--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would never teach a child of mine to be…" description: "\"I would never teach a child of mine to be kind to a cop who would shoot you in the back of the head. I would never have that conversation because child..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/dick-gregory-3266_be-kind_i-would-never-teach-a-child-of-mine-to-b_422062.jpg" --- # I would never teach a child of mine to be kind to a cop… ![“I would never teach a child of mine to be kind to a cop who would shoot you in the back of the head. I would never have that conversation because children don't hear what you mean, they hear what you say.” quote by Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/dick-gregory-3266_be-kind_i-would-never-teach-a-child-of-mine-to-b_422062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/dick-gregory-3266_be-kind_i-would-never-teach-a-child-of-mine-to-b_422062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/dick-gregory-3266_be-kind_i-would-never-teach-a-child-of-mine-to-b_422062.jpg) > “I would never teach a child of mine to be kind to a cop who would shoot you in the back of the head. I would never have that conversation because children don't hear what you mean, they hear what you say.” [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that teaching children to trust authority figures who may harm them is futile, as children interpret words literally and may not grasp nuanced warnings. **In simple terms:** Teaching kids to trust dangerous authority is ineffective. Key Takeaway Be cautious about who you model for children. Themes trust authority parenting Mood cautious reflective Type advice social commentary When to use this quote - family discussions - school safety - community activism - personal boundaries Key Concepts critical thinking social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How can parents convey safety without oversimplifying? - What alternatives exist for teaching critical awareness? A Different Perspective Children may misinterpret nuanced advice, leading to false security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop/) ## Related quotes > [“Daisy was starting to feel like the kind of cop you only ever see in movies: tough, hard-bitten, and perfectly ready to buck the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/daisy-was-starting-to-feel-like-the-kind-of-cop-you-only-ever-see-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Children need practice dealing with other people. With people, practice never leads to perfect. But perfect isn’t the goal. Perfect is the goal only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brockman/children-need-practice-dealing-with-other-people-with-people-practice/) [John Brockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brockman/) > [Sixty-five percent of Americans don't have the conversation with their children. So you're sending off boys and girls off to college, off to high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariska-hargitay/sixty-five-percent-of-americans-don-t-have-the-conversation-with/) [Mariska Hargitay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariska-hargitay/) > [If you just got enough expertise and enough special techniques and read up enough, then you could shape a child into the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/if-you-just-got-enough-expertise-and-enough-special-techniques-and/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [“You dream too much, child. Our kind, we make our way with strong backs and closed mouths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/you-dream-too-much-child-our-kind-we-make-our-way-with-strong-backs/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [You know, as an only child, you're kind of in a bubble, and there are all sorts of things about my childhood that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-as-an-only-child-you-re-kind-of-in-a-bubble-and-there-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The fastest way to teach a child to read is to teach them to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mem-fox/the-fastest-way-to-teach-a-child-to-read-is-to-teach-them-to-write/) [Mem Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mem-fox/) > [The important thing is to teach a child that good can always triumph over evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-important-thing-is-to-teach-a-child-that-good-can-always-triumph/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Perhaps that is what it means to be a father-to teach your child to live without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/perhaps-that-is-what-it-means-to-be-a-father-to-teach-your-child-to/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“A literary expert friend once told me that the way to teach your child to love and respect reading is not to read to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-karbo/a-literary-expert-friend-once-told-me-that-the-way-to-teach-your/) [Karen Karbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-karbo/) > [“You can teach a child the importance of pain by your behavior. You can also teach as child the importance of no pain by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-erickson/you-can-teach-a-child-the-importance-of-pain-by-your-behavior-you-can/) [Milton Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-erickson/) > [Teach a child good manners during babyhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nachman-of-breslov/teach-a-child-good-manners-during-babyhood/) [Nachman of Breslov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nachman-of-breslov/) > [“is more effective to train that subconscious, emotional you the same way you would teach a child to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/is-more-effective-to-train-that-subconscious-emotional-you-the-same/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [The parents exist to teach the child, but also they must learn what the child has to teach them; and the child has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-parents-exist-to-teach-the-child-but-also-they-must-learn-what/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [“Teachers, you don't teach a subject, you teach a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepa-bhushan/teachers-you-don-t-teach-a-subject-you-teach-a-child/) Deepa Bhushan ## More by Dick Gregory > [My belief is, you know, certain things have to be explained that's never been explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/my-belief-is-you-know-certain-things-have-to-be-explained-that-s/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [You hear entertainers all the time, saying, 'If I couldn't get paid for this, I'd do it for free.' When's the last time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/you-hear-entertainers-all-the-time-saying-if-i-couldn-t-get-paid-for/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [What price would God demand from the churches for having the audacity to lighten the color of his son's skin, and straighten out his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/what-price-would-god-demand-from-the-churches-for-having-the-audacity/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [In the South they don't mind how close I get, so long as I don't get too big. In the North they don't mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/in-the-south-they-don-t-mind-how-close-i-get-so-long-as-i-don-t-get/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [Eating liver out of a cow's body is like eating the filter out of a car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/eating-liver-out-of-a-cow-s-body-is-like-eating-the-filter-out-of-a/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I never learned hate at home, or shame. 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Everything has changed except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/once-we-used-to-have-to-crank-up-our-cars-now-you-can-pop-it-on-from/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) [Explore all 135 Dick Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) ## More Be kind quotes > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [Volunteer. Find ways to be useful. Be kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-black/volunteer-find-ways-to-be-useful-be-kind/) [Claudia Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-black/) > [Remember to be kind. Remember to be loving. Remember to feel all your feelings and to take care of yourself. But most of all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/remember-to-be-kind-remember-to-be-loving-remember-to-feel-all-your/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let me be patient, let me be kind, make me unselfish, without being blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/let-me-be-patient-let-me-be-kind-make-me-unselfish-without-being-blind/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [But I believed in starting over. There was finally, I knew, only rupture and hurt and falling short between all persons, but, Shirley, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/but-i-believed-in-starting-over-there-was-finally-i-knew-only-rupture/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. 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Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [At least with pets, and for all I know, people too, intelligence and quick-wittedness have nothing to do with a talent for being loved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/at-least-with-pets-and-for-all-i-know-people-too-intelligence-and/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“A part of a healthy conscience is being able to confront consciencelessness. When you teach your daughter, explicitly or by passive rejection, that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/a-part-of-a-healthy-conscience-is-being-able-to-confront/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [Don't let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. 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