--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only God can shape a flower, but any…" description: "\"Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces.\" — Og Mandino" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/og-mandino-1262_children_only-god-can-shape-a-flower-but-any-fool_710842.jpg" --- # Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can… ![“Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces.” quote by Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/og-mandino-1262_children_only-god-can-shape-a-flower-but-any-fool_710842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/og-mandino-1262_children_only-god-can-shape-a-flower-but-any-fool_710842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/og-mandino-1262_children_only-god-can-shape-a-flower-but-any-fool_710842.jpg) > “Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces.” [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even divine creation is fragile; careless actions can destroy beauty. **In simple terms:** Beauty is fragile; be gentle. Key Takeaway Handle with care. Themes fragility responsibility beauty Mood reflective cautious Type moral inspirational When to use this quote - gardening - handling delicate objects - teaching children - preserving art Key Concepts respect for nature mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect fragile things? - What responsibilities come with power? A Different Perspective Even with care, some damage is inevitable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flower Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower-foolish-5606749/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Foolish Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-child-2803198/) [God Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-shape-1632544/) [Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permit/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Self denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-denial/) [Shape Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shape-flower-5606750/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) ## Related quotes > [Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/remember-that-no-talent-no-self-denial-no-brains-no-character-are/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [“Our most basic images of God will shape our lives, willy-nilly, including how we think about the larger environment in which we live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-e-fretheim/our-most-basic-images-of-god-will-shape-our-lives-willy-nilly/) [Terence E. Fretheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-e-fretheim/) > [Effective leaders allow God to shape them into the kind of people they need to be for each situation they encounter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-george/effective-leaders-allow-god-to-shape-them-into-the-kind-of-people/) [Jim George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-george/) > [“But the Word of God should shape our perspective, not circumstances or current events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-steele/but-the-word-of-god-should-shape-our-perspective-not-circumstances-or/) [David S. Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-steele/) > [Though most expect young men to be fools, I've noticed that just a little bit of age can make a man far more foolish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/though-most-expect-young-men-to-be-fools-i-ve-noticed-that-just-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-freehill/who-is-more-foolish-the-child-afraid-of-the-dark-or-the-man-afraid-of-2/) [Maurice Freehill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-freehill/) > [“foolish child is a father’s ruin,† and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.†”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/foolish-child-is-a-father-s-ruin-and-a-quarrelsome-wife-is-like-the/) [Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/) > [Go home and say to yourself, ‘I am a wayward, foolish child. But He loves me! I have disobeyed and grieved Him ten thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/go-home-and-say-to-yourself-i-am-a-wayward-foolish-child-but-he-loves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I think everyone is a foolish child,” said the Emperor of the Air. “I know I’m one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-joseph-adams/i-think-everyone-is-a-foolish-child-said-the-emperor-of-the-air-i/) [John Joseph Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-joseph-adams/) > [Even a foolish child can grow up in a right way,when he/she learns what pain is. Knowing pain controls ones thoughts and decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pain/even-a-foolish-child-can-grow-up-in-a-right-way-when-he-she-learns/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pain/) > [“Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-allow-anyone-to-rain-on-your-parade-and-thus-cast-a-pall-of/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-allow-anyone-to-rain-on-your-parade-and-thus-cast-a-pall-of-2/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“The most saddening thing is to admit that I am not in love. I can only love (if that means self denial - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/the-most-saddening-thing-is-to-admit-that-i-am-not-in-love-i-can-only/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [If we can but tear the blindfold of self-deception from our eyes and loosen the gag of self-denial from our voices, we can restore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-c-sorensen/if-we-can-but-tear-the-blindfold-of-self-deception-from-our-eyes-and/) [Theodore C. Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-c-sorensen/) ## More by Og Mandino > [Don't let your success of today lay you into complacency for tomorrow. For that is the worst form of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/don-t-let-your-success-of-today-lay-you-into-complacency-for-tomorrow/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-love-the-light-for-it-shows-me-the-way-yet-i-will-endure-the/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Never settle for the crumbs of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-settle-for-the-crumbs-of-life/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [The smallest task, well done, becomes a miracle of achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/the-smallest-task-well-done-becomes-a-miracle-of-achievement/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Laugh at yourself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/laugh-at-yourself-for-man-is-most-comical-when-he-takes-himself-too/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/obstacles-are-necessary-for-success-because-in-selling-as-in-all/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I will persist. I will always take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-persist-i-will-always-take-another-step-if-that-is-of-no-avail/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Do the very best that you can, in the things you do best, and you will know in thy soul, that you are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/do-the-very-best-that-you-can-in-the-things-you-do-best-and-you-will/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I am indeed a fortunate man and today's hours are but a bonus, undeserved. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-am-indeed-a-fortunate-man-and-today-s-hours-are-but-a-bonus/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [The person who knows one thing and does it better than anyone else, even if it only be the art of raising lentils, receives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/the-person-who-knows-one-thing-and-does-it-better-than-anyone-else/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/always-do-your-best-what-you-plant-now-you-will-harvest-later/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I will live this day as if it is my last. …I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, Yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-live-this-day-as-if-it-is-my-last-i-will-waste-not-a-moment/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/to-do-anything-truly-worth-doing-i-must-not-stand-back-shivering-and/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [What is past is past. You can do nothing about yesterday and last month and the failures of last year, but you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/what-is-past-is-past-you-can-do-nothing-about-yesterday-and-last/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) [Explore all 256 Og Mandino quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) ## 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. 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