--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is a two-year-old so terrible?…" description: "\"“Why is a two-year-old so terrible? Because she is systematically testing the fascinating and, to her, utterly novel notion that something that gives h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png" --- # Why is a two-year-old so terrible? Because she is… ![“Why is a two-year-old so terrible? Because she is systematically testing the fascinating and, to her, utterly novel notion that something that gives her pleasure might not actually give someone else pleasure—and the truth is that as adults we never lose that fascination.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png) > ““Why is a two-year-old so terrible? Because she is systematically testing the fascinating and, to her, utterly novel notion that something that gives her pleasure might not actually give someone else pleasure—and the truth is that as adults we never lose that fascination.”” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults lose the childlike curiosity that tests whether pleasure for one is also pleasure for another, leading to moral blind spots. **In simple terms:** Adults stop questioning shared pleasure. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity about others' experiences. Themes empathy morality curiosity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - team leadership - conflict resolution - customer service Key Concepts ethical development psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you test if your joy harms others? - What childhood curiosity can you revive? A Different Perspective Adults may rationalize selfishness as norm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually-pleasure-4546999/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Gives Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gives-pleasure-353175/) [Pleasure Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-actually-4546998/) [Pleasure Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-truth-1062320/) [Testing Fascinating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testing-fascinating-4546997/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [More and more, as I get older, people come up to me and say, 'Thank you for all the laughter.' And my standard answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/more-and-more-as-i-get-older-people-come-up-to-me-and-say-thank-you/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [A poem in my opinion, is opposed to a work of science by having for its immediate object, pleasure, not truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-poem-in-my-opinion-is-opposed-to-a-work-of-science-by-having-for/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/poetry-is-the-art-of-uniting-pleasure-with-truth/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“What was it that led the Cynics to repudiate pleasure in any form, if it was not the fact that pain is, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/what-was-it-that-led-the-cynics-to-repudiate-pleasure-in-any-form-if/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [We take pleasure in truth and it amazes the eye of the viewer to see in stone, in canvas, or in wood an inanimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lodovico-dolce/we-take-pleasure-in-truth-and-it-amazes-the-eye-of-the-viewer-to-see/) [Lodovico Dolce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lodovico-dolce/) > [The most appealing part is the feeling of learning something true - the pleasure of a truth. For me, that's mostly found in philosophical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eyvind-kang/the-most-appealing-part-is-the-feeling-of-learning-something-true-the/) [Eyvind Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eyvind-kang/) > [Knowing there is a structure, hidden or felt, to the random gives pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-balmond/knowing-there-is-a-structure-hidden-or-felt-to-the-random-gives/) [Cecil Balmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-balmond/) > [“I love every inch of you," I tell her. "Every part of your body that makes you nervous gives me pleasure. I see no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/i-love-every-inch-of-you-i-tell-her-every-part-of-your-body-that/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [Work is toil: what one does only to earn a living. If it gives pleasure, it is leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/work-is-toil-what-one-does-only-to-earn-a-living-if-it-gives-pleasure/) [Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/) > [One glance, one word from you gives more pleasure than all the wisdom of this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/one-glance-one-word-from-you-gives-more-pleasure-than-all-the-wisdom/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The thing that gives me most pleasure is when I feel I've really engaged with my colleagues, other like-minded individuals, in getting something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/the-thing-that-gives-me-most-pleasure-is-when-i-feel-i-ve-really/) [Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/) > [“What's more, I was free to do anything that did not hurt others that strengthened me and helped me in the one thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/what-s-more-i-was-free-to-do-anything-that-did-not-hurt-others-that/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [But what is drama? Broadly speaking, it is whatever by imitative action rouses interest or gives pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-what-is-drama-broadly-speaking-it-is-whatever-by-imitative-action/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-beautiful-gift-of-nature-is-that-it-gives-one-pleasure-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I feel very privileged to get to read and write and not to have to do things that I don't like, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-feel-very-privileged-to-get-to-read-and-write-and-not-to-have-to-do/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Why is a two-year-old so terrible? Because she is systematically testing the fascinating and, to her, utterly novel notion that something that gives her pleasure might not actually give someone else pleasure—and the truth is that as adults we never lose that fascination.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-because-she-is-systematically/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-because-she-is-systematically/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/malcolm-gladwell-348_child_why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-becaus_1343669.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why is a two-year-old so terrible? Because she is systematically testing the fascinating and, to her…” — Malcolm Gladwell", "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": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why is a two-year-old so terrible?...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-because-she-is-systematically/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/why-is-a-two-year-old-so-terrible-because-she-is-systematically/#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 } } ] } ```