--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As if you could ever protect your…" description: "\"“As if you could ever protect your children from what life might bring their way. Or even from themselves and their impulses.”\" — Terry Brooks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/terry-brooks-3252_children_as-if-you-could-ever-protect-your-childr_2050297.png" --- # As if you could ever protect your children from what life… ![“As if you could ever protect your children from what life might bring their way. Or even from themselves and their impulses.” quote by Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/terry-brooks-3252_children_as-if-you-could-ever-protect-your-childr_2050297.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/terry-brooks-3252_children_as-if-you-could-ever-protect-your-childr_2050297.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/terry-brooks-3252_children_as-if-you-could-ever-protect-your-childr_2050297.png) > ““As if you could ever protect your children from what life might bring their way. Or even from themselves and their impulses.”” [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parents cannot fully shield children from life's hardships or their own impulses; growth comes from confronting both external and internal challenges. **In simple terms:** Parents can't protect kids from all danger or their own choices. Key Takeaway Accept that some risks are unavoidable and teach resilience. Themes parenthood vulnerability growth autonomy Mood reflective empathetic Type narrative philosophical When to use this quote - raising children - life challenges - self‑discovery Key Concepts protective instinct inevitability of change Questions to Reflect On - What balance should parents strike between protection and freedom? - How do children learn from their own mistakes? A Different Perspective May underestimate the role of guidance and support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Bring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-bring-333944/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protect Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-children/) ## Related quotes > [You can't protect your children from life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salim-akil/you-can-t-protect-your-children-from-life/) [Salim Akil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salim-akil/) > [We cannot protect our children from life. Therefore, it is essential that we prepare them for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-dreikurs/we-cannot-protect-our-children-from-life-therefore-it-is-essential/) [Rudolf Dreikurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-dreikurs/) > [We cannot protect our children from life. Therefore, it is essential to prepare them for it. Feeling sorry for children is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-dreikurs/we-cannot-protect-our-children-from-life-therefore-it-is-essential-to/) [Rudolf Dreikurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-dreikurs/) > [But when we have families, when we have children, this gives us a purpose for being, to protect our children, to avoid going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/but-when-we-have-families-when-we-have-children-this-gives-us-a/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It is long overdue for parents to realize they have the right and duty to protect our children against the intolerant evolutionists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/it-is-long-overdue-for-parents-to-realize-they-have-the-right-and/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [Our actions today will protect children from the adverse effects of exposure to pesticides commonly used on foods. The agency also is on schedule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/our-actions-today-will-protect-children-from-the-adverse-effects-of/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [I like to protect children. I mean, there's nothing wrong with having adult programming for mature adults that can selectively decide what they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-ward/i-like-to-protect-children-i-mean-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-having/) [Burt Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-ward/) > [The Children's Safety Act will help protect children from the perpetrators of these vile crimes by strengthening notification requirements for sex offenders and increasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-walsh/the-children-s-safety-act-will-help-protect-children-from-the/) [James T. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-walsh/) > [I teach my children that in life, there is no control of what tomorrow is going to bring. There really isn't. But in whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-winans/i-teach-my-children-that-in-life-there-is-no-control-of-what-tomorrow/) [BeBe Winans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-winans/) > [Live...Whatever life may bring, whether good or bad, keep living because nothing lasts forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/live-whatever-life-may-bring-whether-good-or-bad-keep-living-because/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [If today it the worst day of your life it may bring you down at times but it is also the day that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-davies/if-today-it-the-worst-day-of-your-life-it-may-bring-you-down-at-times/) [Ryan Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-davies/) > [Quit worrying about people that are trying to hold you back. God knows how to move the wrong people out of your life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/quit-worrying-about-people-that-are-trying-to-hold-you-back-god-knows/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I know that you don't believe it, but indeed, life will bring you through. You will live it down in time. What you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-that-you-don-t-believe-it-but-indeed-life-will-bring-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always live inside the feelings of your heart and never let them die, for it is love and life that bring you alive, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-live-inside-the-feelings-of-your-heart-and-never-let-them-die/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't let the incidents which take place in life bring you low. And certainly don't whine. You can be brought low, that's OK, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/don-t-let-the-incidents-which-take-place-in-life-bring-you-low-and/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Terry Brooks > [“a kaleidoscopic, fragmented rush of images that exploded out of memory. They careened into her like an avalanche and swept her away,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/a-kaleidoscopic-fragmented-rush-of-images-that-exploded-out-of-memory/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [Might have, could have, may have, should have—the haves and have nots reduced to pointless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/might-have-could-have-may-have-should-have-the-haves-and-have-nots/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [“You spend so much time wondering who you are, don't you think? You flounder about, searching for your identity, when most of the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/you-spend-so-much-time-wondering-who-you-are-don-t-you-think-you/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [“Writers need their writing; they need their imaginary worlds in order to find piece in, or make sense of, the real world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/writers-need-their-writing-they-need-their-imaginary-worlds-in-order/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [THE NAME OF THE WIND marks the debut of a writer we would all do well to watch. Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/the-name-of-the-wind-marks-the-debut-of-a-writer-we-would-all-do-well/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [If anything in your life is more important than writing - anything at all - you should walk away now while you still can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-anything-in-your-life-is-more-important-than-writing-anything-at/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [We are constantly being put to the test by trying circumstances and difficult people and problems not necessarily of our own making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/we-are-constantly-being-put-to-the-test-by-trying-circumstances-and/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy / adventure stories that I have read. This is a book no one should miss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/the-golden-compass-is-one-of-the-best-fantasy-adventure-stories-that/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [I am incomplete without my work. I am so closely bound to it, so much identified by it, that without it I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/i-am-incomplete-without-my-work-i-am-so-closely-bound-to-it-so-much/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [We must nurture and love, if life is to have any real meaning. But First we must find a way to survive against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/we-must-nurture-and-love-if-life-is-to-have-any-real-meaning-but/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [When she cried, he would say, "there is nothing wrong with crying. Your feelings tell you who are. They tell what is important. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/when-she-cried-he-would-say-there-is-nothing-wrong-with-crying-your/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [Fiction writing is a twenty-four-hou r-a-day occupation. You never leave your work behind. It is always with you, and to some extent, you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/fiction-writing-is-a-twenty-four-hou-r-a-day-occupation-you-never/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [It's better to die in pursuit of your dreams than to live a life without hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/it-s-better-to-die-in-pursuit-of-your-dreams-than-to-live-a-life/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [If you do not hear music in your words, you have put too much thought into your writing and not enough heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-you-do-not-hear-music-in-your-words-you-have-put-too-much-thought/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [If I have the means, I have the responsibility to employ them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/if-i-have-the-means-i-have-the-responsibility-to-employ-them/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) [Explore all 133 Terry Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) ## 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": "“As if you could ever protect your children from what life might bring their way. 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