--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A father acts on behalf of his children…" description: "\"“A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in their..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg" --- # A father acts on behalf of his children by working… ![“A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self. Every attempt to live as if he were alone…” quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg) > ““A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self. Every attempt to live as if he were alone is a denial of the fact that he is actually responsible. He cannot escape the responsibility, which is his because he is a father. This reality refutes the fictitious notion that the isolated individual is the agent of all ethical behavior. It is not the isolated individual but the responsible person who is the proper agent to be considered in ethical reflection.”” [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A father’s identity is intertwined with his children’s needs; his moral agency is shared, not isolated. **In simple terms:** Fatherhood means sharing responsibility, not acting alone. Key Takeaway Embrace shared responsibility. Themes ethics family responsibility identity Mood reflective serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - parenting - leadership - community building - ethical decision making Key Concepts interdependence moral agency collective self Questions to Reflect On - How does shared identity shape moral choices? - Can one be truly ethical alone? A Different Perspective Individualism ignores relational duties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Ethical behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical-behavior/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children-by-working-providing-2/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [But there is something to be said for having one individual who is responsible entirely for the capital commitment. And it's not WWE; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-luck/but-there-is-something-to-be-said-for-having-one-individual-who-is/) [Oliver Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-luck/) > [“Network Administrator or the individual responsible for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amazon/network-administrator-or-the-individual-responsible-for/) Amazon > [Who stands firm? Only the one for whom the final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, his virtue, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-stands-firm-only-the-one-for-whom-the-final-standard-is-not-his/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The responsible person seeks to make his whole life a response to the question and call of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-responsible-person-seeks-to-make-his-whole-life-a-response-to-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The best way to avoid trouble is to share responsibility,” his father had taught him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-best-way-to-avoid-trouble-is-to-share-responsibility-his-father/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Be there...care...and put your children first in your life. When you are given the awesome responsibility of being a father, that is the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-harbaugh/be-there-care-and-put-your-children-first-in-your-life-when-you-are/) [John Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-harbaugh/) > [The responsibility of a father does not end Untill his death , even though he might be a stepfather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-responsibility-of-a-father-does-not-end-untill-his-death-even/) Mak\_786 > [“Daddy. I was struck with the magnitude of what that meant, the responsibility of being a father. Waves of devotion swept through me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-jackson/daddy-i-was-struck-with-the-magnitude-of-what-that-meant-the/) [A.L. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-jackson/) > [ At 15 \[my father\] revolted against his father like any teenager, and said, "I'm out of here! What are you doing to me?" He… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/at-15-my-father-revolted-against-his-father-like-any-teenager-and/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [Your responsibility as a father and a husband transcends any other interest in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/your-responsibility-as-a-father-and-a-husband-transcends-any-other/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [Tender expressions of love and affection toward children are as much the responsibility of the father as the mother. Tell your children you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/tender-expressions-of-love-and-affection-toward-children-are-as-much/) [Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/) > [I have a big responsibility as a father. That helps me to be more sensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marko-arnautovic/i-have-a-big-responsibility-as-a-father-that-helps-me-to-be-more/) [Marko Arnautovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marko-arnautovic/) > [A country should be defended not by arms, but by ethical behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/a-country-should-be-defended-not-by-arms-but-by-ethical-behavior/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [Man is an animal with primary instincts of survival. Consequently his ingenuity has developed first and his soul afterwards. The progress of science is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/man-is-an-animal-with-primary-instincts-of-survival-consequently-his/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) ## More by Dietrich Bonhoeffer > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/only-he-who-believes-is-obedient-and-only-he-who-is-obedient-believes/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The church can only defend its own space by fighting, not for space, but for the salvation of the world. Otherwise the church becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-can-only-defend-its-own-space-by-fighting-not-for-space/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/to-endure-the-cross-is-not-a-tragedy-it-is-the-suffering-which-is-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“There is only one church, the church of faith ruled by the word of Jesus Christ alone. This is the true catholic church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-only-one-church-the-church-of-faith-ruled-by-the-word-of/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“As Christians, we needn’t be at all ashamed of some impatience, longing, opposition to what is unnatural, and our full share of desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/as-christians-we-needn-t-be-at-all-ashamed-of-some-impatience-longing/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-love-their-dream-of-a-christian-community-more-than-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“From now on there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/from-now-on-there-can-be-no-more-wars-of-faith-the-only-way-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The scriptures do not present us with a series of Christian types to be imitated according to choice; they preach to us in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-scriptures-do-not-present-us-with-a-series-of-christian-types-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-not-to-simply-bandage-the-wounds-of-victims-beneath-the-wheels/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) [Explore all 711 Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## 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": "“A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for them. In so doing, he really stands in their place. He is not an isolated individual, but incorporates the selves of several people in his own self. Every attempt to live as if he were alone is a denial of the fact that he is actually responsible. He cannot escape the responsibility, which is his because he is a father. This reality refutes the fictitious notion that the isolated individual is the agent of all ethical behavior. It is not the isolated individual but the responsible person who is the proper agent to be considered in ethical reflection.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children-by-working-providing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children-by-working-providing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_children_a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children_1555767.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A father acts on behalf of his children by working, providing, intervening, struggling, and suffering for…” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "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": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A father acts on behalf of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children-by-working-providing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-father-acts-on-behalf-of-his-children-by-working-providing/#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 } } ] } ```