---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One should, I think, always give children…"
description: "\"One should, I think, always give children money, for they will spend it for themselves far more profitably than we can ever spend it for them.\" — Rose ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png"
---

#  One should, I think, always give children money, for they…

![“One should, I think, always give children money, for they will spend it for themselves far more profitably than we can ever spend it for them.” quote by Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png)

> “One should, I think, always give children money, for they will spend it for themselves far more profitably than we can ever spend it for them.”

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Children often use money more creatively and personally than adults can anticipate, making direct financial gifts more effective than parental spending on their behalf.

**In simple terms:** Kids spend money better for themselves.

Key Takeaway

Give kids cash, not gifts.

Themes

parenting financial autonomy creativity

Mood

pragmatic thoughtful

Type

advice parenting

When to use this quote

- family budgeting
- teaching responsibility
- supporting artistic pursuits

Key Concepts

behavioral economics agency generational wealth

Questions to Reflect On

- How can parents guide kids to use cash wisely?
- What safeguards balance freedom and responsibility?

A Different Perspective

Children may lack financial literacy, leading to wasteful spending.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-money-505017/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Spend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-spend/) [Profitably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profitably-2202654/) [Profitably Spend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profitably-spend-3812911/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Should i](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-i/) [Think Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-children/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [DaimlerChrysler made significant progress in the year 2005, but our earnings are still not where we want them to be. We intend to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-zetsche/daimlerchrysler-made-significant-progress-in-the-year-2005-but-our/)

[Dieter Zetsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-zetsche/)

> [It's human nature to be optimistic. Any fool can enter a market, it takes talent to exit consistently and profitably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/it-s-human-nature-to-be-optimistic-any-fool-can-enter-a-market-it/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [Only those who have earned leisure know how to use it profitably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/only-those-who-have-earned-leisure-know-how-to-use-it-profitably/)

[Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/)

> [I think children need to be nurtured for what they are as opposed to what you want them to be. I think that's when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-blackburn/i-think-children-need-to-be-nurtured-for-what-they-are-as-opposed-to/)

[Tyler Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-blackburn/)

> [Your children should love the Lord, work hard, and experience the joy of trusting God. More important than leaving your children an inheritance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/your-children-should-love-the-lord-work-hard-and-experience-the-joy/)

[Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/)

> [The walls of the educational system must come down. Education should not be a privilege, so the children of those who have money can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/the-walls-of-the-educational-system-must-come-down-education-should/)

[Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/)

> [I think the acts today get too much money. I really do. They wind up blowing it all anyway. It's silly to give children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/i-think-the-acts-today-get-too-much-money-i-really-do-they-wind-up/)

[Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/)

> [No race of barbarians ever existed yet offered up children for money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/no-race-of-barbarians-ever-existed-yet-offered-up-children-for-money/)

[Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/)

> [The best time to start giving your children money is when they will no longer eat it. Basically, when they don't put it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-coloroso/the-best-time-to-start-giving-your-children-money-is-when-they-will/)

[Barbara Coloroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-coloroso/)

> [The only wealth in this world is children, more than all the money, power on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/the-only-wealth-in-this-world-is-children-more-than-all-the-money/)

[Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/)

> [You give your children enough money to do something, but not enough to do nothing. -Matt King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-descendants/you-give-your-children-enough-money-to-do-something-but-not-enough-to/)

[The Descendants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-descendants/)

> [You have to teach children about money intentionally - create teachable moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-have-to-teach-children-about-money-intentionally-create-teachable/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [Love your children more than money because you can laugh happily with them, but not with money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/love-your-children-more-than-money-because-you-can-laugh-happily-with/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We are all powerless as children, and money looms so powerfully... we don't grow up to claim our financial power until we look money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/we-are-all-powerless-as-children-and-money-looms-so-powerfully-we-don/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

> [Recommend virtue to your children; it alone, not money, can make them happy. I speak from experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/recommend-virtue-to-your-children-it-alone-not-money-can-make-them/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

## More by Rose Macaulay

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Cruelty was the devil, and most people were, in one way or another, cruel. Tyranny, suppression, persecution, torture, slavery, war, neglect - all were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/cruelty-was-the-devil-and-most-people-were-in-one-way-or-another/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [To be prejudiced is the privilege of the thinking human being. ... The open mind is the empty mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/to-be-prejudiced-is-the-privilege-of-the-thinking-human-being-the/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Publishers of course have you altogether in their grip; if they say you must do a thing you have jolly well got to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/publishers-of-course-have-you-altogether-in-their-grip-if-they-say/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [The great and recurrent question about Abroad is, is it worth the trouble of getting there?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/the-great-and-recurrent-question-about-abroad-is-is-it-worth-the/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Parents are untamed, excessive, potentially troublesome creatures; charming to be with for a time, in the main they must lead their own lives, independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/parents-are-untamed-excessive-potentially-troublesome-creatures/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Life, for all its agonies...is exciting and beautiful, amusing and artful and endearing...and whatever is to come after it -- we shall not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/life-for-all-its-agonies-is-exciting-and-beautiful-amusing-and-artful/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [You point out that war is only a symptom of the whole horrid business of human behavior, and cannot be isolated. And that, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/you-point-out-that-war-is-only-a-symptom-of-the-whole-horrid-business/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I seldom meet actors, they are to me bright strange fishes swimming in an element alien to me; I feel that to meet them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/i-seldom-meet-actors-they-are-to-me-bright-strange-fishes-swimming-in/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Giving is not at all interesting; but receiving is, there is no doubt about it, delightful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/giving-is-not-at-all-interesting-but-receiving-is-there-is-no-doubt/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [All sorts of articles and letters appear in the papers about women. Profound questions are raised concerning them. Should they smoke? Should they work?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/all-sorts-of-articles-and-letters-appear-in-the-papers-about-women/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Here is one of the points about this planet which should be remembered; into every penetrable corner of it, and into most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/here-is-one-of-the-points-about-this-planet-which-should-be/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Once learnt, this business of cooking was to prove an ever growing burden. It scarcely bears thinking about, the time and labour that man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/once-learnt-this-business-of-cooking-was-to-prove-an-ever-growing/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Decades have a delusive edge to them. They are not, of course, really periods at all, except as any other ten years may be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/decades-have-a-delusive-edge-to-them-they-are-not-of-course-really/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [“The superior thing, in this as in other departments of life, was to be late. Lateness showed that serene contempt for the illusion we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/the-superior-thing-in-this-as-in-other-departments-of-life-was-to-be/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

[Explore all 84 Rose Macaulay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

## 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": "One should, I think, always give children money, for they will spend it for themselves far more profitably than we can ever spend it for them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rose Macaulay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/one-should-i-think-always-give-children-money-for-they-will-spend-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/one-should-i-think-always-give-children-money-for-they-will-spend-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/rose-macaulay-8071_children_one-should-i-think-always-give-children_2853896.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One should, I think, always give children money, for they will spend it for themselves far more profitably…” — Rose Macaulay",
                "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": "Rose Macaulay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One should, I think, always give...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/one-should-i-think-always-give-children-money-for-they-will-spend-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/one-should-i-think-always-give-children-money-for-they-will-spend-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
