---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human passions have mysterious ways, in…"
description: "\"Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can’t explain them, and those who haven’t known them have..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg"
---

#  Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well…

![“Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can’t explain them, and those who haven’t known them have no understanding of them at all.” quote by Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg)

> “Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can’t explain them, and those who haven’t known them have no understanding of them at all.”

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

## About This Quote

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

Children and adults share mysterious, inexplicable passions that are hard to articulate.

**In simple terms:** Passions are mysterious for all ages.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate empathy for unseen emotional currents.

Themes

emotion growth psychology

Mood

thoughtful empathetic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- parenting
- education
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

developmental psychology mythology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we better understand unseen emotions?
- What role does curiosity play in exploring passions?

A Different Perspective

Adults may dismiss children's feelings as trivial.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Mysterious ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious-ways/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passions/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

## Related quotes

> [“Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can't explain them, and those who haven't known them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-children-as-well-as-grown-ups-2/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [All of history misses out on the history of the soul. Human passions are so often not included in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/all-of-history-misses-out-on-the-history-of-the-soul-human-passions/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As countless as grains of sand by the sea are human passions, and they all differ; all of them, vile or lofty, begin by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/as-countless-as-grains-of-sand-by-the-sea-are-human-passions-and-they/)

[Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/)

> [Human passions, like the forces of nature, are eternal; it is not a matter of denying their existence, but of assessing them and understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-bourgeois/human-passions-like-the-forces-of-nature-are-eternal-it-is-not-a/)

[Leon Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-bourgeois/)

> [The human passions transform man from a mere thing into a hero, into a being that in spite of tremendous handicaps tries to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-human-passions-transform-man-from-a-mere-thing-into-a-hero-into-a/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish people, and the redemption to come. As for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/some-of-the-men-spoke-of-god-his-mysterious-ways-the-sins-of-the/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [“People say that God works in mysterious ways when they really mean that life, or something in their own lives, doesn’t make any sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hellenga/people-say-that-god-works-in-mysterious-ways-when-they-really-mean/)

[Robert Hellenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hellenga/)

> [God always works in mysterious ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missyrie/god-always-works-in-mysterious-ways/)

Missyrie

> [“God might work on mysterious ways, but hell worked on efficient ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/god-might-work-on-mysterious-ways-but-hell-worked-on-efficient-ones/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [They say our lives are scripted in advance. We just play our part and fate intervenes in mysterious ways to ensure that no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/they-say-our-lives-are-scripted-in-advance-we-just-play-our-part-and/)

[Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/)

> [Love is love it comes in many forms no one can tell the right from the wrong love works in mysterious ways that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-nd-my-babygirl/love-is-love-it-comes-in-many-forms-no-one-can-tell-the-right-from/)

Taylor Nd My Babygirl

> [God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to performs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/god-moves-in-mysterious-ways-his-wonders-to-performs/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Whatever we do or say without prayer always ends up either sinful or harmful and convicts us through the deeds in some mysterious way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-eremita/whatever-we-do-or-say-without-prayer-always-ends-up-either-sinful-or/)

[Marcus Eremita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-eremita/)

> [I'm one of those people that thinks the world changes in smaller and in more mysterious ways than a lot of people like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/i-m-one-of-those-people-that-thinks-the-world-changes-in-smaller-and/)

[Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/)

> [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

## More by Michael Ende

> [Just as the setting sun turned the clouds to liquid gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/just-as-the-setting-sun-turned-the-clouds-to-liquid-gold/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [To be wise was to be above joy and sorrow, fear and pity, ambition and humiliation. It was to hate nothing and to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/to-be-wise-was-to-be-above-joy-and-sorrow-fear-and-pity-ambition-and/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [He had been through a good deal in the course of the Great Quest — he had seen beautiful things and horrible things —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/he-had-been-through-a-good-deal-in-the-course-of-the-great-quest-he/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [There were doors that looked like large keyholes, others that resembled the entrances to caves, there were golden doors, some were padded and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/there-were-doors-that-looked-like-large-keyholes-others-that/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [“Hasta entonces, todo había sido para él como un gran juego. Se lo había tomado tan en serio como se tomaba cualquier juego y…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/hasta-entonces-todo-habi-a-sido-para-e-l-como-un-gran-juego-se-lo/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [Once someone dreams a dream, it can't just drop out of existence. But if the dreamer can't remember it, what becomes of it? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/once-someone-dreams-a-dream-it-can-t-just-drop-out-of-existence-but/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [“And there in the snow lay the pictures, like jewels bedded in white silk. They were paper-thin sheets of colored transparent isin glass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/and-there-in-the-snow-lay-the-pictures-like-jewels-bedded-in-white/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [There were thousands and thousands of forms of joy in the world, but that all were essentially one and the same, namely, the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/there-were-thousands-and-thousands-of-forms-of-joy-in-the-world-but/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [“A person’s reason for doing someone a good turn matters as much as the good turn itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/a-person-s-reason-for-doing-someone-a-good-turn-matters-as-much-as/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [As they advanced (towards the fountain) one after another of Bastian's Fastastican gifts fell away from him. The strong, handsome, fearless hero became the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/as-they-advanced-towards-the-fountain-one-after-another-of-bastian-s/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [You wish for something, you've wanted it for years, and you're sure you want it, as long as you know you can't have it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/you-wish-for-something-you-ve-wanted-it-for-years-and-you-re-sure-you/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [I wonder, what's in a book while it's closed. Oh, I know it's full of letters printed on paper, but all the same, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/i-wonder-what-s-in-a-book-while-it-s-closed-oh-i-know-it-s-full-of/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [“When your turn comes to jump into the Nothing, you too will be a nameless servant of power, with no will of your own.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/when-your-turn-comes-to-jump-into-the-nothing-you-too-will-be-a/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [All that matters in life," the grey man went on, "is to climb the ladder of success, amount to something, own things. When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/all-that-matters-in-life-the-grey-man-went-on-is-to-climb-the-ladder/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [Momo listened to everyone and everything - even to the rain and the wind and the pine trees - and all of them spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/momo-listened-to-everyone-and-everything-even-to-the-rain-and-the/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

[Explore all 99 Michael Ende quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

## 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": "Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can’t explain them, and those who haven’t known them have no understanding of them at all.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Ende"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-children-as-well-as-grown-ups/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-children-as-well-as-grown-ups/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/michael-ende-2862_children_human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-c_829174.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Human passions have mysterious ways, in children as well as grown-ups. Those affected by them can’t explain…” — Michael Ende",
                "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": "Michael Ende",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Human passions have mysterious ways, in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-children-as-well-as-grown-ups/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/human-passions-have-mysterious-ways-in-children-as-well-as-grown-ups/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
