--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children demand that their heroes should…" description: "\"Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png" --- # Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less… ![“Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary shock to a passionate child than the threatened downfall of habitual beliefs which makes the world seem to totter for us in maturer life.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png) > “Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary shock to a passionate child than the threatened downfall of habitual beliefs which makes the world seem to totter for us in maturer life.” [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children idealize flawless heroes, but confronting reality can be more destabilizing than comforting myths. **In simple terms:** Kids prefer perfect heroes; truth can shock. Key Takeaway Balance idealism with realistic expectations. Themes childhood hero worship truth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - parenting - media representation Key Concepts psychological development socialization Questions to Reflect On - How can we teach critical thinking early? - What role do myths play in growth? A Different Perspective Over‑protective narratives may hinder resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being a hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-hero/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Downfall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downfall/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Freckles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freckles/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [Children demand that their heroes should be fleckless, and easily believe them so .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/children-demand-that-their-heroes-should-be-fleckless-and-easily/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“In our instinctive rebellion against pain, we are children again, and demand an active will to wreak our vengeance on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/in-our-instinctive-rebellion-against-pain-we-are-children-again-and/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I have children, and they demand my full and complete attention. They get that when I'm at home, even during the night, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/essie-davis/i-have-children-and-they-demand-my-full-and-complete-attention-they/) [Essie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/essie-davis/) > [Parents do not have the courage to say no to certain things that their children demand. They are rather scared of their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/parents-do-not-have-the-courage-to-say-no-to-certain-things-that/) [Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/) > [Somebody asked me earlier if I thought it was really important to tell stories about women's struggles. And I said yes, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/somebody-asked-me-earlier-if-i-thought-it-was-really-important-to/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things...Things must happen when it is time for them to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-true-secret-in-being-a-hero-lies-in-knowing-the-order-of-things/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [What's the point of being a hero when everyone thinks you're a villain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/what-s-the-point-of-being-a-hero-when-everyone-thinks-you-re-a-villain/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Nine! The Navy Diver is not a fighting man, he is a salvage expert. Ten! If it is lost underwater, he finds it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/nine-the-navy-diver-is-not-a-fighting-man-he-is-a-salvage-expert-ten/) [Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/) > [If we lived in a State where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us good, and greed would make us saintly. And we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/if-we-lived-in-a-state-where-virtue-was-profitable-common-sense-would/) [Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/) > [I want to give you something.” He slid the ring off his finger. “Up until this week, I’ve never wanted anything more in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-speer/i-want-to-give-you-something-he-slid-the-ring-off-his-finger-up-until/) [Scott Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-speer/) > [Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/any-woman-is-just-as-capable-of-being-a-hero-as-any-man/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [A hero is a man who is afraid to run away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-hero-is-a-man-who-is-afraid-to-run-away/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I need a hero to save my life I need a hero just in time Save me just in time Who's gonna fight for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-need-a-hero-to-save-my-life-i-need-a-hero-just-in-time-save-me-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes over night. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/courage-is-more-exhilarating-than-fear-and-in-the-long-run-it-is/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I wouldn't mind being a hero to a kid. I grew up idolizing players, so I know how important that is for a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-damon/i-wouldn-t-mind-being-a-hero-to-a-kid-i-grew-up-idolizing-players-so/) [Johnny Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-damon/) ## More by George Eliot > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-effect-of-her-being-on-those-around-her-was-incalculably/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Scepticismcan never be thoroughly applied, else life would come to a standstill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/scepticismcan-never-be-thoroughly-applied-else-life-would-come-to-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Under every guilty secret there is hidden a brood of guilty wishes, whose unwholesome infecting life is cherished by the darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/under-every-guilty-secret-there-is-hidden-a-brood-of-guilty-wishes/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [The most powerful movement of feeling with a liturgy is the prayer which seeks for nothing special, but is a yearning to escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-most-powerful-movement-of-feeling-with-a-liturgy-is-the-prayer/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Mr. Casaubon had never had a strong bodily frame, and his soul was sensitive without being enthusiastic: it was too languid to thrill out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/mr-casaubon-had-never-had-a-strong-bodily-frame-and-his-soul-was/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“... she took her husband's jokes and joviality as patiently as everything else, considering that "men would be so", and viewing the stronger sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/she-took-her-husband-s-jokes-and-joviality-as-patiently-as-everything/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [What is opportunity to the man who can't use it? An unfecundated egg, which the waves of time wash away into nonentity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-can-t-use-it-an-unfecundated-egg/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [And, of course men know best about everything, except what women know better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/and-of-course-men-know-best-about-everything-except-what-women-know/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“But let the wise be warned against too great readiness at explanation: it multiplies the sources of mistake, lengthening the sum for reckoners sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-let-the-wise-be-warned-against-too-great-readiness-at-explanation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“But any one watching keenly the stealthy convergence of human lots, sees a slow preparation of effects from one life on another, which tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-any-one-watching-keenly-the-stealthy-convergence-of-human-lots/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. What horrors of damp huts, where human beings languish, may not become picturesque through aerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/perspective-as-its-inventor-remarked-is-a-beautiful-thing-what/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Sane people did what their neighbours did, so that if any lunatics were at large, one might know and avoid them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/sane-people-did-what-their-neighbours-did-so-that-if-any-lunatics/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [even those who call themselves 'intimate' know very little about each other - hardly ever know just how a sorrow is felt, and hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/even-those-who-call-themselves-intimate-know-very-little-about-each/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) [Explore all 1,492 George Eliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## More Being a hero quotes > [I wouldn't mind being a hero to a kid. I grew up idolizing players, so I know how important that is for a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-damon/i-wouldn-t-mind-being-a-hero-to-a-kid-i-grew-up-idolizing-players-so/) [Johnny Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-damon/) > [Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes over night. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/courage-is-more-exhilarating-than-fear-and-in-the-long-run-it-is/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I need a hero to save my life I need a hero just in time Save me just in time Who's gonna fight for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-need-a-hero-to-save-my-life-i-need-a-hero-just-in-time-save-me-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A hero is a man who is afraid to run away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-hero-is-a-man-who-is-afraid-to-run-away/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/any-woman-is-just-as-capable-of-being-a-hero-as-any-man/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [I want to give you something.” He slid the ring off his finger. “Up until this week, I’ve never wanted anything more in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-speer/i-want-to-give-you-something-he-slid-the-ring-off-his-finger-up-until/) [Scott Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-speer/) > [If we lived in a State where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us good, and greed would make us saintly. And we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/if-we-lived-in-a-state-where-virtue-was-profitable-common-sense-would/) [Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/) > [Nine! The Navy Diver is not a fighting man, he is a salvage expert. Ten! If it is lost underwater, he finds it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/nine-the-navy-diver-is-not-a-fighting-man-he-is-a-salvage-expert-ten/) [Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/) > [What's the point of being a hero when everyone thinks you're a villain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/what-s-the-point-of-being-a-hero-when-everyone-thinks-you-re-a-villain/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things...Things must happen when it is time for them to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-true-secret-in-being-a-hero-lies-in-knowing-the-order-of-things/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [Somebody asked me earlier if I thought it was really important to tell stories about women's struggles. And I said yes, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/somebody-asked-me-earlier-if-i-thought-it-was-really-important-to/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/true-heroism-consists-in-being-superior-to-the-ills-of-life-in/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Being a hero means ignoring how silly you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-wynne-jones/being-a-hero-means-ignoring-how-silly-you-feel/) [Diana Wynne Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-wynne-jones/) > [You have to be very cautious about what you are doing for charity and things like that. I think you have to start with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-binoche/you-have-to-be-very-cautious-about-what-you-are-doing-for-charity-and/) [Juliette Binoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-binoche/) > [Heroes come in all sizes, and you don't have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It's just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/heroes-come-in-all-sizes-and-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-giant-hero-you/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) [Browse all 42 Being a hero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-hero/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary shock to a passionate child than the threatened downfall of habitual beliefs which makes the world seem to totter for us in maturer life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Eliot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/children-demand-that-their-heroes-should-be-freckle-less-and-easily/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being a hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/children-demand-that-their-heroes-should-be-freckle-less-and-easily/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/george-eliot-84_being-a-hero_children-demand-that-their-heroes-should_943622.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Children demand that their heroes should be freckle less, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first…” — George Eliot", "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": "George Eliot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Children demand that their heroes should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/children-demand-that-their-heroes-should-be-freckle-less-and-easily/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/children-demand-that-their-heroes-should-be-freckle-less-and-easily/#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 } } ] } ```