--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a child lives with approval, he learns…" description: "\"If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with himself.\" — Dorothy Nolte" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png" --- # If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with… ![“If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with himself.” quote by Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png) > “If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with himself.” [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children raised with approval develop self-acceptance, learning to live comfortably with themselves. **In simple terms:** Approval in childhood fosters self-acceptance. Key Takeaway Cultivate supportive environments. Themes self-esteem approval development Mood encouraging reflective Type self-help psychological When to use this quote - parenting - education - therapy - personal growth Key Concepts psychology parenting self-compassion Questions to Reflect On - How does external validation affect self-worth? - Can self-approval be taught? A Different Perspective Excessive approval can hinder independence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Best parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-parents/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-development/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children and parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-and-parents/) [Children learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-learning/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Early childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-childhood/) [Early childhood education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-childhood-education/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Parent child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent-child/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Raising a family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raising-a-family/) ## Related quotes > [Children do learn what they live. Then they grow up to live what they've learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/children-do-learn-what-they-live-then-they-grow-up-to-live-what-they/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [“Flowers live their lives with or without our approval, look how beautiful they are for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/flowers-live-their-lives-with-or-without-our-approval-look-how/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [The child lives in the book; but just as much the book lives in the child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/the-child-lives-in-the-book-but-just-as-much-the-book-lives-in-the/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Muslims have not ever been told to examine their faith in a critical way, so the shock is going to be even greater for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/muslims-have-not-ever-been-told-to-examine-their-faith-in-a-critical/) [Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/) > [As a child lives today, he will live tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/as-a-child-lives-today-he-will-live-tomorrow/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Every child lives up to the expectation you have for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-leman/every-child-lives-up-to-the-expectation-you-have-for-him/) [Kevin Leman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-leman/) > [“Children Learn What They Live. If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-law-neite/children-learn-what-they-live-if-a-child-lives-with-criticism-he-2/) Dorothy Law Neite > [The child lives in a world which he unhesitatingly believes accessible to all around him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/the-child-lives-in-a-world-which-he-unhesitatingly-believes/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [I see the face of a child. He lives in a great city. He is black. Or he is white. He is Mexican, Italian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-see-the-face-of-a-child-he-lives-in-a-great-city-he-is-black-or-he/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“The child you once were lives on within you unchanged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-child-you-once-were-lives-on-within-you-unchanged/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [When a woman feels the first grip of her child's dependence upon her, she has forever lost her freedom. If the child dies, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-moore-hubbard/when-a-woman-feels-the-first-grip-of-her-child-s-dependence-upon-her/) [Alice Moore Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-moore-hubbard/) > [However time or circumstances may come between mother and her child, their lives are interwoven forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/however-time-or-circumstances-may-come-between-mother-and-her-child/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [“Abandoned residential homes are common in the area—often the casualties of severe damage from hurricanes—but what I find fascinating is the mettle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-correll/abandoned-residential-homes-are-common-in-the-area-often-the/) Mike Correll > [“People drink alcohol to forget, they smoke pot to feel peaceful, they take cocaine and methamphetamines to be sharp and confident, whereas Ecstasy provides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/people-drink-alcohol-to-forget-they-smoke-pot-to-feel-peaceful-they/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Even harder was describing his sense that Shroom’s death might have ruined him for anything else, because when he died? when I felt his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/even-harder-was-describing-his-sense-that-shroom-s-death-might-have/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) ## More by Dorothy Nolte > [Children learn what they live. If a child lives with criticism... he learns to condemn. If he lives with hostility... he learns to fight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/children-learn-what-they-live-if-a-child-lives-with-criticism-he/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. ... If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive. ... If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-criticism-he-learns-to-condemn-if-a-child-lives/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [I did a series of classes in psychology (at the institute), .. The students that came to that class had children. And over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/i-did-a-series-of-classes-in-psychology-at-the-institute-the-students/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [Children do learn what they live. Then they grow up to live what they've learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/children-do-learn-what-they-live-then-they-grow-up-to-live-what-they/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-children-live-with-approval-they-learn-to-like-themselves/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If he lives with hostility, he learn s to fight. If a child lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-criticism-he-learns-to-condemn-if-he-lives-with/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-acceptance-and-friendship-he-learns-to-find/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) [Explore all 8 Dorothy Nolte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) ## More Approval quotes > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tehyi-hsieh/lean-too-much-on-the-approval-of-people-and-it-becomes-a-bed-of-thorns/) [Tehyi Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tehyi-hsieh/) > [But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/but-i-always-reassure-them-that-as-far-as-my-contractual-rights-can/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. It took me a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/growing-up-in-that-fashion-is-a-breeding-ground-for-insecurity-and/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the supreme court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/a-year-ago-my-approval-rating-was-in-the-30s-my-nominee-for-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Approval is a greater motivator than disapproval, but we have to disapprove on occasion when we correct. It’s necessary. I make corrections only after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/approval-is-a-greater-motivator-than-disapproval-but-we-have-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [These days people are mean to people just because they don't like the way they look. No-one should be hated because of their flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/these-days-people-are-mean-to-people-just-because-they-don-t-like-the/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [My dad taught me swears when I was a toddler, and I saw, at a really early age, that if I shocked people, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-dad-taught-me-swears-when-i-was-a-toddler-and-i-saw-at-a-really/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Comedy is a very approval-oriented field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/comedy-is-a-very-approval-oriented-field/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [Whenever you are too worried about someone else's approval, that person loses respect for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-argov/whenever-you-are-too-worried-about-someone-else-s-approval-that/) [Sherry Argov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-argov/) > [Pleasure is Nature's test, her sign of approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/pleasure-is-nature-s-test-her-sign-of-approval/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Do you really mean the only reason you try to be good is to gain God's approval and reward? That's not morality, that's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/do-you-really-mean-the-only-reason-you-try-to-be-good-is-to-gain-god/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 904 Approval quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Nolte" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns-to-live-with-himself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Approval" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns-to-live-with-himself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/dorothy-nolte-47040_approval_if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns_2086935.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a child lives with approval, he learns to live with himself.” — Dorothy Nolte", "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": "Dorothy Nolte", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If a child lives with approval,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns-to-live-with-himself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/if-a-child-lives-with-approval-he-learns-to-live-with-himself/#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 } } ] } ```