--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want your children to improve, let…" description: "\"If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.\" — Haim Ginott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png" --- # If you want your children to improve, let them overhear… ![“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” quote by Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png) > “If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children learn self‑esteem from hearing positive remarks about them, so model praise openly. **In simple terms:** Praise helps kids build confidence. Key Takeaway Speak kindly about children in their presence. Themes parenting self‑esteem communication Mood encouraging reflective Type advice parental When to use this quote - family dinner - school meeting - parent‑teacher conference Key Concepts Positive reinforcement modeling behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can you praise without sounding insincere? - What other ways build intrinsic confidence? A Different Perspective Children may become dependent on external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ## Related quotes > [God's children improve all advantages to advance their grand end; they labour to grow better by blessings and crosses, and to make sanctified use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sibbes/god-s-children-improve-all-advantages-to-advance-their-grand-end-they/) [Richard Sibbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sibbes/) > [We'd go to the fraternity house. It was a good place to practice. But we really wanted the kids to overhear us. And whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-garfunkel/we-d-go-to-the-fraternity-house-it-was-a-good-place-to-practice-but/) [Art Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-garfunkel/) > ['What I would give,' I thought, 'to have been present as Elizabeth Keckley measured Mary Lincoln for a new gown, to overhear their conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-chiaverini/what-i-would-give-i-thought-to-have-been-present-as-elizabeth-keckley-2/) [Jennifer Chiaverini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-chiaverini/) > [“I can't sleep and the rain is determined not to quit soliloquizing about you all night. I can't help but overhear, my dear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-can-t-sleep-and-the-rain-is-determined-not-to-quit-soliloquizing/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I believe that poems are a score for performance by the reader, and that you become the speaking voice. You don't read or overhear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/i-believe-that-poems-are-a-score-for-performance-by-the-reader-and/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [Every time you overhear something hurtful, I want you to do something kind for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/every-time-you-overhear-something-hurtful-i-want-you-to-do-something/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [It's funny: I always, as a high school teacher and particularly as a high school yearbook teacher, because yearbook staffs are 90 percent female,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/it-s-funny-i-always-as-a-high-school-teacher-and-particularly-as-a/) [Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/) > [Jesus was not this wimpy little guy who walked around munching sunflower seeds and saying nice things to people. The real Jesus of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/jesus-was-not-this-wimpy-little-guy-who-walked-around-munching/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) > [I think the thing about music is, it's about communication. If you communicate to anyone, whether someone unknown who's a fan or Lady Gaga,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ann-sulley/i-think-the-thing-about-music-is-it-s-about-communication-if-you/) [Susan Ann Sulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ann-sulley/) > [“The cliche about prison life is that I am actually integrated into it, ruined by it, when my accommodation to it is so overwhelming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-cliche-about-prison-life-is-that-i-am-actually-integrated-into-it/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [I don't know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-don-t-know-putin-he-said-nice-things-about-me-if-we-got-along-well/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One nice thing about being a woman in Hollywood is that the women tend to be very close-knit. All of us writers and directors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/one-nice-thing-about-being-a-woman-in-hollywood-is-that-the-women/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [The nice thing about age is worrying less and less about what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/the-nice-thing-about-age-is-worrying-less-and-less-about-what-people/) [Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/) > [I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/i-want-to-concentrate-on-winning-things-with-barcelona-and-argentina/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [“Me and nice things didn't go well together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/me-and-nice-things-didn-t-go-well-together/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) ## More by Haim Ginott > [I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/i-can-be-a-tool-of-torture-or-an-instrument-of-inspiration-i-can/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [A modern teacher educates children to value their emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/a-modern-teacher-educates-children-to-value-their-emotions/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they accomplish this impossible task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/teachers-are-expected-to-reach-unattainable-goals-with-inadequate/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/i-ve-come-to-a-frightening-conclusion-that-i-am-the-decisive-element/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [How can we help a child change from undependable to dependable, from a mediocre student to a capable student, from someone who won't amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/how-can-we-help-a-child-change-from-undependable-to-dependable-from-a/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Whenever I hear about a child needing something, I ask myself, 'Is it what he needs or what he wants?' It isn't always easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/whenever-i-hear-about-a-child-needing-something-i-ask-myself-is-it/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Adolescence can be a time of turmoil and turbulence, of stress and storm. Rebellion against authority and against convention is to be expected and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/adolescence-can-be-a-time-of-turmoil-and-turbulence-of-stress-and/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Each of us carries within himself a collection of instant insults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/each-of-us-carries-within-himself-a-collection-of-instant-insults/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Only if a child feels right can he think right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/only-if-a-child-feels-right-can-he-think-right/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [I have great faith in 'ordinary parents.' Who has a child's welfare more at heart than his ordinary parent? It's been my experience that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/i-have-great-faith-in-ordinary-parents-who-has-a-child-s-welfare-more/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Many teenagers are tormented by terrors they deem private and personal. They do not know that their anxieties and doubts are universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/many-teenagers-are-tormented-by-terrors-they-deem-private-and/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Teenagers crave independence. The more self-suf-ficient we make them feel, the less hostile they are toward us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/teenagers-crave-independence-the-more-self-suf-ficient-we-make-them/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [When children feel understood, their loneliness and hurt diminish. When children are understood, their love for their parent is deepened. A parent's sympathy serves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/when-children-feel-understood-their-loneliness-and-hurt-diminish-when/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [While parents possess the original key to their offspring's experience, teachers have a spare key. They, too, can open or close the minds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/while-parents-possess-the-original-key-to-their-offspring-s/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) > [Wise parents know that fighting a teenager, like fighting a riptide, is inviting doom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/wise-parents-know-that-fighting-a-teenager-like-fighting-a-riptide-is/) [Haim Ginott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) [Explore all 26 Haim Ginott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/) ## 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": "If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haim Ginott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let-them-overhear-the-nice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let-them-overhear-the-nice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/261/haim-ginott-22986_child_if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let_1483713.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” — Haim Ginott", "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": "Haim Ginott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-ginott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you want your children to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let-them-overhear-the-nice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-ginott/if-you-want-your-children-to-improve-let-them-overhear-the-nice/#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 } } ] } ```