--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not programmed to bury our kids." description: "\"We are not programmed to bury our kids.\" — Eric Holder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg" --- # We are not programmed to bury our kids. ![“We are not programmed to bury our kids.” quote by Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg) > “We are not programmed to bury our kids.” [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature resists harming children, indicating a deep moral aversion to harming the innocent. **In simple terms:** People naturally protect children. Key Takeaway Recognize and nurture innate empathy. Themes ethics human nature protection morality Mood empathetic serious Type ethical social When to use this quote - parenting - policy making - child welfare - education - community building Key Concepts innate empathy psychological aversion social contract Questions to Reflect On - Why do we feel stronger protection toward children? - Can this instinct be extended to other vulnerable groups? A Different Perspective Cultural differences may affect this instinct. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bury/) [Bury Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bury-kids-2705039/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Programmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmed/) [Programmed Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmed-bury-2705040/) ## Related quotes > [I have programmed myself to be at least 105 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleg-cassini/i-have-programmed-myself-to-be-at-least-105-years-old/) [Oleg Cassini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleg-cassini/) > [Little by little, in subtle ways, you get programmed. You create beliefs that get cemented in your personality. You don't realize you are doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-gage/little-by-little-in-subtle-ways-you-get-programmed-you-create-beliefs/) [Randy Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-gage/) > [Men let women down. Over and over again. I'ts what they're programmed to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-jensen/men-let-women-down-over-and-over-again-i-ts-what-they-re-programmed/) [Liz Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-jensen/) > [Man is programmed to find the programmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/man-is-programmed-to-find-the-programmer/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [“We are programmed to succeed from birth, but we deprogram ourselves with believes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-marques/we-are-programmed-to-succeed-from-birth-but-we-deprogram-ourselves/) [Daniel Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-marques/) > [“And, interestingly enough, it’s in the service of others that we come alive as men as we have been biologically programmed to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-michler/and-interestingly-enough-it-s-in-the-service-of-others-that-we-come/) [Ryan Michler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-michler/) > [Every human being has to feel a part of a tribe. It's programmed into us. And you have to feel that you're contributing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hatfill/every-human-being-has-to-feel-a-part-of-a-tribe-it-s-programmed-into/) [Steven Hatfill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hatfill/) > [We all eat two to six times a day. Why? Because we are supposed to, we are programmed to, we want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-achatz/we-all-eat-two-to-six-times-a-day-why-because-we-are-supposed-to-we/) [Grant Achatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-achatz/) > [My memory is programmed to last about as long as an egg-timer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/my-memory-is-programmed-to-last-about-as-long-as-an-egg-timer/) [Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/) > [“„You know, life is just programmed chaos. Everybody starts out on one side—that’s the programmed part. But then chaos happens, and our album flips.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstin-cronn-mills/you-know-life-is-just-programmed-chaos-everybody-starts-out-on-one/) [Kirstin Cronn-Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstin-cronn-mills/) > [I would never know how to sell myself as a sex symbol. That's not how I'm programmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/i-would-never-know-how-to-sell-myself-as-a-sex-symbol-that-s-not-how/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) > [In the emerging, highly programmed landscape ahead, you will either create the software or you will be the software. It's really that simple: Program,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/in-the-emerging-highly-programmed-landscape-ahead-you-will-either/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [When I started running, the pain barrier was very familiar to me, and I had no problem pushing beyond the pain. When for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/when-i-started-running-the-pain-barrier-was-very-familiar-to-me-and-i/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [I have actually programmed a fair bit in Perl, like I have C++ code published with my name on it. Other things I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-naggum/i-have-actually-programmed-a-fair-bit-in-perl-like-i-have-c-code/) [Erik Naggum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-naggum/) > [We are born into a world in which sexual possibilities are narrowly circumscribed. . . . We are programmed by the culture as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/we-are-born-into-a-world-in-which-sexual-possibilities-are-narrowly/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) ## More by Eric Holder > [Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/though-this-nation-has-proudly-thought-of-itself-as-an-ethnic-melting/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [The full resources of the Department of Justice have been committed to the investigation into Michael Brown's death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/the-full-resources-of-the-department-of-justice-have-been-committed/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Ferguson and St. Louis County are not the first places that we have become engaged to ensure fair and equitable policing, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/ferguson-and-st-louis-county-are-not-the-first-places-that-we-have/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Some have argued that the President is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/some-have-argued-that-the-president-is-required-to-get-permission/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [I look forward to working with the NRA to come up with ways in which we can use common sense approaches to reduce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-look-forward-to-working-with-the-nra-to-come-up-with-ways-in-which/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [This is going to be a very transparent Justice Department. But I'm not gonna sacrifice the safety of the American people or our ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/this-is-going-to-be-a-very-transparent-justice-department-but-i-m-not/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [I have loved the Department of Justice ever since, as a young boy, I watched Robert Kennedy prove during the Civil Rights Movement how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-have-loved-the-department-of-justice-ever-since-as-a-young-boy-i/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [You constantly hear about voter fraud... but you don't see huge amounts of vote fraud out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/you-constantly-hear-about-voter-fraud-but-you-don-t-see-huge-amounts/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [I'm a 21st-century guy, secure in who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-m-a-21st-century-guy-secure-in-who-i-am/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [I'll leave here with my head held high and with confidence that history will judge my time here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-ll-leave-here-with-my-head-held-high-and-with-confidence-that/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [On a personal level, I've seen a lot in my time as attorney general, but few things have affected me as greatly as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/on-a-personal-level-i-ve-seen-a-lot-in-my-time-as-attorney-general/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [It is the thing that keeps me up at night - the notion that you have individuals in the United States who are looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/it-is-the-thing-that-keeps-me-up-at-night-the-notion-that-you-have/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Guantanamo is a chief recruiting tool for al-Qaida. It has put a wedge between the United States and at least some of its allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/guantanamo-is-a-chief-recruiting-tool-for-al-qaida-it-has-put-a-wedge/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [I don't have any intention of resigning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-don-t-have-any-intention-of-resigning/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Michael Brown's tragic death has revealed a deep distrust between some in the Ferguson community and its police force. It also developed a need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/michael-brown-s-tragic-death-has-revealed-a-deep-distrust-between/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) [Explore all 91 Eric Holder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) ## More Bury quotes > [What you try to bury just ends up burying you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wagner/what-you-try-to-bury-just-ends-up-burying-you/) [Jane Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-wagner/) > [I have to stay here and bury her," he whispered. "Here, between RiverClan and ThunderClan. After this, not even her own Clan will want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/i-have-to-stay-here-and-bury-her-he-whispered-here-between-riverclan/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I once said, 'We will bury you,' and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/i-once-said-we-will-bury-you-and-i-got-into-trouble-with-it-of-course/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) > [“The seed we bury in soil, Flourish, even after we die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymat-khan/the-seed-we-bury-in-soil-flourish-even-after-we-die/) [Neymat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymat-khan/) > [“Sweetheart, I’ll be a Marine ‘til they bury my cold, dead, decrepit ass in the ground a good fifty or sixty years from now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-tenorio/sweetheart-i-ll-be-a-marine-til-they-bury-my-cold-dead-decrepit-ass/) [Dee Tenorio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-tenorio/) > [There's also the tradition of voodoo, the Haitian magic arts, in New Orleans. And because New Orleans is below sea level, when they bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-trammell/there-s-also-the-tradition-of-voodoo-the-haitian-magic-arts-in-new/) [Sam Trammell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-trammell/) > [“You did anything to bury me, but you forgot that I was a seed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinos-christianopoulos/you-did-anything-to-bury-me-but-you-forgot-that-i-was-a-seed/) [Dinos Christianopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinos-christianopoulos/) > [True to my religion, true everything Im too different. So when I die, bury me next to 2 bitches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2-chainz/true-to-my-religion-true-everything-im-too-different-so-when-i-die/) [2 Chainz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2-chainz/) > [“A seed only realizes its potential the day you bury it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-seed-only-realizes-its-potential-the-day-you-bury-it/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Cant break me down, bury me bury me, I am finished with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/30-seconds-to-mars/cant-break-me-down-bury-me-bury-me-i-am-finished-with-you/) [30 Seconds To Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/30-seconds-to-mars/) > [What made it special made it dangerous, so I bury it... and forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/what-made-it-special-made-it-dangerous-so-i-bury-it-and-forget/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [A person you bury in ur heart you can neva 4get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/a-person-you-bury-in-ur-heart-you-can-neva-4get/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“If love weighs you down and casts a shadow on your life then it isn’t love. Love is light and makes you light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/if-love-weighs-you-down-and-casts-a-shadow-on-your-life-then-it-isn-t/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“Adulthood involves learning to conclusively bury a great many of our hopes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/adulthood-involves-learning-to-conclusively-bury-a-great-many-of-our/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) [Browse all 220 Bury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bury/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are not programmed to bury our kids.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Holder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bury" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f99/eric-holder-7429_bury_we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids-2_2697224.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are not programmed to bury our kids.” — Eric Holder", "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": "Eric Holder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are not programmed to bury...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/we-are-not-programmed-to-bury-our-kids/#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 } } ] } ```