--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I really want for my children is…" description: "\"What I really want for my children is that they be loved and that they be happy and that they lead a good life.\" — Michael Sandel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/michael-sandel-10344_children_what-i-really-want-for-my-children-is-th_154135.jpg" --- # What I really want for my children is that they be loved… ![“What I really want for my children is that they be loved and that they be happy and that they lead a good life.” quote by Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/michael-sandel-10344_children_what-i-really-want-for-my-children-is-th_154135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/michael-sandel-10344_children_what-i-really-want-for-my-children-is-th_154135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/michael-sandel-10344_children_what-i-really-want-for-my-children-is-th_154135.jpg) > “What I really want for my children is that they be loved and that they be happy and that they lead a good life.” [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker wishes their children to experience love, happiness, and a virtuous life. **In simple terms:** Children should be loved, happy, and live well. Key Takeaway Prioritize love and happiness in raising children. Themes family ethics wellbeing parenting virtue Mood hopeful reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - child development - parental guidance - ethical education - life goals Key Concepts love happiness morality Questions to Reflect On - What defines a “good life” for different people? - How can parents foster love and happiness effectively? A Different Perspective Happiness and virtue can be subjective and culturally variable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) ## Related quotes > [We believed the fairy tales we told our children and we loved them beyond reason even when we were green and bungling about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlena-de-blasi/we-believed-the-fairy-tales-we-told-our-children-and-we-loved-them/) [Marlena De Blasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlena-de-blasi/) > [When children are loved, they live off trust; their bides and hearts open up to those who respect and love them, who understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/when-children-are-loved-they-live-off-trust-their-bides-and-hearts/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [To the children who loved Harry Potter, I want to say your enthusiasm was the real magic. I so enjoyed being on the journey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/to-the-children-who-loved-harry-potter-i-want-to-say-your-enthusiasm/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [“All the children loved Ezhilarasi’s stall, and they visited her every day. They cherished the woven ball the most since it lasted even after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyadarshini/all-the-children-loved-ezhilarasi-s-stall-and-they-visited-her-every/) [Priyadarshini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyadarshini/) > [“Dogs and children loved my boyfriend. It was a simple fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/dogs-and-children-loved-my-boyfriend-it-was-a-simple-fact/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“She knew Buck was as concerned about the children as she was, and loved him all the more for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlene-raddon/she-knew-buck-was-as-concerned-about-the-children-as-she-was-and/) Charlene Raddon > [We asked our friends and relations to lend us their children, and, because we lived in London, children loved to come and stay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/we-asked-our-friends-and-relations-to-lend-us-their-children-and/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [I don't really have a schedule of when I want to show my children my movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-don-t-really-have-a-schedule-of-when-i-want-to-show-my-children-my/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I want a world without war. War never works it just kills. I want my children to never have to have a close contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-martin/i-want-a-world-without-war-war-never-works-it-just-kills-i-want-my/) Ana Martin > [I just want my children to be happy. And to be good people. Proper people. That's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/i-just-want-my-children-to-be-happy-and-to-be-good-people-proper/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [I don't think I would want my children to enter into my profession. There's a lot of stress and so much competition. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/i-don-t-think-i-would-want-my-children-to-enter-into-my-profession/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [I want my children to be able to meet and play and communicate with many other children on their own, not only when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/i-want-my-children-to-be-able-to-meet-and-play-and-communicate-with/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Each of us must come to care about everyone else's children. We must recognize that the welfare of our children and grandchildren is intimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-katz/each-of-us-must-come-to-care-about-everyone-else-s-children-we-must/) [Lilian Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-katz/) > [I want six children!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-d-arbanville/i-want-six-children/) [Patti D'Arbanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-d-arbanville/) > [I started a list of things I want to teach my children, and that list is eight points long. The first one is, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-roth-eisenberg/i-started-a-list-of-things-i-want-to-teach-my-children-and-that-list/) Tina Roth-Eisenberg ## More by Michael Sandel > [It is true that the Jewish tradition emphasizes the moral mandate to save life. It also has a different position from the Catholic Church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/it-is-true-that-the-jewish-tradition-emphasizes-the-moral-mandate-to/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [If parents are aiming at choosing children who will be good athletes, or great musicians, or who will get into Ivy League schools, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/if-parents-are-aiming-at-choosing-children-who-will-be-good-athletes/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Aiming at giving our kids a competitive edge in a consumer society - that, in principle, is a goal that is limitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/aiming-at-giving-our-kids-a-competitive-edge-in-a-consumer-society/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [In natural pregnancy, more than half of fertilized eggs fail to implant or are otherwise lost. Should we regard that as an instance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/in-natural-pregnancy-more-than-half-of-fertilized-eggs-fail-to/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Economics has increasingly become the science of human behavior in general, and it's all the more unlikely to think that it can possibly be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/economics-has-increasingly-become-the-science-of-human-behavior-in/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [The relief of suffering is a great good. The curing of illness and disease - these are great human goods. This is the mission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/the-relief-of-suffering-is-a-great-good-the-curing-of-illness-and/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [I do not argue that nature is sacrosanct in the sense that we must never tamper with nature. 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It's presented as a science of social choice that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/today-if-you-look-at-most-economic-textbooks-economics-is-not-defined/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [I do think it is very important that the religious communities do try to bring their teachings and their insights to bear on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/i-do-think-it-is-very-important-that-the-religious-communities-do-try/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [I am trying to get at the moral arguments and the ethical status of various attempts at enhancement, or genetic engineering, or the bid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/i-am-trying-to-get-at-the-moral-arguments-and-the-ethical-status-of/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [To argue about justice is unavoidably to argue about virtues, about substantive moral and even spiritual questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/to-argue-about-justice-is-unavoidably-to-argue-about-virtues-about/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Very often when we aim at the best, or what we may think is the best for our children, we aim really at lesser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/very-often-when-we-aim-at-the-best-or-what-we-may-think-is-the-best/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Democracy does not require perfect equality, but it does require that citizens share a common life. What matters is that people of different backgrounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/democracy-does-not-require-perfect-equality-but-it-does-require-that/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Parenthood is a school for humility. We can't choose the precise traits of our children, and that is morally important. It teaches us what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/parenthood-is-a-school-for-humility-we-can-t-choose-the-precise/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [I'm a supporter of embryonic stem cell research. I do think there are very important moral and also religious questions at stake in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/i-m-a-supporter-of-embryonic-stem-cell-research-i-do-think-there-are/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) [Explore all 66 Michael Sandel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) ## 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? 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