--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only children tell the whole truth, you…" description: "\"Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what makes them children.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg" --- # Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what… ![“Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what makes them children.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg) > “Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what makes them children.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children speak truthfully because they lack social filters and self‑censorship. **In simple terms:** Kids tell the truth because they aren't yet self‑censoring. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of unfiltered honesty. Themes innocence truth communication Mood reflective serious Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - parenting - education - conflict resolution - team feedback Key Concepts developmental psychology honesty social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - When is blunt honesty harmful? - How can we encourage honesty without hurting feelings? A Different Perspective Adults may also be blunt, causing harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Only child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only-child/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [We could see the children's toys here and there, and we saw a game that the children had made themselves out of dirt, deer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/we-could-see-the-children-s-toys-here-and-there-and-we-saw-a-game/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [A good way to make children tell the truth is to tell it yourself. Keep your word with your child the same as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/a-good-way-to-make-children-tell-the-truth-is-to-tell-it-yourself/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [We can seldom get our children to do what we tell them, but they almost never fail to imitate us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/we-can-seldom-get-our-children-to-do-what-we-tell-them-but-they/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-most-interesting-information-comes-from-children-for-they-tell/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Mom used to frame everything we made, and now I'm following her example. It makes children so proud to see their work on display…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerin-lauder/mom-used-to-frame-everything-we-made-and-now-i-m-following-her/) [Aerin Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerin-lauder/) > [What is it about summer that makes children grow? We feed and water them more. They do get more sun, but that probably doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/what-is-it-about-summer-that-makes-children-grow-we-feed-and-water/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“Death and dying makes us into children once again, in truth, one last time, there in our final wailing cries. More than one philosopher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/death-and-dying-makes-us-into-children-once-again-in-truth-one-last-2/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I've since arrived at the conclusion that God often makes children who are going to be extra work extra cute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/i-ve-since-arrived-at-the-conclusion-that-god-often-makes-children/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn something specific - this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/teaching-is-a-very-effective-way-to-get-children-to-learn-something/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [It is the very survival of the streets that makes children pick up guns in Somalia, not some older, wide-eyed rebel leader. My intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/it-is-the-very-survival-of-the-streets-that-makes-children-pick-up/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [Sorrow makes us all children again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/sorrow-makes-us-all-children-again/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Death and dying makes us into children once again, in truth, one last time, there in our final wailing cries. More than one philosopher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/death-and-dying-makes-us-into-children-once-again-in-truth-one-last/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“Sorrow makes us all children again.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson said that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts-jr/sorrow-makes-us-all-children-again-ralph-waldo-emerson-said-that/) [Leonard Pitts Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts-jr/) > [Education makes children less dependent upon others and opens doors to better jobs and career possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/education-makes-children-less-dependent-upon-others-and-opens-doors/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [For those who don't live in a place where water is readily available, it's something you carry on your back for six kilometers, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-cousteau/for-those-who-don-t-live-in-a-place-where-water-is-readily-available/) [Alexandra Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-cousteau/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“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 parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) [Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what makes them children.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-know-that-s-what-makes-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-know-that-s-what-makes-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/stephen-king-13_child_only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-k_129392.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only children tell the whole truth, you know. That's what makes them children.” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only children tell the whole truth,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-know-that-s-what-makes-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/only-children-tell-the-whole-truth-you-know-that-s-what-makes-them/#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 } } ] } ```