---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that saving a little child And…"
description: "\"I think that saving a little child And bringing him to his own, Is a derned sight better business Than loafing around the throne.\" — John Hay"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png"
---

#  I think that saving a little child And bringing him to his…

![“I think that saving a little child And bringing him to his own, Is a derned sight better business Than loafing around the throne.” quote by John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png)

> “I think that saving a little child And bringing him to his own, Is a derned sight better business Than loafing around the throne.”

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Suggests that caring for a child is more valuable than idle power, implying responsibility over privilege.

**In simple terms:** Caring for a child is better than idle luxury.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize responsibility over idle privilege.

Themes

responsibility family ethics

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

ethical motivational

When to use this quote

- parenting
- public service
- leadership decisions

Key Concepts

moral duty social hierarchy child welfare

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities do leaders have toward vulnerable children?
- How does privilege affect moral choices?

A Different Perspective

The statement may overlook systemic issues affecting child welfare.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Loafing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loafing/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Throne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throne/)

## Related quotes

> [The public is not greatly interested in saving a little money on a purchase at the expense of service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cash-penney/the-public-is-not-greatly-interested-in-saving-a-little-money-on-a/)

[James Cash Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cash-penney/)

> [“It’s hard to have done all one’s growing up since 33 — but that’s a damn sight better than not growing up at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/it-s-hard-to-have-done-all-one-s-growing-up-since-33-but-that-s-a/)

[H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/)

> [true weanedness from the world don't consist in being beat off from the world by the affliction of it, but a being drawn off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-edwards/true-weanedness-from-the-world-don-t-consist-in-being-beat-off-from/)

[Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-edwards/)

> [Free... Yes...FREE time Is what retirement brings Leisure, lounging and loafing And other lazy things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/free-yes-free-time-is-what-retirement-brings-leisure-lounging-and/)

[John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/)

> [Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-bird/once-you-are-labeled-the-best-you-want-to-stay-up-there-and-you-can-t/)

[Larry Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-bird/)

> [It takes a heap of loafing to write a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/it-takes-a-heap-of-loafing-to-write-a-book/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-norman-hall/loafing-is-the-most-productive-part-of-a-writer-s-life/)

[James Norman Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-norman-hall/)

> [In producers, loafing is productive; and no creator, of whatever magnitude, has ever been able to skip that stage, any more than a mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/in-producers-loafing-is-productive-and-no-creator-of-whatever/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Sunday is a day of rest. Loafing is not rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baden-powell/sunday-is-a-day-of-rest-loafing-is-not-rest/)

[Robert Baden-Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baden-powell/)

> [“What lofty subject are you addressing in Tuesday’s column?” she asked. “Pencils! I’ve just discovered a source for the fat yellow pencils with thick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-jackson-braun/what-lofty-subject-are-you-addressing-in-tuesday-s-column-she-asked/)

[Lilian Jackson Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-jackson-braun/)

> [I've never understood activity holidays since we seem to have far too much activity in our daily lives as it is. Find a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/i-ve-never-understood-activity-holidays-since-we-seem-to-have-far-too/)

[Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/)

> [...vicinity to the sea is desirable, because it is easier to do nothing by the sea than anywhere else, and because bathing and basking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-benson/vicinity-to-the-sea-is-desirable-because-it-is-easier-to-do-nothing/)

[E.F. Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-benson/)

> [I don't resent working long hours. I shouldn't- I'm the one who set up my life this way. I love to work. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-henson/i-don-t-resent-working-long-hours-i-shouldn-t-i-m-the-one-who-set-up/)

[Jim Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-henson/)

> [Loafing" is easy, but "leisure" is difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/loafing-is-easy-but-leisure-is-difficult/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Fishing seems to be the favorite form of loafing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/fishing-seems-to-be-the-favorite-form-of-loafing/)

[E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/)

## More by John Hay

> [Make all good men your well-wishers, and then, in the years' steady sifting, Some of them turn into friends. Friends are the sunshine of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/make-all-good-men-your-well-wishers-and-then-in-the-years-steady/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [Break not the rose; its fragrance and beauty are surely sufficient, resting contented with these, never a thorn shall you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/break-not-the-rose-its-fragrance-and-beauty-are-surely-sufficient/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [There are occasions when you can hear the mysterious language of the Earth, in water, or coming through the trees, emanating from the mosses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/there-are-occasions-when-you-can-hear-the-mysterious-language-of-the/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [Speak with the speech of the world; think with the thoughts of the few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/speak-with-the-speech-of-the-world-think-with-the-thoughts-of-the-few/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [At my door the Pale Horse stands to carry me to unknown lands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/at-my-door-the-pale-horse-stands-to-carry-me-to-unknown-lands/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [There are three species of creatures who when they seem coming are going, when they seem going they come: diplomats, women, and crabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/there-are-three-species-of-creatures-who-when-they-seem-coming-are/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [“This beach I voyage on leads me through the earth's immortal consistencies. Each form I encounter obeys the principles of perfection and trial, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/this-beach-i-voyage-on-leads-me-through-the-earth-s-immortal/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [It would never occur to most of us that 'plants' say anything at all, except in terms of what we read into them, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/it-would-never-occur-to-most-of-us-that-plants-say-anything-at-all/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [Dealing with a government with whom mendacity is a science is an extremely difficult matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/dealing-with-a-government-with-whom-mendacity-is-a-science-is-an/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [“The wooing of those days was prompt and practical. There was no time for the gradual approaches of an idler and more conventional age.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/the-wooing-of-those-days-was-prompt-and-practical-there-was-no-time/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [The best loved man or maid in the town would perish with anguish Could they hear all that their friends say in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/the-best-loved-man-or-maid-in-the-town-would-perish-with-anguish/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [The people will come to their own at last,-God is not mocked forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/the-people-will-come-to-their-own-at-last-god-is-not-mocked-forever/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [What is first love worth, except to prepare for a second? What does second love bring? Only regret for the first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/what-is-first-love-worth-except-to-prepare-for-a-second-what-does/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [“In a society so estranged from animals as ours, we often fail to credit them with any form of language. If we do, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/in-a-society-so-estranged-from-animals-as-ours-we-often-fail-to/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

> [Unto each man comes a day when his favorite sins all forsake him, And he complacently thinks he has forsaken his sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/unto-each-man-comes-a-day-when-his-favorite-sins-all-forsake-him-and/)

[John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

[Explore all 20 John Hay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think that saving a little child And bringing him to his own, Is a derned sight better business Than loafing around the throne.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Hay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-bringing-him-to-his-own-is-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-bringing-him-to-his-own-is-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/john-hay-27858_business_i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-b_248899.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think that saving a little child And bringing him to his own, Is a derned sight better business Than…” — John Hay",
                "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": "John Hay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think that saving a little...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-bringing-him-to-his-own-is-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/i-think-that-saving-a-little-child-and-bringing-him-to-his-own-is-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
