--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a child shows himself incorrigible, he…" description: "\"If a child shows himself incorrigible, he should be decently and quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest he grow to maturity, marry, and perpetuate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png" --- # If a child shows himself incorrigible, he should be… ![“If a child shows himself incorrigible, he should be decently and quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest he grow to maturity, marry, and perpetuate his kind.” quote by Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png) > “If a child shows himself incorrigible, he should be decently and quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest he grow to maturity, marry, and perpetuate his kind.” [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) ## 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 satirically proposes extreme punishment for incorrigible children to prevent future societal harm. **In simple terms:** Extreme punishment is suggested to stop bad behavior. Key Takeaway Consider humane ways to guide youth. Themes morality punishment satire Mood critical thought‑provoking Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - education - legal systems - behavioral correction Key Concepts ethical dilemmas social control Questions to Reflect On - What are effective alternatives to harsh discipline? - How does satire affect moral discussions? A Different Perspective Violence is not a realistic or ethical solution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Beheaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beheaded-589594/) [Beheaded Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beheaded-age-2061366/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Incorrigible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incorrigible/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Maturity Marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity-marry-2061367/) [Quietly Beheaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quietly-beheaded-2061368/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Twelve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twelve/) ## Related quotes > [Children who have proven themselves to be incorrigible by the age of twelve should be quickly and quietly beheaded, lest they grow to maturity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/children-who-have-proven-themselves-to-be-incorrigible-by-the-age-of/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [We see images of people being beheaded on TV. That's not a thing that you see all the time. That's a different kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/we-see-images-of-people-being-beheaded-on-tv-that-s-not-a-thing-that/) [Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/) > [“Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on, Harry! Most people would think that’s good and beheaded, but oh, no, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/half-an-inch-of-skin-and-sinew-holding-my-neck-on-harry-most-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some fool beheaded him around one A.M.” – Zarek “Are you talking about the Native American Dark-Hunter stationed here?” – Abigail “Say you didn’t.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/some-fool-beheaded-him-around-one-a-m-zarek-are-you-talking-about-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Well now, Jack," Hastings said from the sidelines. "I'm afraid you've been beheaded. Not a good start." He sounded amused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/well-now-jack-hastings-said-from-the-sidelines-i-m-afraid-you-ve-been/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [“Strange Fruit Here is the girl's head like an exhumed gourd. Oval-faced, prune-skinned, prune-stones for teeth. They unswaddled the wet fern of her hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/strange-fruit-here-is-the-girl-s-head-like-an-exhumed-gourd-oval/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [I don't really know what is shocking. When you tell the story of a man who is beheaded, you have to show how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/i-don-t-really-know-what-is-shocking-when-you-tell-the-story-of-a-man/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [Every author ought to write every book as if he were going to be beheaded the day he finished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/every-author-ought-to-write-every-book-as-if-he-were-going-to-be/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [On his mounting the scaffold to be beheaded: 'I pray you, Master Lieutenant, see me safely up, and for my coming down, let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/on-his-mounting-the-scaffold-to-be-beheaded-i-pray-you-master/) [Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/) > [Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert, either buried or just lying out there, that have been beheaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/our-law-enforcement-agencies-have-found-bodies-in-the-desert-either/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [ \[On the legend that after being beheaded St. Denis walked six miles with his head in his hands:\] It is only the first step… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/on-the-legend-that-after-being-beheaded-st-denis-walked-six-miles/) [Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-anne-de-vichy-chamrond-marquise-du-deffand/) > [I was condemned to be beheaded, or burnt, as the king pleased; and he was graciously pleased, from the great remains of his love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-fielding/i-was-condemned-to-be-beheaded-or-burnt-as-the-king-pleased-and-he/) [Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-fielding/) > [Suckling frenzy at rubber breast. Beheaded busted a doll infect. Salty lotion, rubbed in open scratch. Removes hair and all self respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelspit/suckling-frenzy-at-rubber-breast-beheaded-busted-a-doll-infect-salty/) [Angelspit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelspit/) > [“CBS News reported in 2004 that Saudi Arabia recently beheaded 52 men and one woman for various crimes, including murder, homosexuality, armed robbery, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/cbs-news-reported-in-2004-that-saudi-arabia-recently-beheaded-52-men/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [You do not lament the loss of hair of one who has been beheaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/you-do-not-lament-the-loss-of-hair-of-one-who-has-been-beheaded/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) ## More by Don Marquis > [We pay for the mistakes of our ancestors, and it seems only fair that they should leave us the money to pay with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/we-pay-for-the-mistakes-of-our-ancestors-and-it-seems-only-fair-that/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [A certain alloy of expediency improves the gold of morality and makes it wear all the longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/a-certain-alloy-of-expediency-improves-the-gold-of-morality-and-makes/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [In all systems of theology the devil figures as a male person. Yes, it is women who keep the church going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/in-all-systems-of-theology-the-devil-figures-as-a-male-person-yes-it/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [“How often when they find a sage As sweet as Socrates or Plato They hand him hemlock for his wage Or bake him like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/how-often-when-they-find-a-sage-as-sweet-as-socrates-or-plato-they/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [Man cannot be uplifted; he must be seduced into virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/man-cannot-be-uplifted-he-must-be-seduced-into-virtue/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [An optimist is the person who has never had any experience at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/an-optimist-is-the-person-who-has-never-had-any-experience-at-all/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [For all of the creeds are false, and all of the creeds are true; And low at the shrines where my brothers bow, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/for-all-of-the-creeds-are-false-and-all-of-the-creeds-are-true-and/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [“Vibrations are the key to everything. Atoms used to be, but atoms have quite gone out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/vibrations-are-the-key-to-everything-atoms-used-to-be-but-atoms-have/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [Honesty is a good thing, but it is not profitable to its possessor unless it is kept under control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/honesty-is-a-good-thing-but-it-is-not-profitable-to-its-possessor/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [I once heard the survivors of a colony of ants that had been partially obliterated by a cow's foot seriously debating the intention of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/i-once-heard-the-survivors-of-a-colony-of-ants-that-had-been/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [He worked like hell in the country so he could live in the city, where he worked like hell so he could live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/he-worked-like-hell-in-the-country-so-he-could-live-in-the-city-where/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [An old stomach reforms more whiskey drinkers than a new resolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/an-old-stomach-reforms-more-whiskey-drinkers-than-a-new-resolve/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [Did you ever notice that when a politician does get an idea he usually gets it all wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/did-you-ever-notice-that-when-a-politician-does-get-an-idea-he/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [Poetry is what Milton saw when he went blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/poetry-is-what-milton-saw-when-he-went-blind/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [Blood will tell, but often it tells too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/blood-will-tell-but-often-it-tells-too-much/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) [Explore all 115 Don Marquis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [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/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a child shows himself incorrigible, he should be decently and quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest he grow to maturity, marry, and perpetuate his kind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Marquis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he-should-be-decently-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he-should-be-decently-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2e/don-marquis-4181_age_if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he_994945.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a child shows himself incorrigible, he should be decently and quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest…” — Don Marquis", "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": "Don Marquis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If a child shows himself incorrigible,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he-should-be-decently-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/if-a-child-shows-himself-incorrigible-he-should-be-decently-and/#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 } } ] } ```