--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Know you what it is to be a child? It is…" description: "\"Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/francis-thompson-19986_believe-in-love_know-you-what-it-is-to-be-a-child-it-is_1528024.jpg" --- # Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something… ![“Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in…” quote by Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/francis-thompson-19986_believe-in-love_know-you-what-it-is-to-be-a-child-it-is_1528024.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/francis-thompson-19986_believe-in-love_know-you-what-it-is-to-be-a-child-it-is_1528024.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/454/francis-thompson-19986_believe-in-love_know-you-what-it-is-to-be-a-child-it-is_1528024.jpg) > “Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its own soul.” [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child’s perspective is pure, imaginative, and unburdened by adult constraints, seeing wonder in everyday objects. **In simple terms:** Children see magic in the mundane. Key Takeaway Cultivate childlike wonder. Themes imagination innocence spirituality Mood joyful reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - playful learning - creative writing - mindfulness exercises Key Concepts faith creativity identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you reconnect with your inner child? - What daily habits nurture imagination? A Different Perspective Adults may lose this view as they age, limiting growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baptism Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptism-believe-4499548/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Believe in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-love/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-different-963560/) [Child Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-fairy-3672320/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fairy godmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-godmother/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Know Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-child-570822/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Know what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of today. 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Every child is different in terms of temperament and learning, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-always-suspicious-of-those-who-impose-rules-on-child-rearing/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Every year, when you're a child, you become a different person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/every-year-when-you-re-a-child-you-become-a-different-person/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The child has a different relation to his environment from ours... the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-child-has-a-different-relation-to-his-environment-from-ours-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) ## More by Francis Thompson > [Babies breathe a lot more rapidly than adults do, and what's more, they're also growing quickly and so they're absorbing lots more into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/babies-breathe-a-lot-more-rapidly-than-adults-do-and-what-s-more-they/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [And left the flushed print in a poppy there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/and-left-the-flushed-print-in-a-poppy-there/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Look for me in the nurseries of Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/look-for-me-in-the-nurseries-of-heaven/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“The fairest things have fleetest end, Their scent survives their close: But the rose's scent is bitterness To her who loved the rose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/the-fairest-things-have-fleetest-end-their-scent-survives-their-close-2/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [“Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee Save Me, save only Me? 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Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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