--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I no longer believe the conservative…" description: "\"I no longer believe the conservative message that children are naturally selfish and destructive creatures who need civilizing by hierarchies or painfu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/gloria-steinem-277_believe_i-no-longer-believe-the-conservative-mes_2774758.jpg" --- # I no longer believe the conservative message that children… ![“I no longer believe the conservative message that children are naturally selfish and destructive creatures who need civilizing by hierarchies or painful controls. On the contrary, I believe that hierarchy and painful controls create destructive people. And I no longer believe the liberal message…” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/gloria-steinem-277_believe_i-no-longer-believe-the-conservative-mes_2774758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/gloria-steinem-277_believe_i-no-longer-believe-the-conservative-mes_2774758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/gloria-steinem-277_believe_i-no-longer-believe-the-conservative-mes_2774758.jpg) > “I no longer believe the conservative message that children are naturally selfish and destructive creatures who need civilizing by hierarchies or painful controls. On the contrary, I believe that hierarchy and painful controls create destructive people. And I no longer believe the liberal message that children are blank slates on which society can write anything. On the contrary, I believe a unique core self is born into every human being; the result of millennia of environment and heredity combined in an unpredictable way that could never happen before or again.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children are not inherently selfish nor blank slates; hierarchy and control shape destructive behavior, while each person has a unique core self formed by genetics and environment. **In simple terms:** Children’s nature is complex, shaped by both biology and environment, and oppressive structures harm them. Key Takeaway Recognize innate individuality and avoid oppressive hierarchies. Themes psychology feminism development Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - education reform - parenting - policy making Key Concepts nature vs nurture social structures Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance structure with freedom? - What policies support healthy development? A Different Perspective May oversimplify diverse experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-conservative-336390/) [Blank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank/) [Blank slates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-slates/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Conservative Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-message-1408827/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Core](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Heredity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heredity/) [Hierarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hierarchy/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Liberal Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-message-859361/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Selfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfish/) [Selfish Destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfish-destructive-3267825/) [Slate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slate/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Unpredictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpredictable/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Inside each of us is a unique person resulting from millennia of environment and heredity combined in a way that could never happen again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/inside-each-of-us-is-a-unique-person-resulting-from-millennia-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Donald Trump is in office. It's not just another Republican candidate - Donald Trump. And people were so disaffected with the liberal message that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/donald-trump-is-in-office-it-s-not-just-another-republican-candidate/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [“There can be no liberal politics without a sense of we—of what we are as citizens and what we owe each other. If liberals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lilla/there-can-be-no-liberal-politics-without-a-sense-of-we-of-what-we-are/) [Mark Lilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lilla/) > [I have been going into the underserved neighborhoods and talking to people and letting them know that the conservative message does work. Conservatives need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-glenn/i-have-been-going-into-the-underserved-neighborhoods-and-talking-to/) [Darryl Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-glenn/) > [The essence of the conservative message should be we want a dynamic nation where anybody with nothing can achieve anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-essence-of-the-conservative-message-should-be-we-want-a-dynamic/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [My colleagues have expressed confidence in my ability to articulate our conservative message and to provide new focus to our efforts in the General…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-e-berger/my-colleagues-have-expressed-confidence-in-my-ability-to-articulate/) [Philip E. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-e-berger/) > [It does no good to be a conservative if you can't sell a conservative message in a general election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson/it-does-no-good-to-be-a-conservative-if-you-can-t-sell-a-conservative/) [Alan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson/) > [If we continue to cut something with each resolution, I would say we're making steady progress and sending a strong conservative message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-fleischmann/if-we-continue-to-cut-something-with-each-resolution-i-would-say-we/) [Chuck Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-fleischmann/) > [“Humor has always been my tool of choice when confronting intolerance or ignorance, not only because “funny” material is much more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/humor-has-always-been-my-tool-of-choice-when-confronting-intolerance/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [I believe I am more conservative than Bob Dole; I believe I am more committed to fundamentally changing American government than Bob Dole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/i-believe-i-am-more-conservative-than-bob-dole-i-believe-i-am-more/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [I think it's very clear that the American people are frustrated with this move toward socialism. And so whether you're back or white, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-scott/i-think-it-s-very-clear-that-the-american-people-are-frustrated-with/) [Tim Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-scott/) > [I believe that the Conservative party is at its best when it's a pro-business, pragmatic party, so to appeal to the country, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gauke/i-believe-that-the-conservative-party-is-at-its-best-when-it-s-a-pro/) [David Gauke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gauke/) > [I believe that the Conservative Party should remain the last big-tent party, where people are free to hold divergent beliefs that are entrenched in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/i-believe-that-the-conservative-party-should-remain-the-last-big-tent/) [Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/) > [I believe that I am more conservative than George W. Bush. However, it is important to note that he has had to govern, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-gannon/i-believe-that-i-am-more-conservative-than-george-w-bush-however-it/) [Jeff Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-gannon/) > [I think it�s very clear that the American people are frustrated with this move toward socialism. And so whether you�re back or white, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-scott/i-think-it-s-very-clear-that-the-american-people-are-frustrated-with-2/) [Tim Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-scott/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I no longer believe the conservative message that children are naturally selfish and destructive creatures who need civilizing by hierarchies or painful controls. On the contrary, I believe that hierarchy and painful controls create destructive people. And I no longer believe the liberal message that children are blank slates on which society can write anything. 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