---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you feed them, if you feed the…"
description: "\"If you feed them, if you feed the children, three square meals a day during the school year, how can you expect them to feed themselves in the summer? ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg"
---

#  If you feed them, if you feed the children, three square…

![“If you feed them, if you feed the children, three square meals a day during the school year, how can you expect them to feed themselves in the summer? Wanton little waifs and serfs dependent on the State. Pure and simple.” quote by Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg)

> “If you feed them, if you feed the children, three square meals a day during the school year, how can you expect them to feed themselves in the summer? Wanton little waifs and serfs dependent on the State. Pure and simple.”

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

## About This Quote

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

Providing free meals only during school creates dependence on government aid in summer months.

**In simple terms:** School meals cause summer reliance on state.

Key Takeaway

Offer year‑round assistance or teach self‑sufficiency.

Themes

government dependence education poverty policy

Mood

critical concerned

Type

political social commentary

When to use this quote

- school year
- summer
- low‑income families
- community programs
- policy reform

Key Concepts

welfare social safety net food security

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance immediate nutrition with long‑term independence?
- What alternatives reduce reliance without cutting aid?

A Different Perspective

May ignore underlying poverty causes and family dynamics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dependent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependent/) [Feed Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feed-children-318834/) [Feed Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feed-summer-5615183/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Hateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hateful/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Meals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meals/) [Meals Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meals-day-1746475/) [Pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-year/) [School years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-years/) [Serfs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serfs/) [Serfs Dependent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serfs-dependent-5615184/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Squares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squares/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Waifs Serfs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waifs-serfs-5615185/) [Wanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanton/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [You could make a poultice out of mud to cool a fever. You could plant seeds in mud and grow a crop to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/you-could-make-a-poultice-out-of-mud-to-cool-a-fever-you-could-plant/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know whether you can get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriah-dreamer/it-doesn-t-interest-me-to-know-where-you-live-or-how-much-money-you/)

[Oriah Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriah-dreamer/)

> [Any of us can sort of say we would do any number of things to feed our children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/powers-boothe/any-of-us-can-sort-of-say-we-would-do-any-number-of-things-to-feed/)

[Powers Boothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/powers-boothe/)

> [At Nature's Kitchen we take pride in saying that we wouldn't serve anything to your children that we wouldn't feed to our own children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-peterson/at-nature-s-kitchen-we-take-pride-in-saying-that-we-wouldn-t-serve/)

[Brenda Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-peterson/)

> [Most schools have only a microwave or deep fryer, hardly the tools needed to feed our children real, fresh food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-schools-have-only-a-microwave-or-deep-fryer-hardly-the-tools/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We are fat and sick and dying because we have handed a basic, fundamental and intimate function of life over to corporations. We choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/we-are-fat-and-sick-and-dying-because-we-have-handed-a-basic/)

[Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/)

> [It shouldn't take Marcus Rashford or Labour MPs to persuade the Tories that feeding hungry children is a priority for the state, and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-streeting/it-shouldn-t-take-marcus-rashford-or-labour-mps-to-persuade-the/)

[Wes Streeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-streeting/)

> [Do not feed children on a maudlin sentimentalism or dogmatic religion; give them nature. Let their souls drink in all that is pure and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-burbank/do-not-feed-children-on-a-maudlin-sentimentalism-or-dogmatic-religion/)

[Luther Burbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-burbank/)

> [When my parents force-fed me healthy food, they were confident they were giving me the best. But now, when I feed my children, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/when-my-parents-force-fed-me-healthy-food-they-were-confident-they/)

[Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/)

> [Yesterday I saw a child wearing a T-shirt that said, "If you love me, don't feed me junk food." I was delighted to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/yesterday-i-saw-a-child-wearing-a-t-shirt-that-said-if-you-love-me/)

[Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/)

> [Their life is about getting enough money to put food on the table to feed their children, and that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-burstyn/their-life-is-about-getting-enough-money-to-put-food-on-the-table-to/)

[Ellen Burstyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-burstyn/)

> [Our society is monstrously disjunctive, at once so efficient in war and so inefficient in caring for the welfare of its members. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-truitt/our-society-is-monstrously-disjunctive-at-once-so-efficient-in-war/)

[Anne Truitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-truitt/)

> [Everyone wants their children to go to school, to have a job, a roof over their head, feed their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/everyone-wants-their-children-to-go-to-school-to-have-a-job-a-roof/)

[Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/)

> [When people can't feed their children, nothing else positive happens. You don't have to look farther than the United States to see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/when-people-can-t-feed-their-children-nothing-else-positive-happens/)

[Gayle Tzemach Lemmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/)

## More by Rush Limbaugh

> [You can criticize Trump and his wealth all day long, but you can't say he hasn't worked. You can say that about the Clintons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-can-criticize-trump-and-his-wealth-all-day-long-but-you-can-t-say/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [ I guarantee you \[Hillary Clinton\] is smoking in humiliation over the idea that she needs to heal and that \[Donald\] Trump's the guy to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-guarantee-you-hillary-clinton-is-smoking-in-humiliation-over-the/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [How do you, on the one hand, not object to Hillary Clinton being elected, and then, on the other hand, tell people, "Elect me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/how-do-you-on-the-one-hand-not-object-to-hillary-clinton-being/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [ The real leadership of the opposition is never, ever gonna do anything but continue to ramp up efforts to stop \[Donald\] Trump or destroy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-real-leadership-of-the-opposition-is-never-ever-gonna-do-anything/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I can't see the Democrats working with Donald Trump on tax reform unless the rich get soaked. The thing about this that should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-can-t-see-the-democrats-working-with-donald-trump-on-tax-reform/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Once you convince people that they're victims, you really own them because you've just told them that whatever problems they have in life, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/once-you-convince-people-that-they-re-victims-you-really-own-them/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [People from all over the world came to America and assimilated into a single culture rooted in the founding, which is rooted in individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/people-from-all-over-the-world-came-to-america-and-assimilated-into-a/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The left wants to transform America away from founding ideals, and this is it. And they know it. And they're doing everything they, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-left-wants-to-transform-america-away-from-founding-ideals-and/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [There is an all-out assault now on the Christian community in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-is-an-all-out-assault-now-on-the-christian-community-in-this/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [It doesn't matter to me where Barack Obama goes. If he wants to go to Hawaii because it's his home state, fine! Hunky-dory. Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [ Four states where \[Democrats\] have the governorship and both houses of the legislature. That's it. They have lost seats. They are not gonna win… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/four-states-where-democrats-have-the-governorship-and-both-houses-of/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

[Explore all 2,819 Rush Limbaugh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

## 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": "If you feed them, if you feed the children, three square meals a day during the school year, how can you expect them to feed themselves in the summer? Wanton little waifs and serfs dependent on the State. Pure and simple.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rush Limbaugh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-children-three-square-meals-a-day/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-children-three-square-meals-a-day/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/rush-limbaugh-28_children_if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-childre_1519921.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you feed them, if you feed the children, three square meals a day during the school year, how can you…” — Rush Limbaugh",
                "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": "Rush Limbaugh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you feed them, if you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-children-three-square-meals-a-day/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-feed-them-if-you-feed-the-children-three-square-meals-a-day/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
