--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first gold star a child gets in…" description: "\"The first gold star a child gets in school for the mere performance of a needful task is its first lesson in graft.\" — Philip Wylie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/philip-wylie-19244_children_the-first-gold-star-a-child-gets-in-scho_2653568.jpg" --- # The first gold star a child gets in school for the mere… ![“The first gold star a child gets in school for the mere performance of a needful task is its first lesson in graft.” quote by Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/philip-wylie-19244_children_the-first-gold-star-a-child-gets-in-scho_2653568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/philip-wylie-19244_children_the-first-gold-star-a-child-gets-in-scho_2653568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/philip-wylie-19244_children_the-first-gold-star-a-child-gets-in-scho_2653568.jpg) > “The first gold star a child gets in school for the mere performance of a needful task is its first lesson in graft.” [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rewarding superficial compliance in children teaches them to value appearance over effort, fostering dishonesty. **In simple terms:** Praise for easy tasks breeds cheating. Key Takeaway Focus on effort, not just results. Themes education ethics parenting Mood reflective concerned Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - classroom - homework - sports - family chores Key Concepts intrinsic motivation integrity Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers reward genuine effort? - What signals encourage authentic achievement? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on grades can undermine genuine learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Lesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesson/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) ## Related quotes > [Once a child gets into your heart, there’s no right or wrong about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-a-child-gets-into-your-heart-there-s-no-right-or-wrong-about-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-three-year-old-child-is-a-being-who-gets-almost-as-much-fun-out-of/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [You know you are fat when you hug a child and it gets lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-brigstocke/you-know-you-are-fat-when-you-hug-a-child-and-it-gets-lost/) [Marcus Brigstocke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-brigstocke/) > [“Every child gets a good mother, but not every mother gets a good child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/every-child-gets-a-good-mother-but-not-every-mother-gets-a-good-child/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“No doubt, what with all that graft and corruption filling your schedule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/no-doubt-what-with-all-that-graft-and-corruption-filling-your-schedule/) [Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/) > [The biggest thing is being a man of your own time, combining craft with the graft, creating your own opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joivan-wade/the-biggest-thing-is-being-a-man-of-your-own-time-combining-craft/) [Joivan Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joivan-wade/) > [Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think... It is wounding work, this breaking of the hearts, but without wounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/conversion-is-not-the-smooth-easy-going-process-some-men-seem-to/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Put your head down and work hard. Never wait for things to happen, make them happen for yourself through hard graft and not giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/put-your-head-down-and-work-hard-never-wait-for-things-to-happen-make/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [Mixed martial arts is about graft, it's about having to work hard on all your skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hardy/mixed-martial-arts-is-about-graft-it-s-about-having-to-work-hard-on/) [Dan Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hardy/) > [“We have graft today. A hundred years ago we had graft. We probably have more today than we had a hundred years ago. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/we-have-graft-today-a-hundred-years-ago-we-had-graft-we-probably-have/) [Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/) > [It was hard graft all the way and a good result in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyler/it-was-hard-graft-all-the-way-and-a-good-result-in-the-end/) [John Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyler/) > [Since having three kids, and the responsibility that goes with it, I know what it's like to graft for money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-cross/since-having-three-kids-and-the-responsibility-that-goes-with-it-i/) [Rob Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-cross/) > [Painting it was hard graft. There are one and a half large tubes of white in the ground - yet that ground is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/painting-it-was-hard-graft-there-are-one-and-a-half-large-tubes-of/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I liked the idea of being a writer and letting somebody else do the graft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siouxsie-sioux/i-liked-the-idea-of-being-a-writer-and-letting-somebody-else-do-the/) [Siouxsie Sioux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siouxsie-sioux/) > [Every law that was ever written opened up a new way to graft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/every-law-that-was-ever-written-opened-up-a-new-way-to-graft/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Philip Wylie > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“A thought that had been in the archives of his mind for many months came sharply into relief: of all human beings alive, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/a-thought-that-had-been-in-the-archives-of-his-mind-for-many-months/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“There are three categories of criteria that an individual must meet in order to be diagnosed with ASD. The categories are listed below along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/there-are-three-categories-of-criteria-that-an-individual-must-meet/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“But you don't know how to read anymore! When you open a book, you do it in the faith and assurances that you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/but-you-don-t-know-how-to-read-anymore-when-you-open-a-book-you-do-it/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“it is only the unthinking mind that finds anything unthinkable. To use the word is just to show your membership card in the society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/it-is-only-the-unthinking-mind-that-finds-anything-unthinkable-to-use/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“We made up our own religions and pretended they came from outside us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/we-made-up-our-own-religions-and-pretended-they-came-from-outside-us/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [I don't like people--much. This kind, I mean. And they don't like me at all, as a rule. Maybe the latter explains the former.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/i-don-t-like-people-much-this-kind-i-mean-and-they-don-t-like-me-at/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [Not to understand the doer is to have no certain knowledge of what has been done, or why it was undertaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/not-to-understand-the-doer-is-to-have-no-certain-knowledge-of-what/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [Ignorance is not bliss - it is oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [Superiority and inferiority are individual, not racial or national.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/superiority-and-inferiority-are-individual-not-racial-or-national/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [Man's destiny lies half within himself, half without. To advance in either half at the expense of the other is literally insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/man-s-destiny-lies-half-within-himself-half-without-to-advance-in/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [The mealy look of men today is the result of momism and so is the pinched and baffled fury in the eyes of womankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/the-mealy-look-of-men-today-is-the-result-of-momism-and-so-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [There is no advance without strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/there-is-no-advance-without-strife/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“Faith's the agreement to abandon detachment, John! To supplant a packaged security for open integrity. To agree not to learn anymore. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/faith-s-the-agreement-to-abandon-detachment-john-to-supplant-a/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [Our history is every human history; a black and gory business, with more scoundrels than wise men at the lead, and more louts than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/our-history-is-every-human-history-a-black-and-gory-business-with/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) [Explore all 33 Philip Wylie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) ## 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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