--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children become adults who become…" description: "\"“Children become adults who become children again.”\" — Kristin Hannah" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png" --- # Children become adults who become children again. ![“Children become adults who become children again.” quote by Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png) > ““Children become adults who become children again.”” [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects the cyclical nature of adulthood, where grown‑ups often revert to childlike behaviors or mindsets. **In simple terms:** Adults can become childlike again. Key Takeaway Embrace growth while honoring inner child. Themes psychology development nostalgia Mood contemplative warm Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - parenting - career transitions - creative work - therapy Key Concepts Life cycle identity regression Questions to Reflect On - Why do adults revert to childlike traits? - How can maturity coexist with playfulness? A Different Perspective May oversimplify adult complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ## Related quotes > [“From what I can tell, the chief distinguishing factor between children and adults is that children hear everything while appearing not to and adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mccauley/from-what-i-can-tell-the-chief-distinguishing-factor-between-children/) [Stephen McCauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mccauley/) > [“It turned out that the only difference between children and adults was that children were prepared to put twice the energy into the project…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/it-turned-out-that-the-only-difference-between-children-and-adults/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Except I'm aware that as a writer you can't get away with as much writing for children as you can with adults. Children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/except-i-m-aware-that-as-a-writer-you-can-t-get-away-with-as-much/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [In the United States today, there is a pervasive tendency to treat children as adults, and adults as children. The options of children are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-united-states-today-there-is-a-pervasive-tendency-to-treat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Children in school are not students, they are pupils. It is typical of certain kinds of politicians that they should regard children as adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-daniels/children-in-school-are-not-students-they-are-pupils-it-is-typical-of/) [Anthony Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-daniels/) > [Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/happiness-is-an-imaginary-condition-formerly-attributed-by-the-living/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [This is what happens when you are on the wrong side of 40. Young adults, who could be your children, are now working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/this-is-what-happens-when-you-are-on-the-wrong-side-of-40-young/) [Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/) > [Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children's approach to life. They're people who don't give a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/why-do-we-have-to-grow-up-i-know-more-adults-who-have-the-children-s/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Three children have become adults since a phone call with Jo Rowling, containing one small clue, persuaded me that there was more to Snape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/three-children-have-become-adults-since-a-phone-call-with-jo-rowling/) [Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/) > [“In the process of helping children prepare to minister and in doing ministry together, important relationships can develop between child and adult. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-stonehouse/in-the-process-of-helping-children-prepare-to-minister-and-in-doing/) [Catherine Stonehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-stonehouse/) > [“Now there are adults without children who go to Disney, and they are called weirdos. Very nice people. Absolutely crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/now-there-are-adults-without-children-who-go-to-disney-and-they-are/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [Children use all their wiles to get their way with adults. Adults do the same with children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/children-use-all-their-wiles-to-get-their-way-with-adults-adults-do/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Teaching children is important for adults as well as children. As we tell children the stories of the faith, talk with them about God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-stonehouse/teaching-children-is-important-for-adults-as-well-as-children-as-we/) [Catherine Stonehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-stonehouse/) > [“Disney archivist Dave Smith said, "Disneyland's true appeal, we admit now, is to adults. Children don't need it. Their imaginations are enough. For them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gennawey/disney-archivist-dave-smith-said-disneyland-s-true-appeal-we-admit/) Sam Gennawey > [It is healthier, in any case, to write for the adults one's children will become than for the children one's 'mature' critics often are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/it-is-healthier-in-any-case-to-write-for-the-adults-one-s-children/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## More by Kristin Hannah > [She still felt shell-shocked by all of it, numb. Beneath the numbness, though, was a raw and terrible anger that was unlike anything she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-still-felt-shell-shocked-by-all-of-it-numb-beneath-the-numbness/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“Terrible beautiful combination of happiness and pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/terrible-beautiful-combination-of-happiness-and-pain/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [She waited for you in a thousand different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-waited-for-you-in-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“Antoine took her in his arms. The scent of jasmine was intoxicating, and she knew suddenly, certainly, that from now on, whenever she smelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/antoine-took-her-in-his-arms-the-scent-of-jasmine-was-intoxicating/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [what shall we drink to?" "How about family?" Stacy said, showing up just in time to pour a fourth shot. "To those who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/what-shall-we-drink-to-how-about-family-stacy-said-showing-up-just-in/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [He is a man, and he is afraid. This is not a good combination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/he-is-a-man-and-he-is-afraid-this-is-not-a-good-combination/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [Goddamn, sometimes it hurt to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/goddamn-sometimes-it-hurt-to-be-free/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“I was not good at the whole making-death-a-positive-transition thing. How could I? I wanted her to fight to the last breath. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/i-was-not-good-at-the-whole-making-death-a-positive-transition-thing/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“Kate heard the bravado in her friend’s voice and saw it in her eyes. “I prayed for you.” “You did?” Tully asked. “Wow. Thanks.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/kate-heard-the-bravado-in-her-friend-s-voice-and-saw-it-in-her-eyes-i/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“The trip from Portland to New York City was like climbing Mount Everest without oxygen. It went on and on, and by the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/the-trip-from-portland-to-new-york-city-was-like-climbing-mount/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“So now books were her only friends. She'd read Lord of the Rings so often she could recite whole scenes by memory. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/so-now-books-were-her-only-friends-she-d-read-lord-of-the-rings-so/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [She used to tell me that she couldn't feel the sunlight anymore, not even when she was standing in it, not even when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-used-to-tell-me-that-she-couldn-t-feel-the-sunlight-anymore-not/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“Tragedy was like that, a razor that sliced through time, severing the now from the before, incising the what-might-have-been from reality as cleanly as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/tragedy-was-like-that-a-razor-that-sliced-through-time-severing-the/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“I want to imagine there will be peace when I am gone, that I will see all of the people I have loved and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/i-want-to-imagine-there-will-be-peace-when-i-am-gone-that-i-will-see/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [What good did it do to light the world on fire if she had to watch the glow alone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/what-good-did-it-do-to-light-the-world-on-fire-if-she-had-to-watch/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) [Explore all 282 Kristin Hannah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) ## More Adults 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [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/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. Anders Ericsson > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Children become adults who become children again.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kristin Hannah" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/children-become-adults-who-become-children-again/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/children-become-adults-who-become-children-again/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/kristin-hannah-1106_adults_children-become-adults-who-become-childr_2746421.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Children become adults who become children again.” — Kristin Hannah", "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": "Kristin Hannah", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Children become adults who become children...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/children-become-adults-who-become-children-again/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/children-become-adults-who-become-children-again/#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 } } ] } ```