--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A child is imprinted not by simply…" description: "\"A child is imprinted not by simply teaching. But their attention is like soft clay. The attention field of adults is stratified. They are like hard cla..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/frederick-lenz-8_adults_a-child-is-imprinted-not-by-simply-teach_2355316.jpg" --- # A child is imprinted not by simply teaching. But their… ![“A child is imprinted not by simply teaching. But their attention is like soft clay. The attention field of adults is stratified. They are like hard clay and we push them on each side of the child's attention field.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/frederick-lenz-8_adults_a-child-is-imprinted-not-by-simply-teach_2355316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/frederick-lenz-8_adults_a-child-is-imprinted-not-by-simply-teach_2355316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/frederick-lenz-8_adults_a-child-is-imprinted-not-by-simply-teach_2355316.jpg) > “A child is imprinted not by simply teaching. But their attention is like soft clay. The attention field of adults is stratified. They are like hard clay and we push them on each side of the child's attention field.” [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children absorb influences through the emotional tone of adults, not just direct instruction; adult attention shapes their development like malleable material. **In simple terms:** Kids learn from how adults act, not just what they say. Key Takeaway Focus on modeling calm, attentive behavior. Themes education development attention Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - teaching - coaching - mentoring Key Concepts psychology modeling social learning Questions to Reflect On - How does your own emotional state affect a child's learning? - What can you change to create a softer attention field? A Different Perspective Adults may unintentionally project stress, limiting the child's openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-attention-583048/) [Child Imprinted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-imprinted-5748883/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clay/) [Clay Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clay-attention-5748885/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Imprinted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imprinted-521649/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Teaching Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching-attention-5748884/) ## Related quotes > [Just being around the awareness field of the male or female imprinter, the child is imprinted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/just-being-around-the-awareness-field-of-the-male-or-female-imprinter/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The people who imprinted us are not completely happy and they are not completely powerful. So naturally, we have to fight our whole life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-people-who-imprinted-us-are-not-completely-happy-and-they-are-not/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Being close to nature, in general, helps boost a child's attention span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/being-close-to-nature-in-general-helps-boost-a-child-s-attention-span/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [No use to shout at them to pay attention. If the situations, the materials, the problems before the child do not interest him, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holt/no-use-to-shout-at-them-to-pay-attention-if-the-situations-the/) [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) > ['Sesame Street' was built on the idea that a show that could capture a child's attention could also give the child an education. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/sesame-street-was-built-on-the-idea-that-a-show-that-could-capture-a/) [Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/) > [As a young child my attention span was, as I remember it, rather short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/as-a-young-child-my-attention-span-was-as-i-remember-it-rather-short/) [Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/) > [“Basically, attention follows attachment. The stronger the attachment, the easier it is to secure the child's attention. When attachment is weak, the attention of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/basically-attention-follows-attachment-the-stronger-the-attachment/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Children will watch anything, and when a broadcaster uses crime and violence and other shoddy devices to monopolize a child's attention, it's worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newton-n-minow/children-will-watch-anything-and-when-a-broadcaster-uses-crime-and/) [Newton N. Minow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newton-n-minow/) > [The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-olinghouse/the-quickest-way-for-a-parent-to-get-a-child-s-attention-is-to-sit/) [Lane Olinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-olinghouse/) > [You imprinted on my daughter? -Bella Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn-part-2/you-imprinted-on-my-daughter-bella-cullen/) [The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn-part-2/) > [“Stories aren't always told on paper, sometimes they are imprinted on the skin...forever..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoey-sweete/stories-aren-t-always-told-on-paper-sometimes-they-are-imprinted-on/) [Zoey Sweete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoey-sweete/) > [One of the reasons it is so difficult to break a connection to something or someone you have imprinted on is that after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goulston/one-of-the-reasons-it-is-so-difficult-to-break-a-connection-to/) [Mark Goulston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goulston/) > [Everything is imprinted for ever with what it once was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/everything-is-imprinted-for-ever-with-what-it-once-was/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Nature herself has imprinted on the minds of all the idea of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nature-herself-has-imprinted-on-the-minds-of-all-the-idea-of-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Or more accurately, since we were in the plane, our shadows figured as well inside the shadow of the airplane skimming over mountain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/or-more-accurately-since-we-were-in-the-plane-our-shadows-figured-as/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Frederick Lenz > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. 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Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. 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They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A child is imprinted not by simply teaching. But their attention is like soft clay. The attention field of adults is stratified. 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