---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The crisis of children having children…"
description: "\"The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed by the greater crisis of children killing children.\" — Marian Wright Edelman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png"
---

#  The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed…

![“The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed by the greater crisis of children killing children.” quote by Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png)

> “The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed by the greater crisis of children killing children.”

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

## About This Quote

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

Children's own childbearing is eclipsed by the larger issue of children harming each other.

**In simple terms:** Child abuse outweighs teen pregnancy concerns.

Key Takeaway

Address youth violence first.

Themes

youth violence child welfare social crisis

Mood

urgent concerned

Type

advocacy policy

When to use this quote

- education
- community programs
- legislation
- parenting

Key Concepts

sociology public policy

Questions to Reflect On

- What can communities do to reduce youth violence?
- How can we balance support for teen parents and safety?

A Different Perspective

Both issues need attention; resources are limited.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Having children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-children/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/)

## Related quotes

> [America may be the only society on earth to have experienced what has been called an 'epidemic of children killing children,' which is ravaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/america-may-be-the-only-society-on-earth-to-have-experienced-what-has/)

[Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/)

> [Cullen is up there killing my children. He's killing everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-cullen-davis/cullen-is-up-there-killing-my-children-he-s-killing-everyone/)

T. Cullen Davis

> [It comes down to a doubt about the wisdom Of having children after having had them, So there is nothing we can do about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-comes-down-to-a-doubt-about-the-wisdom-of-having-children-after/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Parenting is a negative thing. Keep your children from killing themselves, or anyone else, and hope for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/parenting-is-a-negative-thing-keep-your-children-from-killing/)

[Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/)

> [“They said 'specialist children's wards,' But they meant children-killing centers. They said 'final medical assistance' But they meant murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-clare-lezotte/they-said-specialist-children-s-wards-but-they-meant-children-killing/)

Ann Clare LeZotte

> [In Italy, there's the need to help our kids have kids, not to have new slaves to replace the children we're not having.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matteo-salvini/in-italy-there-s-the-need-to-help-our-kids-have-kids-not-to-have-new/)

[Matteo Salvini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matteo-salvini/)

> [Why would I, in a million years, want to do anything even remotely having to do with child molestation on a children's show? See,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reubens/why-would-i-in-a-million-years-want-to-do-anything-even-remotely/)

[Paul Reubens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reubens/)

> [I am very in favour of children having a nap after lunch because then they're not whiney and grizzly by six o'clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-am-very-in-favour-of-children-having-a-nap-after-lunch-because-then/)

[Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/)

> [It's impossible for a couple to bring up two children without having lots and lots of arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rea/it-s-impossible-for-a-couple-to-bring-up-two-children-without-having/)

[Chris Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rea/)

> [I believe in making the world safe for our children, but not our children's children, because I don't think children should be having sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-believe-in-making-the-world-safe-for-our-children-but-not-our/)

[Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/)

> [I have three children, each of whom is having an idyllic childhood, probably because I have been at the office the entire time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/i-have-three-children-each-of-whom-is-having-an-idyllic-childhood/)

[Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/)

> [Well, you don't get to do things that other children get to do, having friends and slumber parties and buddies. There were none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/well-you-don-t-get-to-do-things-that-other-children-get-to-do-having/)

[Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/)

> [“It’s not just the Taliban killing children. Sometimes it’s drone attacks, sometimes it’s wars, sometimes it’s hunger. And sometimes it’s their own family. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/it-s-not-just-the-taliban-killing-children-sometimes-it-s-drone/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Is adult entertainment killing our children? or is killing our children entertaining our adults?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/is-adult-entertainment-killing-our-children-or-is-killing-our/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/war-may-sometimes-be-a-necessary-evil-but-no-matter-how-necessary-it/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

## More by Marian Wright Edelman

> [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [It is utterly exhausting being Black in America - physically, mentally, and emotionally. While many minority groups and women feel similar stress, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-is-utterly-exhausting-being-black-in-america-physically-mentally/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/justice-is-not-cheap-justice-is-not-quick-it-is-not-ever-finally/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [I never thought I was breaking a glass ceiling. I just had to do what I had to do, and it never occurred to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/i-never-thought-i-was-breaking-a-glass-ceiling-i-just-had-to-do-what/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [In my generation, we learned how to be leaders by being exposed to and involved with adults who empowered us and gave us a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/in-my-generation-we-learned-how-to-be-leaders-by-being-exposed-to-and/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [The old notion that children are the private property of parents dies very slowly. In reality, no parent raises a child alone. How many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-old-notion-that-children-are-the-private-property-of-parents-dies/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [When Jesus Christ asked little children to come to him, he didn't say only rich children, or White children, or children with two-parent families,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/when-jesus-christ-asked-little-children-to-come-to-him-he-didn-t-say/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [“Don’t feel entitled to anything you don’t sweat and struggle for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/don-t-feel-entitled-to-anything-you-don-t-sweat-and-struggle-for/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [You can't tell parents to teach children the value of work when we don't have jobs and the jobs we have don't pay a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/you-can-t-tell-parents-to-teach-children-the-value-of-work-when-we/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teen-agers, I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/to-all-those-mothers-and-fathers-who-are-struggling-with-teen-agers-i/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [It really takes a community to raise children, no matter how much money one has. Nobody can do it well alone. And it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-really-takes-a-community-to-raise-children-no-matter-how-much/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [Democracy cannot breathe, indeed will die, if those enjoined to protect it and uphold the laws snuff it out - with no consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/democracy-cannot-breathe-indeed-will-die-if-those-enjoined-to-protect/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [Hunger and malnutrition have devastating consequences for children and have been linked to low birth weight and birth defects, obesity, mental and physical health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/hunger-and-malnutrition-have-devastating-consequences-for-children/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [We're spending, on average, three times more for prison than for public-school pupils. That's the dumbest investment policy. It doesn't make us safer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-re-spending-on-average-three-times-more-for-prison-than-for-public/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [You'd better stay determined, because that's how our ancestors got us where we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/you-d-better-stay-determined-because-that-s-how-our-ancestors-got-us/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

[Explore all 179 Marian Wright Edelman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

## More Children 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/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

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

> [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/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“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 a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed by the greater crisis of children killing children.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marian Wright Edelman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-crisis-of-children-having-children-has-been-eclipsed-by-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-crisis-of-children-having-children-has-been-eclipsed-by-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_the-crisis-of-children-having-children-h_442739.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The crisis of children having children has been eclipsed by the greater crisis of children killing children.” — Marian Wright Edelman",
                "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": "Marian Wright Edelman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The crisis of children having children...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-crisis-of-children-having-children-has-been-eclipsed-by-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-crisis-of-children-having-children-has-been-eclipsed-by-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
