Children Quote by Quentin S. Crisp
““We may learn things from one who preaches, or we may find their pontificating a waste of time—often enough, a hypocritical waste of time. What child ever preaches? Yet time spent open-heartedly with a child is never wasted.””
About This Quote
Learning from a child’s honest openness is valuable, while listening to a hypocritical teacher can be a waste of time.
In simple terms: Children’s honesty is valuable; hypocritical preaching is wasteful.
Key Takeaway
Seek genuine, open-hearted dialogue.
Themes
learning
honesty
criticism
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
advice
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- parenting
- mentoring
- personal growth
- team meetings
Key Concepts
childhood perspective
authenticity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you tell when advice is sincere?
- When should you trust a child’s insight?
A Different Perspective
Even honest children can be misguiding; not all criticism is harmful.
![“It is no use to preach to [children] if you do not act decently yourself.” quote by Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e21/theodore-roosevelt-218_children_it-is-no-use-to-preach-to-children-if-yo_2411305.jpg)
![“If we do want to do that [ colonise space to survive, ], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c5/quentin-s-crisp-4149_enough_if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space_40648.jpg)
![“This is the strange thing about existing in time. As [Philip] Larkin puts it, "truly, though our element is time, we are not used to the strange perspectives open at each moment of our lives" - something like that.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/351/quentin-s-crisp-4149_elements_this-is-the-strange-thing-about-existing_83503.jpg)
![“[william] Burroughs, incidentally, took up the slogan that we are "Here to go", which contradicts the tendency in Eastern mysticism to advocate staying where you are because there's nowhere to go anyway. I feel conflicted on this one.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa0/quentin-s-crisp-4149_burroughs_william-burroughs-incidentally-took-up-t_122911.jpg)
![“I also remember a line from a song by Smog [Bill Callahan], which seems to describe the experience of a town-dweller moving to the country: "I was raised in a pit of snakes/Blink your eyes - I was raised on cake."” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/950/quentin-s-crisp-4149_bills_i-also-remember-a-line-from-a-song-by-sm_299534.jpg)
