Business Quote by Margaret Halsey
“children are an embarrassment to a business civilization. A business society needs children for the same reason that a nomadic or a pastoral society needs them - to perpetuate itself. Unfortunately, however, children are of no use to a business society until they have almost reached physical maturity.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Role of Children in Modern Economies, 2012
Business societies rely on children for future labor, but they are not productive until adulthood.
In simple terms: Children are future workers.
Key Takeaway
Invest in education early.
Themes
economics
future
society
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy planning
- family budgeting
- education reform
- long‑term investment
Key Concepts
human capital
demographic transition
Questions to Reflect On
- How does society value children beyond labor?
- What policies support both families and economies?
A Different Perspective
Children also need emotional support, not just economic utility.
![“[Children should contribute] to a family's essential survival and happiness. [In] an urban society, children are ... robbed of the opportunity to do genuinely responsible work.” quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e7d/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_children_children-should-contribute-to-a-family-s_2838598.jpg)
![“[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, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)