--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never found it difficult, as some…" description: "\"“I have never found it difficult, as some do, to speak to children. All one has to do is pretend that they're some kind of intelligent farm animal: a p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg" --- # I have never found it difficult, as some do, to speak to… ![“I have never found it difficult, as some do, to speak to children. All one has to do is pretend that they're some kind of intelligent farm animal: a pig, perhaps, or a horse.” quote by Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg) > ““I have never found it difficult, as some do, to speak to children. All one has to do is pretend that they're some kind of intelligent farm animal: a pig, perhaps, or a horse.”” [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treat children as intelligent beings, not as simple animals, to communicate effectively. **In simple terms:** Speak to kids with respect and imagination. Key Takeaway Engage children with thoughtful language. Themes communication empathy education Mood playful insightful Type literary humorous When to use this quote - parenting - teaching - writing for children - public speaking Key Concepts developmental psychology language acquisition creativity Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about a child's understanding? - How can humor aid learning? A Different Perspective Over‑simplifying can insult child's intelligence; balance humor and respect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ## Related quotes > [Plenty of clever children have to pretend to be not clever or else they get bullied by the thick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-baker/plenty-of-clever-children-have-to-pretend-to-be-not-clever-or-else/) [Tom Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-baker/) > [Children will not pretend to be enjoying books, and they will not read books because they have been told that these books are good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/children-will-not-pretend-to-be-enjoying-books-and-they-will-not-read/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“If you are kind to yourself, you are intelligent. If you are kind to others, you are wise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-are-kind-to-yourself-you-are-intelligent-if-you-are-kind-to/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Kind, intelligent, loving and hot This describes everything you are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/kind-intelligent-loving-and-hot-this-describes-everything-you-are-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men like women who are fun to be around, who are kind, intelligent, honest and who don't play games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-phillips/men-like-women-who-are-fun-to-be-around-who-are-kind-intelligent/) [Jeanne Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-phillips/) > [I wouldn't mind doing more in the kid's world because I think that might be just where I can be most useful to society,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/i-wouldn-t-mind-doing-more-in-the-kid-s-world-because-i-think-that/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [“Unfortunately as we grow older, we often have trouble tuning in to them. Luckily for you, you have an angel hearing aid.” “Excuse me?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-march/unfortunately-as-we-grow-older-we-often-have-trouble-tuning-in-to/) [Emily March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-march/) > [The Wise are silent, the Foolish speak, and children are thus led astray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-blackwood/the-wise-are-silent-the-foolish-speak-and-children-are-thus-led-astray/) [Algernon Blackwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-blackwood/) > [The first years of life are not just important; they are more crucial to shaping children than any other time. Even before they speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-first-years-of-life-are-not-just-important-they-are-more-crucial/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I speak for those children who cannot speak for themselves, children who have absolutely nothing but their courage and their smiles, their wits and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-speak-for-those-children-who-cannot-speak-for-themselves-children/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [Fathers should speak with their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/fathers-should-speak-with-their-children/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I want Daddy to speak to children through his music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedella-marley/i-want-daddy-to-speak-to-children-through-his-music/) [Cedella Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedella-marley/) > [People rarely speak of children; you hear of 'cohort groups' and 'standard variations,' but you don't hear much of boys who miss their cats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/people-rarely-speak-of-children-you-hear-of-cohort-groups-and/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [How we speak to our children and the words we use can encourage and uplift them and strengthen their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-m-wixom/how-we-speak-to-our-children-and-the-words-we-use-can-encourage-and/) [Rosemary M. Wixom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-m-wixom/) ## More by Hanya Yanagihara > [“People who don’t love math always accuse mathematicians of trying to make math complicated,” Dr. Li had said. “But anyone who does love math…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/people-who-don-t-love-math-always-accuse-mathematicians-of-trying-to/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“At night, as beneath him his parents completed their routines, the banging of the old pipes as they washed their faces and the sudden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/at-night-as-beneath-him-his-parents-completed-their-routines-the/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [To be a scientist you have to be willing to live with uncertainty for a long time. Research scientists begin with a question and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/to-be-a-scientist-you-have-to-be-willing-to-live-with-uncertainty-for/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“Why wasn’t friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn’t it even better?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/why-wasn-t-friendship-as-good-as-a-relationship-why-wasn-t-it-even/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“But fairness is not the only, or even the most important, consideration in law: the law is not always fair. Contracts are not fair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/but-fairness-is-not-the-only-or-even-the-most-important-consideration/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“I would hold him in my arms and wait to cross the street and would think how absurd it was that my child, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-would-hold-him-in-my-arms-and-wait-to-cross-the-street-and-would/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“The easiest explanations are often the right ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-easiest-explanations-are-often-the-right-ones/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“my father said the whole world seemed made of sound and nothing else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/my-father-said-the-whole-world-seemed-made-of-sound-and-nothing-else/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“He cleaned so he wouldn't cut himself, because he was cutting himself so much that even he knew how crazy, how destructive he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/he-cleaned-so-he-wouldn-t-cut-himself-because-he-was-cutting-himself/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being in a space where nothing seemed to be forbidden to him, where everything was offered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-inducing-about-being-in-a-space/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [The big characters who occupy science, especially modern science, are all "off" in fundamental ways. I don't think that genius goes hand in hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-big-characters-who-occupy-science-especially-modern-science-are/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“Sometimes I would have to take my glasses off simply so the world would smudge and recede for a moment and cease to seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/sometimes-i-would-have-to-take-my-glasses-off-simply-so-the-world/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [I credit my parents for many things that had never seemed remarkable when I was growing up, and one of those things is how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-credit-my-parents-for-many-things-that-had-never-seemed-remarkable/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [I have one friend to whom I've told more than I've ever told anyone, and yet there are significant territories I have and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-have-one-friend-to-whom-i-ve-told-more-than-i-ve-ever-told-anyone/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [“If you keep trying to find everything, you’ll wind up with nothing. AMY:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/if-you-keep-trying-to-find-everything-you-ll-wind-up-with-nothing-amy/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) [Explore all 94 Hanya Yanagihara quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) ## 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": "“I have never found it difficult, as some do, to speak to children. All one has to do is pretend that they're some kind of intelligent farm animal: a pig, perhaps, or a horse.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hanya Yanagihara" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some-do-to-speak-to-children-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some-do-to-speak-to-children-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b0/hanya-yanagihara-4245_children_i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some_908487.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have never found it difficult, as some do, to speak to children. All one has to do is pretend that they're…” — Hanya Yanagihara", "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": "Hanya Yanagihara", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have never found it difficult,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some-do-to-speak-to-children-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-have-never-found-it-difficult-as-some-do-to-speak-to-children-all/#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 } } ] } ```