--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's true that no child is born knowing…" description: "\"It's true that no child is born knowing there's an evil thing. You learn what is ugly.\" — Lucy Dacus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg" --- # It's true that no child is born knowing there's an evil… ![“It's true that no child is born knowing there's an evil thing. You learn what is ugly.” quote by Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg) > “It's true that no child is born knowing there's an evil thing. You learn what is ugly.” [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children are born neutral; they learn ugliness through experience and observation. **In simple terms:** Children learn evil from the world. Key Takeaway Teach kindness early. Themes innocence learning morality Mood hopeful concerned Type musical philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - education - media consumption Key Concepts psychology socialization Questions to Reflect On - What values do you model for children? - How can society reduce learned ugliness? A Different Perspective Negative influences can be pervasive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ## Related quotes > [You soon learn there’s no elegance or dignity in death if you spend time in the castle kitchens. You learn how ugly it is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/you-soon-learn-there-s-no-elegance-or-dignity-in-death-if-you-spend/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [The divine nature of this world involves for the human being the pure, absolute nature, the plenitude state of this world, because this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/the-divine-nature-of-this-world-involves-for-the-human-being-the-pure/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [“The heart of the matter is whether knowing evil (or sin or crime or whatever you want to call it) is random or purposeful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/the-heart-of-the-matter-is-whether-knowing-evil-or-sin-or-crime-or/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [“It is astounding to find that the belly of every black and evil thing is white as snow. And it is saddening to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/it-is-astounding-to-find-that-the-belly-of-every-black-and-evil-thing/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Evil is not a thing. It cannot take possession of you. It's the opposite; it's a void, an absence of goodness. The only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/evil-is-not-a-thing-it-cannot-take-possession-of-you-it-s-the/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [Ugliness is a lack of harmony, assuredly. And evil is the same thing of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/ugliness-is-a-lack-of-harmony-assuredly-and-evil-is-the-same-thing-of/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Surely there never was so evil a thing as money, which maketh cities into ruinous heaps, and banisheth men from their houses, and turneth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/surely-there-never-was-so-evil-a-thing-as-money-which-maketh-cities/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [What is evil? There is no such thing. In Buddhism we don't recognize evil and therefore we don't give it any power over us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/what-is-evil-there-is-no-such-thing-in-buddhism-we-don-t-recognize/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“She…hoped. And hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all, the thing that had managed to thrive in Pandora’s box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-gong/she-hoped-and-hope-was-dangerous-hope-was-the-most-vicious-evil-of/) [Chloe Gong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-gong/) > [“What's the one thing Evil can never have... and the one thing Good can never do without?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/what-s-the-one-thing-evil-can-never-have-and-the-one-thing-good-can/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [We're all caught up in circumstances, and we're all good and evil. When you're really hungry, for instance, you'll do anything to survive. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/we-re-all-caught-up-in-circumstances-and-we-re-all-good-and-evil-when/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [“I don't know the good or the evil of the thing. That's something that only you mortals worry about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-don-t-know-the-good-or-the-evil-of-the-thing-that-s-something-that/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Only good was created. Every evil thing is a good thing ruined. There are no other ways to get an evil thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/only-good-was-created-every-evil-thing-is-a-good-thing-ruined-there/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [Expectations are an evil thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skylar-grey/expectations-are-an-evil-thing/) [Skylar Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skylar-grey/) > [Rock n' roll was a bad and evil thing. l remember once I was singing a Barry Manilow song, "Mandy," In the back seat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/axl-rose/rock-n-roll-was-a-bad-and-evil-thing-l-remember-once-i-was-singing-a/) [Axl Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/axl-rose/) ## More by Lucy Dacus > [When I'm on a stage, it's just me, singing a song with words that I wrote and I believe in. And if I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/when-i-m-on-a-stage-it-s-just-me-singing-a-song-with-words-that-i/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [Being on tour, it's really easy to stop knowing people that you want to know, because you're not sharing experiences; you're not existing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/being-on-tour-it-s-really-easy-to-stop-knowing-people-that-you-want/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [The main way that being adopted has shaped my songwriting is that I was asked at an early age to consider the circumstances that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/the-main-way-that-being-adopted-has-shaped-my-songwriting-is-that-i/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [Music was always encouraged as a passion and a hobby, but I was never told, 'This should be your job. You write music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/music-was-always-encouraged-as-a-passion-and-a-hobby-but-i-was-never/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [Whenever I'm trying to understand people that I don't understand, or things in people or even in myself, I'll say, 'When did this negativity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/whenever-i-m-trying-to-understand-people-that-i-don-t-understand-or/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [In film school, you get skills, but then you get lackey jobs, working on projects that you probably don't care about. And there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/in-film-school-you-get-skills-but-then-you-get-lackey-jobs-working-on/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I think a lot about my obsessive need to document things and what it's going to mean in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-think-a-lot-about-my-obsessive-need-to-document-things-and-what-it/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I've talked with friends about this: when you write about yourself, that's what people connect to. When you write a sermon or a lesson,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-ve-talked-with-friends-about-this-when-you-write-about-yourself/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I was always writing. I've always been attracted to words and stories, communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-was-always-writing-i-ve-always-been-attracted-to-words-and-stories/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I was always taught to be grateful, and so the question came early: What is there to be grateful for? Why is life supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-was-always-taught-to-be-grateful-and-so-the-question-came-early/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I really enjoy navigating the business aspect of having a band, and there is a great amount of instinct. You don't wanna work with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-really-enjoy-navigating-the-business-aspect-of-having-a-band-and/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I feel like the expectations have gone up. It's not a complaint, but it's a little intimidating. People are like, 'Oh, you're on Matador.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-feel-like-the-expectations-have-gone-up-it-s-not-a-complaint-but-it/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [In middle school, you're figuring out how you're affecting people, and sometimes you're affecting people negatively. And what sucks is that it can affect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/in-middle-school-you-re-figuring-out-how-you-re-affecting-people-and/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [I'm never writing as a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/i-m-never-writing-as-a-character/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [There is no 'stop' - there's always 'go' on both sides: always keep writing, always keep recording. I don't find them to be segmented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/there-is-no-stop-there-s-always-go-on-both-sides-always-keep-writing/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) [Explore all 94 Lucy Dacus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) ## More Born quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/) [Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [“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/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's true that no child is born knowing there's an evil thing. You learn what is ugly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lucy Dacus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing-there-s-an-evil-thing-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Born" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing-there-s-an-evil-thing-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e12/lucy-dacus-7153_born_it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing_2868251.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's true that no child is born knowing there's an evil thing. You learn what is ugly.” — Lucy Dacus", "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": "Lucy Dacus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's true that no child is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing-there-s-an-evil-thing-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/it-s-true-that-no-child-is-born-knowing-there-s-an-evil-thing-you/#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 } } ] } ```