--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give me a child until he is seven…" description: "\"“Give me a child until he is seven, thought Tom, and he is forever after mine. When the Fascists say it, they're bums and kidnappers, but when the Chur..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/grace-metalious-27038_children_give-me-a-child-until-he-is-seven-though_2700046.png" --- # Give me a child until he is seven, thought Tom, and he is… ![“Give me a child until he is seven, thought Tom, and he is forever after mine. When the Fascists say it, they're bums and kidnappers, but when the Church says it, it is known as putting a kid on the right track.” quote by Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/grace-metalious-27038_children_give-me-a-child-until-he-is-seven-though_2700046.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/grace-metalious-27038_children_give-me-a-child-until-he-is-seven-though_2700046.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/grace-metalious-27038_children_give-me-a-child-until-he-is-seven-though_2700046.png) > ““Give me a child until he is seven, thought Tom, and he is forever after mine. When the Fascists say it, they're bums and kidnappers, but when the Church says it, it is known as putting a kid on the right track.”” [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early childhood influences shape a person's lifelong beliefs and values, and authority can reinterpret the same idea differently. **In simple terms:** Childhood shapes us; authority changes meaning. Key Takeaway Recognize early influences and question authority. Themes childhood influence authority interpretation Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type advice philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - parenting - education - religious instruction - political rhetoric Key Concepts psychology social conditioning power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do early experiences truly affect adult beliefs? - Can authority ever be neutral? A Different Perspective The quote may oversimplify complex development and ignore later life experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-seven-392885/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-says-929239/) [Fascists Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascists-say-2726574/) [Right track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-track/) [Thought Tom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-tom-1243356/) ## Related quotes > [You believe in freedom of speech for communists because what they say is true. You do not believe in freedom of speech for fascists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-lawson/you-believe-in-freedom-of-speech-for-communists-because-what-they-say/) [John Howard Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-lawson/) > [“Tom, will you let me love you in your restaurant? i will let you make me a sandwich of your invention and i will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-creedon/tom-will-you-let-me-love-you-in-your-restaurant-i-will-let-you-make/) [Carolyn Creedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-creedon/) > [“They had been a couple for so long that everyone thought of them as Tom-and-Jenny, a single unit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/they-had-been-a-couple-for-so-long-that-everyone-thought-of-them-as/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [Give me the child until he is seven and I'll give you the man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-xavier/give-me-the-child-until-he-is-seven-and-i-ll-give-you-the-man/) [Francis Xavier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-xavier/) > [“I was on the way to becoming a duchess, and I had made the Kingmaker angry. What more could a child of seven have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-higginbotham/i-was-on-the-way-to-becoming-a-duchess-and-i-had-made-the-kingmaker/) [Susan Higginbotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-higginbotham/) > [When I was in fact a child, six and seven and eight years old, I was utterly baffled by the enthusiasm with which my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/when-i-was-in-fact-a-child-six-and-seven-and-eight-years-old-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-streightiff/there-are-no-seven-wonders-of-the-world-in-the-eyes-of-a-child-there/) [Walt Streightiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-streightiff/) > [“There are not seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-streightiff/there-are-not-seven-wonders-of-the-world-in-the-eyes-of-a-child-there/) [Walt Streightiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-streightiff/) > [“Give me the child for the first seven years and I'll give you the man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesuit-maxim/give-me-the-child-for-the-first-seven-years-and-i-ll-give-you-the-man/) [Jesuit maxim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesuit-maxim/) > [If you have a child who is seven feet tall, you don't cut off his head or his legs. You buy him a bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/if-you-have-a-child-who-is-seven-feet-tall-you-don-t-cut-off-his-head/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [Children do not grow up all of a piece; look for the child of seven, especially to take many backward glances at the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-pratt/children-do-not-grow-up-all-of-a-piece-look-for-the-child-of-seven/) [Caroline Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-pratt/) > [As children we were bombarded by competing answers. Church says one thing, school another. Now as adults it's no surprise that if we discuss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/as-children-we-were-bombarded-by-competing-answers-church-says-one/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [We, Catholics, share many of the moral guidelines of Mormons, the difference is you guys take it seriously. When the church says something we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/we-catholics-share-many-of-the-moral-guidelines-of-mormons-the/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [“The church says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-magellan/the-church-says-the-earth-is-flat-but-i-have-seen-its-shadow-on-the/) [Ferdinand Magellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-magellan/) > [“It is not the Word of God because the church says so; but that the Word of God might be spoken, therefore the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/it-is-not-the-word-of-god-because-the-church-says-so-but-that-the/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) ## More by Grace Metalious > [“...and often Lisa thought bitterly of the ideas she had held on "college life" before coming to Denton, ideas and images culled from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/and-often-lisa-thought-bitterly-of-the-ideas-she-had-held-on-college/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [I have seldom, if ever, seen money and gentleness go hand in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/i-have-seldom-if-ever-seen-money-and-gentleness-go-hand-in-hand/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [There can be neither beauty, nor trust, nor security between a man and a woman if there is not truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/there-can-be-neither-beauty-nor-trust-nor-security-between-a-man-and/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [“Indian summer is like a woman. Ripe, hotly passionate, but fickle, she comes and goes as she pleases so that one is never sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/indian-summer-is-like-a-woman-ripe-hotly-passionate-but-fickle-she/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [Dead folks can't hurt you none. It's the ones that are alive, you have to watch out for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/dead-folks-can-t-hurt-you-none-it-s-the-ones-that-are-alive-you-have/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [Even Tom Sawyer had a girlfriend and to talk about adults without talking about their sex drives is like talking about a window without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/even-tom-sawyer-had-a-girlfriend-and-to-talk-about-adults-without/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [If every man, ...ceased to hate and blame every other man for his own failures and shortcomings, we would see the end of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/if-every-man-ceased-to-hate-and-blame-every-other-man-for-his-own/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [“It was as if each of them sensed vaguely that the Saturday afternoons of youth are few, and precious, and this feeling which neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/it-was-as-if-each-of-them-sensed-vaguely-that-the-saturday-afternoons/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [“Did it ever occur to you, Charlie, that tolerance can reach a point where it is no longer tolerance? When that happens, the noble-sounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/did-it-ever-occur-to-you-charlie-that-tolerance-can-reach-a-point/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [“I'm a lousy writer; a helluva lot of people have got lousy taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/i-m-a-lousy-writer-a-helluva-lot-of-people-have-got-lousy-taste/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [Didn't you ever notice how it's always people who wish they had somethin' or had done somethin' that hate the hardest?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/didn-t-you-ever-notice-how-it-s-always-people-who-wish-they-had/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [“If God was going to do what He thought was best anyway, why bother to ask for anything one wanted? If you prayed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/if-god-was-going-to-do-what-he-thought-was-best-anyway-why-bother-to/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [If I'm a lousy writer, then an awful lot of people have lousy taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/if-i-m-a-lousy-writer-then-an-awful-lot-of-people-have-lousy-taste/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [I looked into that empty bottle and I saw myself,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/i-looked-into-that-empty-bottle-and-i-saw-myself/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) > [How easy it is, how dangerously easy it is to hate a man for one's own inadequacies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/how-easy-it-is-how-dangerously-easy-it-is-to-hate-a-man-for-one-s-own/) [Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) [Explore all 21 Grace Metalious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/) ## More Children 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/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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