---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In every real man a child is hidden that…"
description: "\"In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.\" — Friedrich Nietzsche"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg"
---

#  In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.

![“In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg)

> “In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.”

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Every adult contains an inner child yearning for play and spontaneity.

**In simple terms:** Adults have a hidden playful side.

Key Takeaway

Nurture your inner child.

Themes

creativity playfulness human nature

Mood

joyful thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- stressful work
- creative projects
- family time
- personal growth

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- When do you feel most playful?
- How can play improve your productivity?

A Different Perspective

Adults may suppress this side due to societal expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Real man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-man/)

## Related quotes

> [“In a real man there is a child hidden: it wants to play. Up then, you women, and discover the child in man!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-a-real-man-there-is-a-child-hidden-it-wants-to-play-up-then-you/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [In the true man there is a child concealed who wants to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-true-man-there-is-a-child-concealed-who-wants-to-play/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Mrs. Goldenthal's twin boys, Alex and Erno, were our age, and I discovered that they had been selected at Auschwitz for Mengele's experiments like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mozes-kor/mrs-goldenthal-s-twin-boys-alex-and-erno-were-our-age-and-i/)

[Eva Mozes Kor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mozes-kor/)

> [Oh, how much is today hidden by science! Oh, how much it is expected to hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/oh-how-much-is-today-hidden-by-science-oh-how-much-it-is-expected-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [A woman should never underestimate the power of the child in the man. Sometimes the child seems to be in the driver's seat at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/a-woman-should-never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-child-in-the-man/)

[Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/)

> [“It doesn't take a man to have a child, it takes a man to raise a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gonzobilly/it-doesn-t-take-a-man-to-have-a-child-it-takes-a-man-to-raise-a-child/)

[GonzoBilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gonzobilly/)

> [My father was short for a man, with a child's plaything for a name - Spinner. He had flawless dark brown skin and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/my-father-was-short-for-a-man-with-a-child-s-plaything-for-a-name/)

[Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/)

> [Man is the Child of his Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinichi-suzuki/man-is-the-child-of-his-environment/)

[Shinichi Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinichi-suzuki/)

> [“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or seen. Every man’s a child until he’s a father. It’s the way the world’s made.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-ve-done-or-seen-every-man-s-a-child-until/)

[Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/)

> [A man cannot become a child again, or he becomes childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/a-man-cannot-become-a-child-again-or-he-becomes-childish/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [In an honest man there is always something of a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-an-honest-man-there-is-always-something-of-a-child/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“In every man, there is a child. In every woman, there is a mother. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/in-every-man-there-is-a-child-in-every-woman-there-is-a-mother/)

[Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/)

> [Listen - man is a child of Nature. When he turns against his mother - he's done! He may not find out about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ostenso/listen-man-is-a-child-of-nature-when-he-turns-against-his-mother-he-s/)

[Martha Ostenso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ostenso/)

> [The truth is that when a man has a child, and it's a girl, and he doesn't change as a man, he's not much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/the-truth-is-that-when-a-man-has-a-child-and-it-s-a-girl-and-he-doesn/)

[Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/)

> [“That’s fine. I’ve been fighting for better my whole life. One scared man-child isn’t going to stop me from finding it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-ney/that-s-fine-i-ve-been-fighting-for-better-my-whole-life-one-scared/)

[Sara Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-ney/)

## More by Friedrich Nietzsche

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

[Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More Child quotes

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/)

[LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/)

[Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

[Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that-wants-to-play/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Child"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that-wants-to-play/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_children_in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that_862069.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.” — Friedrich Nietzsche",
                "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In every real man a child...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that-wants-to-play/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-every-real-man-a-child-is-hidden-that-wants-to-play/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
