-may-be-are-no-more-than-a-point/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/we-are-far-more-liable-to-catch-the-vices-than-the-virtues-of-our/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [One composition is meagre, though it has many figures; another is rich, though it has few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-composition-is-meagre-though-it-has-many-figures-another-is-rich/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [I have only a small flickering light to guide me in the darkness of a thick forest. Up comes a theologian and blows it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/i-have-only-a-small-flickering-light-to-guide-me-in-the-darkness-of-a/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [The world is the house of the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/the-world-is-the-house-of-the-strong/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [“One swallows the lie that flatters, but sips the bitter truth drop by drop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-swallows-the-lie-that-flatters-but-sips-the-bitter-truth-drop-by/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [There is less harm to be suffered in being mad among madmen than in being sane all by oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/there-is-less-harm-to-be-suffered-in-being-mad-among-madmen-than-in/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Integrity is the evidence of all civil virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/integrity-is-the-evidence-of-all-civil-virtues/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/watch-out-for-the-fellow-who-talks-about-putting-things-in-order/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [“Nie wiem, co to zasady, chyba że tak nazywamy prawidła, które przypisuje się innym, a nie sobie. Myślę tak, a nie umiałbym się powstrzymać…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/nie-wiem-co-to-zasady-chyba-e-tak-nazywamy-prawid-a-kt-re-przypisuje/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [There is no good father who would want to resemble our Heavenly Father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/there-is-no-good-father-who-would-want-to-resemble-our-heavenly-father/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Isn't it better to have men being ungrateful than to miss a chance to do good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/isn-t-it-better-to-have-men-being-ungrateful-than-to-miss-a-chance-to/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [A nation which thinks that it is belief in God and not good law which makes people honest does not seem to me very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/a-nation-which-thinks-that-it-is-belief-in-god-and-not-good-law-which/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) [Explore all 210 Denis Diderot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) ## 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": "All children are essentially criminal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Denis Diderot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/all-children-are-essentially-criminal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/all-children-are-essentially-criminal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/denis-diderot-1536_children_all-children-are-essentially-criminal-12_1237448.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All children are essentially criminal.” — Denis Diderot", "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": "Denis Diderot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All children are essentially criminal.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/all-children-are-essentially-criminal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/all-children-are-essentially-criminal/#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 } } ] } ```