---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The man of true greatness never loses his…"
description: "\"The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.\" — Mencius"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png"
---

#  The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.

![“The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.” quote by Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png)

> “The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.”

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

## About This Quote

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

Greatness is maintained by keeping childlike wonder, openness, and humility.

**In simple terms:** Greatness needs a child’s heart.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate curiosity and humility.

Themes

humility wonder greatness

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- parenting
- leadership
- personal growth

Key Concepts

Confucianism inner child authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you stay open while making adult decisions?
- What does a child’s heart mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Children’s perspective can be naïve and impractical.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-heart-416112/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Loses Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses-child-476597/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [True greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-greatness/)

## Related quotes

> [Let your desire for truth transcend all minor considerations. Ignorance is invariably confident. The man of knowledge learns to realize his own needs. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grenville-kleiser/let-your-desire-for-truth-transcend-all-minor-considerations/)

[Grenville Kleiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grenville-kleiser/)

> [The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-great-man-is-he-who-does-not-lose-his-child-s-heart/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [A great man is one who has not lost the child's heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/a-great-man-is-one-who-has-not-lost-the-child-s-heart/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Never lose your child's heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/never-lose-your-child-s-heart/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [“There are no words, not in English, Spanish, Arabic, or Hebrew, that have been invented to explain what it’s like to lose a child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-eliot/there-are-no-words-not-in-english-spanish-arabic-or-hebrew-that-have/)

[D.E. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-eliot/)

> [Every parent who loses a child finds a way to laugh again. The timbre begins to fade. The edge dulls. The hurt lessens. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/every-parent-who-loses-a-child-finds-a-way-to-laugh-again-the-timbre/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“a mother who loses her child can no longer believe in God”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/a-mother-who-loses-her-child-can-no-longer-believe-in-god/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [When a parent loses a child, there is no greater pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/when-a-parent-loses-a-child-there-is-no-greater-pain/)

[Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/)

> [The idea is that Jodie Foster is with her child and she's going back to New York from Germany with her husband's body. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-bean/the-idea-is-that-jodie-foster-is-with-her-child-and-she-s-going-back/)

[Sean Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-bean/)

> [“I always wondered why they don’t have a word for a parent who loses a child. If I’d lost Ben, I’d be a widow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-always-wondered-why-they-don-t-have-a-word-for-a-parent-who-loses-a/)

[Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/)

> [There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. Conquest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/there-are-only-two-sorts-of-greatness-true-greatness-which-is-of-a/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [True greatness,true leadership,is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/true-greatness-true-leadership-is-found-in-giving-yourself-in-service/)

[J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/)

> [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/)

[Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/)

> [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [“…the child's heart bled when it was broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-child-s-heart-bled-when-it-was-broken/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

## More by Mencius

> [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-fruit-of-humanity-is-devotion-to-one-s-parents-the-fruit-of/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/people-are-eager-to-comment-on-something-when-they-themselves-are-not/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Truth uttered before its time is dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/truth-uttered-before-its-time-is-dangerous/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Only when someone refuses to do certain things will he be capable of doing great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/only-when-someone-refuses-to-do-certain-things-will-he-be-capable-of/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [The disease of men is that they neglect their own fields and go to weed the fields of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-disease-of-men-is-that-they-neglect-their-own-fields-and-go-to/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [People can have a long-term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/people-can-have-a-long-term-life-plan-only-if-they-know-their-private/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/is-it-only-the-mouth-and-belly-which-are-injured-by-hunger-and-thirst/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/mankind-fears-an-evil-man-but-heaven-does-not/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? The tendency of our nature to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/water-indeed-will-flow-indifferently-to-the-east-or-west-but-will-it/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [When the men of antiquity realized their wishes, benefits were conferred by them on the people. If they did not realize their wishes, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/when-the-men-of-antiquity-realized-their-wishes-benefits-were/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [If the King loves music, it is well with the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/if-the-king-loves-music-it-is-well-with-the-land/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [The poor attend to their own virtue in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-poor-attend-to-their-own-virtue-in-solitude/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [There is the work of great men and there is the work of little men. Therefore it is said, 'Some labor with their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/there-is-the-work-of-great-men-and-there-is-the-work-of-little-men/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/there-is-a-power-in-everything-it-is-the-job-of-the-artist-to/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [All people have the common desire to be elevated in honour, but all people have something still more elevated in themselves without knowing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/all-people-have-the-common-desire-to-be-elevated-in-honour-but-all/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

[Explore all 125 Mencius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

## 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 man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mencius"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-his-child-s-heart/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-his-child-s-heart/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/748/mencius-3576_children_the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-hi_2577639.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.” — Mencius",
                "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": "Mencius",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The man of true greatness never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-his-child-s-heart/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-man-of-true-greatness-never-loses-his-child-s-heart/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
