--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are a child you learn your…" description: "\"When you are a child you learn your alphabet, your numbers, but increasingly, we must learn from the earliest stages that the highest priority has to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg" --- # When you are a child you learn your alphabet, your… ![“When you are a child you learn your alphabet, your numbers, but increasingly, we must learn from the earliest stages that the highest priority has to be to maintain the world as a safe place for humankind.” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg) > “When you are a child you learn your alphabet, your numbers, but increasingly, we must learn from the earliest stages that the highest priority has to be to maintain the world as a safe place for humankind.” [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early education should prioritize safeguarding the planet, emphasizing that protecting Earth is humanity’s foremost duty. **In simple terms:** Teach kids that protecting Earth is top priority. Key Takeaway Make environmental stewardship a core lesson. Themes education environment responsibility Mood hopeful urgent Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - school curricula - family discussions - community projects - policy advocacy Key Concepts sustainability ecocentrism future generations Questions to Reflect On - What can we do to embed planetary care in daily life? - How do we align economic incentives with ecological health? A Different Perspective Balancing economic growth with environmental protection remains challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alphabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alphabet/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-learn-646190/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind/) [Increasingly Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasingly-learn-4799721/) [Learn Earliest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-earliest-4799720/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Place Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place-humankind-4799722/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) [Safe places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-places/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-safe/) ## Related quotes > [The question for me is whether we can keep Earth a safe, pleasant place for humankind and the ecosystems we rely on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-sheppard/the-question-for-me-is-whether-we-can-keep-earth-a-safe-pleasant/) [Kate Sheppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-sheppard/) > [Indeed, though people increasingly learn and interact online, we retain a fundamental need to engage in person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/indeed-though-people-increasingly-learn-and-interact-online-we-retain/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [My parents tried to keep me safe, but to me the world was not a safe place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/my-parents-tried-to-keep-me-safe-but-to-me-the-world-was-not-a-safe/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [The world can only seem a safe place when we feel safe inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/the-world-can-only-seem-a-safe-place-when-we-feel-safe-inside/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [The. World. Is. Not. A. Safe. Place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/the-world-is-not-a-safe-place/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [It is probable that there is no one thing that it is of eminent importance for a child to learn. The true object of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/it-is-probable-that-there-is-no-one-thing-that-it-is-of-eminent/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [If you don't feel safe as a child, you can't learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/if-you-don-t-feel-safe-as-a-child-you-can-t-learn/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignacio-estrada/if-a-child-can-t-learn-the-way-we-teach-maybe-we-should-teach-the-way/) [Ignacio Estrada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignacio-estrada/) > [A child can learn what is right as easy as what is wrong and whatever impressions are made on the mind when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-devlin/a-child-can-learn-what-is-right-as-easy-as-what-is-wrong-and-whatever/) [Joseph Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-devlin/) > [A child must learn early to believe that she is somebody worthwhile, and that she can do many praiseworthy things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-e-mays/a-child-must-learn-early-to-believe-that-she-is-somebody-worthwhile/) [Benjamin E. Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-e-mays/) > [“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/do-not-train-a-child-to-learn-by-force-or-harshness-but-direct-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You have to convince the adults that if a child is to learn his culture, he or she will have to see his mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/you-have-to-convince-the-adults-that-if-a-child-is-to-learn-his/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [“A child should learn from early on what kind of activity supported his daily life, and he should appreciate the importance of labor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-child-should-learn-from-early-on-what-kind-of-activity-supported/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Every child can learn, and we mean it... excuses are not good enough, we need results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-paige/every-child-can-learn-and-we-mean-it-excuses-are-not-good-enough-we/) [Rod Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-paige/) > [There are other letters for the child to learn than those which Cadmus invented. The Spaniards have a good term to express this wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-are-other-letters-for-the-child-to-learn-than-those-which/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Sylvia Earle > [We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-still-have-10-percent-of-the-sharks-we-still-have-half-of-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Health to the ocean means health for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/health-to-the-ocean-means-health-for-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Evolution is not something to be feared. It's to be celebrated, embraced, and understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/evolution-is-not-something-to-be-feared-it-s-to-be-celebrated/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We are depleting this immense diversity and abundance of life, and it matters tremendously for the future of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-are-depleting-this-immense-diversity-and-abundance-of-life-and-it/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [My mother was known as the 'bird lady' of the neighborhood. Anything injured, or any unusual creature somebody found, they would always come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-mother-was-known-as-the-bird-lady-of-the-neighborhood-anything/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [There is this sweet spot in time when we have an opportunity to stop killing sharks and tunas and swordfish and other wildlife in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-is-this-sweet-spot-in-time-when-we-have-an-opportunity-to-stop/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've always said, 'Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-always-said-underwater-or-on-top-men-and-women-are-compatible/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [With respect to the ocean being the heart of our blue planet: We are often asked, 'How much protection is enough?' We can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/with-respect-to-the-ocean-being-the-heart-of-our-blue-planet-we-are/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The ocean seemed like a sea of Eden. But now we are facing paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-seemed-like-a-sea-of-eden-but-now-we-are-facing-paradise/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented levels, for some of us, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-i-arrived-on-the-planet-there-were-only-two-billion-wildlife-was/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. I wish I could take people along to see what I see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-had-the-joy-of-spending-thousands-of-hours-under-the-sea-i-wish/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The observations that have developed over the years have given us perspective about where we fit in. We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-observations-that-have-developed-over-the-years-have-given-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) [Explore all 211 Sylvia Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## More Alphabet quotes > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I have thought that wild flowers might be the alphabet of angels, — whereby they write on hills and fields mysterious truths, which it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/i-have-thought-that-wild-flowers-might-be-the-alphabet-of-angels/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It s the letter I use to spell yuzz a ma tuzz. You ll be sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/my-alphabet-starts-with-this-letter-called-yuzz-it-s-the-letter-i-use/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [I cannot find it in me to fear a man who took ten years a learning of his alphabet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-cannot-find-it-in-me-to-fear-a-man-who-took-ten-years-a-learning-of/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [Why' is the only question that bothers people enough to have an entire letter of the alphabet named after it. The alphabet does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/why-is-the-only-question-that-bothers-people-enough-to-have-an-entire/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I used to have a little saying I used when people said, 'What are your priorities?' I'd give them a bit of government alphabet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayden/i-used-to-have-a-little-saying-i-used-when-people-said-what-are-your/) [Michael Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayden/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Architecture is the alphabet of giants; it is the largest set of symbols ever made to meet the eyes of men. A tower stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/architecture-is-the-alphabet-of-giants-it-is-the-largest-set-of/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I've always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet, ... The White T.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/i-ve-always-thought-of-the-t-shirt-as-the-alpha-and-omega-of-the/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to-help-people-organize-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [One who has not only the four Ss, which are required in every good lover, but even the whole alphabet. as for example¦ Agreeable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-who-has-not-only-the-four-ss-which-are-required-in-every-good/) [Miguel De Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [New York doesn't exactly have neighborhoods, the way most cities do. What it has is closer to distinct and separate villages, some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/new-york-doesn-t-exactly-have-neighborhoods-the-way-most-cities-do/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) [Browse all 336 Alphabet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alphabet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you are a child you learn your alphabet, your numbers, but increasingly, we must learn from the earliest stages that the highest priority has to be to maintain the world as a safe place for humankind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sylvia Earle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alphabet-your-numbers-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alphabet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alphabet-your-numbers-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/sylvia-earle-1756_alphabet_when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alph_584941.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you are a child you learn your alphabet, your numbers, but increasingly, we must learn from the…” — Sylvia Earle", "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": "Sylvia Earle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you are a child you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alphabet-your-numbers-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-are-a-child-you-learn-your-alphabet-your-numbers-but/#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 } } ] } ```