--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The child had wanted attention. She had…" description: "\"“The child had wanted attention. She had just asked to be noticed. But she was given an assessment. 'What a clever girl!”\" — Peter Høeg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg" --- # The child had wanted attention. She had just asked to be… ![“The child had wanted attention. She had just asked to be noticed. But she was given an assessment. 'What a clever girl!” quote by Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg) > ““The child had wanted attention. She had just asked to be noticed. But she was given an assessment. 'What a clever girl!”” [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights a child's craving for acknowledgment, contrasted with being judged for cleverness. **In simple terms:** Children want to be seen, not just evaluated. Key Takeaway Recognize the need for genuine attention. Themes attention validation childhood assessment Mood empathetic thoughtful Type observational psychological When to use this quote - parenting - education - mental health - team dynamics Key Concepts psychology of recognition social evaluation Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance feedback with genuine listening? - What signals show a child feels truly seen? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on assessment can stifle authentic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Clever girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever-girl/) ## Related quotes > [“Something happened to you, they discovered, when you were given the unconditional love and trust of a child. You wanted to try to deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/something-happened-to-you-they-discovered-when-you-were-given-the/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [From the time I was a child, I wanted to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harshvardhan-rane/from-the-time-i-was-a-child-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor/) [Harshvardhan Rane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harshvardhan-rane/) > [The child in me wanted to try out new things and do something different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystle-d-souza/the-child-in-me-wanted-to-try-out-new-things-and-do-something/) [Krystle D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystle-d-souza/) > [As a child I wanted to become an architect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/as-a-child-i-wanted-to-become-an-architect/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [Ever since I was a child, I wanted to excel in everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mondavi/ever-since-i-was-a-child-i-wanted-to-excel-in-everything/) [Robert Mondavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mondavi/) > [“Your mother and I had a child because we wanted to share our love with someone, not because we wanted a nurse to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-peeler/your-mother-and-i-had-a-child-because-we-wanted-to-share-our-love/) [Nicole Peeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-peeler/) > [I wasn't a child who wanted to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-badham/i-wasn-t-a-child-who-wanted-to-be-an-actor/) [Mary Badham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-badham/) > [As a child, I wanted to be an athlete, a professional tennis player or something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ames/as-a-child-i-wanted-to-be-an-athlete-a-professional-tennis-player-or/) [Jonathan Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ames/) > [As a child, I wanted to know how things worked and to control them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-hawking/as-a-child-i-wanted-to-know-how-things-worked-and-to-control-them/) [Lucy Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-hawking/) > [An only child, I always wanted a large hug-house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/an-only-child-i-always-wanted-a-large-hug-house/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [Every child a wanted child; every mother a willing mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-morgentaler/every-child-a-wanted-child-every-mother-a-willing-mother/) Henry Morgentaler > [As a child I wanted to be a professional athlete or lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/as-a-child-i-wanted-to-be-a-professional-athlete-or-lawyer/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [It's a short step from the belief that every child should be wanted to the belief that a child exists to satisfy our wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/it-s-a-short-step-from-the-belief-that-every-child-should-be-wanted/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [The first right of every child is to be wanted, to be desired, to be planned for with an intensity of love that gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/the-first-right-of-every-child-is-to-be-wanted-to-be-desired-to-be/) [Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/) > [As a child, I always wanted to be a race car pilot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajith-kumar/as-a-child-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-race-car-pilot/) [Ajith Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajith-kumar/) ## More by Peter Høeg > [“Time is something you have to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/time-is-something-you-have-to-hold-on-to/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“When you are in the company of people who look down upon themselves as though they were animals, you too become like an animal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-you-are-in-the-company-of-people-who-look-down-upon-themselves/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“With age I have voluntarily chosen certain limitations. I don't have the energy to start over again. To learn new skills or fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/with-age-i-have-voluntarily-chosen-certain-limitations-i-don-t-have/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“That was the way of the rule. They had so many to keep an eye on. As long as you kept a low profile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/that-was-the-way-of-the-rule-they-had-so-many-to-keep-an-eye-on-as/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“That was what we meant by science. That both question and answer are tied up with uncertainty, and that they are painful. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/that-was-what-we-meant-by-science-that-both-question-and-answer-are/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [I like him. I have a weakness for losers. Invalids, foreigners, the fat boy of the class, the ones nobody ever wants to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-like-him-i-have-a-weakness-for-losers-invalids-foreigners-the-fat/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“There's no simple aritmetic for life's distribution of happiness and sorrow, no such thing as a standard share.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-no-simple-aritmetic-for-life-s-distribution-of-happiness-and/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“She said she had been thinking about the way you remembered your past. What you remembered, she said, was a string of events and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/she-said-she-had-been-thinking-about-the-way-you-remembered-your-past/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“The cookies combine butter and spices in such a way that you could eat a hundred of them and only realize how sick you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-cookies-combine-butter-and-spices-in-such-a-way-that-you-could/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [It's these small differences in people's karma that determine if we get up or remain lying on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/it-s-these-small-differences-in-people-s-karma-that-determine-if-we/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [There's a look of mischief in his eyes. 'Smilla. Why is it that such an elegant and petite girl like you has such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-a-look-of-mischief-in-his-eyes-smilla-why-is-it-that-such-an/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [When my mother didn't come back I realized that any moment could be the last. Nothing in life should simply be a passage from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-my-mother-didn-t-come-back-i-realized-that-any-moment-could-be/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [She was transparent, like a watercolor. As if she were about to dissolve in sound, in tones not yet created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/she-was-transparent-like-a-watercolor-as-if-she-were-about-to/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [“As far as I'm concerned, you could send all the cars in the world through a compactor and shoot them out through the stratosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-you-could-send-all-the-cars-in-the-world/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [I don't fall in love anymore. Just like I don't get the mumps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-don-t-fall-in-love-anymore-just-like-i-don-t-get-the-mumps/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) [Explore all 110 Peter Høeg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) ## 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 child had wanted attention. She had just asked to be noticed. But she was given an assessment. 'What a clever girl!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Høeg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-just-asked-to-be-noticed-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-just-asked-to-be-noticed-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/peter-h-eg-3553_children_the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-j_3231819.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The child had wanted attention. She had just asked to be noticed. But she was given an assessment. 'What a…” — Peter Høeg", "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": "Peter Høeg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The child had wanted attention. She...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-just-asked-to-be-noticed-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-child-had-wanted-attention-she-had-just-asked-to-be-noticed-but/#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 } } ] } ```