--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you look at them as babies in the…" description: "\"“When you look at them as babies in the cradle, you never know what they are going to become, but you always hope for the best.”\" — Elizabeth Chadwick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg" --- # When you look at them as babies in the cradle, you never… ![“When you look at them as babies in the cradle, you never know what they are going to become, but you always hope for the best.” quote by Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg) > ““When you look at them as babies in the cradle, you never know what they are going to become, but you always hope for the best.”” [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children's futures are unknown, yet hope persists regardless of uncertainty. **In simple terms:** We hope for the best despite unknown futures. Key Takeaway Nurture hope while accepting uncertainty. Themes hope uncertainty future Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - education - career planning Key Concepts optimism human development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance hope with realistic planning? - What fuels your hope for others? A Different Perspective Hope may lead to unrealistic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope for the best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-for-the-best/) ## Related quotes > [Men look at breasts the way women look at babies. 'Aw, isn't that lovely?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/men-look-at-breasts-the-way-women-look-at-babies-aw-isn-t-that-lovely/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [I have a 'hope for the best, expect the worst' mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-have-a-hope-for-the-best-expect-the-worst-mentality/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [I didn't vote for Trump. So we've got him. Let's hope for the best. He might do something good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-shiller/i-didn-t-vote-for-trump-so-we-ve-got-him-let-s-hope-for-the-best-he/) [Robert J. Shiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-shiller/) > [Sometimes alls you can do is move on and hope for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-alls-you-can-do-is-move-on-and-hope-for-the-best/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You never know what people are going to respond to or want in your work, and you just hope for the best when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mccarroll/you-never-know-what-people-are-going-to-respond-to-or-want-in-your/) Jay McCarroll > [Hope for the best, plan for the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/hope-for-the-best-plan-for-the-worst/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [Hope for the best, expect the worst and you will be less shocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hope-for-the-best-expect-the-worst-and-you-will-be-less-shocked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In this life you've got to hope for the best, prepare for the worst and take whatever God sends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/in-this-life-you-ve-got-to-hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [Hope for the best, get ready for the worst, and then take what God chooses to send.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/hope-for-the-best-get-ready-for-the-worst-and-then-take-what-god/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [You don't ever know with films. You just hope for the best, but sometimes it's a bit of a crapshoot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/you-don-t-ever-know-with-films-you-just-hope-for-the-best-but/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [Nature does not pile up 1000 hogs, then hope for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-dye-gussow/nature-does-not-pile-up-1000-hogs-then-hope-for-the-best/) Joan Dye Gussow > [I've done a lot of shows that didn't do well. You have to go in with a 50-50 take on it. If it goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-righetti/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-shows-that-didn-t-do-well-you-have-to-go-in-with-a/) [Amanda Righetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-righetti/) > [Hope for the best and work for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/hope-for-the-best-and-work-for-it/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [Hope for the best is what we do, right from the moment we're born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/hope-for-the-best-is-what-we-do-right-from-the-moment-we-re-born/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-am-prepared-for-the-worst-but-hope-for-the-best/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) ## More by Elizabeth Chadwick > [“The language of power was exercised in more than just words. It was presence and thought; it was gesture and timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/the-language-of-power-was-exercised-in-more-than-just-words-it-was/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“All that remains is regret for what might have been. It is like standing in the ashes of a fire you once approached to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/all-that-remains-is-regret-for-what-might-have-been-it-is-like/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“What good is having the heart of a lion if you cannot roar?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/what-good-is-having-the-heart-of-a-lion-if-you-cannot-roar/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“I have memories of him that are like jewels, and others that are stones but my memories of you are always consistent, Mama." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/i-have-memories-of-him-that-are-like-jewels-and-others-that-are/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“Alienor glanced across at the girls who were still oblivious of their fate as they sat over their game of chess. They had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/alienor-glanced-across-at-the-girls-who-were-still-oblivious-of-their/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“Did he think to win them over like this? She remembered the boyish charm he had once possessed and wondered where it had gone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/did-he-think-to-win-them-over-like-this-she-remembered-the-boyish/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“Indeed, she had started to wonder if her blessings might be in her daughters and their progeny rather than in her sons. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/indeed-she-had-started-to-wonder-if-her-blessings-might-be-in-her/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“She crossed herself and gazed at the windows, shedding rainbow colours on the chapel's stone floor. The light from these windows shone just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/she-crossed-herself-and-gazed-at-the-windows-shedding-rainbow-colours/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“For a man who professed to love God, he was filled with the vinegar of hatred and self-righteousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/for-a-man-who-professed-to-love-god-he-was-filled-with-the-vinegar-of/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“No use wishing to be like other folks,' the maid said shrewdly. 'You have to learn to live at peace within your own skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/no-use-wishing-to-be-like-other-folks-the-maid-said-shrewdly-you-have/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“That you should choose your battles wisely. You cannot fight everything and win. Sometimes the price of losing is beyond what you can afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/that-you-should-choose-your-battles-wisely-you-cannot-fight/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“It came to him that life moved in circles like the ripples radiating from a stone cast into a pool. . . Now he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/it-came-to-him-that-life-moved-in-circles-like-the-ripples-radiating/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“I know the difference between the confection of live as sung in a minstrel's tale and the sustaining bread of love in reality, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/i-know-the-difference-between-the-confection-of-live-as-sung-in-a/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“While writing The Summer Queen, I was constantly told that Alienor was a “woman ahead of her time.” But my own take is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/while-writing-the-summer-queen-i-was-constantly-told-that-alienor-was/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) > [“Fight for your lord, fight for his honour, but never forget that you were fighting for yourself too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/fight-for-your-lord-fight-for-his-honour-but-never-forget-that-you/) [Elizabeth Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) [Explore all 53 Elizabeth Chadwick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/) ## More Cradle quotes > [One must accept the fact that we have only one companion in this world, a companion who accompanies us from the cradle to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/one-must-accept-the-fact-that-we-have-only-one-companion-in-this/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/tolkien-can-say-that-aragorn-became-king-and-reigned-for-a-hundred/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [You can’t bring an unwritten place to life without losing something substantial. Manila is the cradle, the graveyard, the memory. The Mecca, the Cathedral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/you-can-t-bring-an-unwritten-place-to-life-without-losing-something/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) > [The job of the government - and my responsibility - is to help people live healthier lives. The framework is about giving local authorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/the-job-of-the-government-and-my-responsibility-is-to-help-people/) [Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/) > [That government is best which governs the least, so taught the courageous founders of this nation. This simple declaration is diametrically opposed to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/that-government-is-best-which-governs-the-least-so-taught-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/christianity-is-the-companion-of-liberty-in-all-its-conflicts-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Snuggle in God's arms. When you are hurting, when you feel lonely, left out. let Him cradle you, comfort you, reassure you of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/snuggle-in-god-s-arms-when-you-are-hurting-when-you-feel-lonely-left/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [What happens: events interiors, snatch them from the cradle, from the source. I want to watch watching arrive. I want to watch arrivances. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/what-happens-events-interiors-snatch-them-from-the-cradle-from-the/) [Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/) > [Dead is the cradle of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoni-lange/dead-is-the-cradle-of-everything/) [Antoni Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoni-lange/) > [Every child was taught from his cradle that money was Mammon, the chief agent of the flesh and the devil. As he grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-harding-davis/every-child-was-taught-from-his-cradle-that-money-was-mammon-the/) [Rebecca Harding Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-harding-davis/) > [My mother's only wish was to start a life in America because America was the cradle of every promise and opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masiela-lusha/my-mother-s-only-wish-was-to-start-a-life-in-america-because-america/) [Masiela Lusha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masiela-lusha/) > [The problem with water, though, is that the shortfalls don't show up until the very end. You can go on pumping unsustainably until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-problem-with-water-though-is-that-the-shortfalls-don-t-show-up/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) Browse all 393 Cradle quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When you look at them as babies in the cradle, you never know what they are going to become, but you always hope for the best.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Chadwick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-cradle-you-never-know-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cradle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-cradle-you-never-know-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/elizabeth-chadwick-12740_cradle_when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-c_2682383.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you look at them as babies in the cradle, you never know what they are going to become, but you always…” — Elizabeth Chadwick", "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": "Elizabeth Chadwick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chadwick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When you look at them as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-cradle-you-never-know-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chadwick/when-you-look-at-them-as-babies-in-the-cradle-you-never-know-what/#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 } } ] } ```