---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children are free moral agents and have a…"
description: "\"Children are free moral agents and have a right to be exposed to a range of beliefs well beyond the rigid doctrinal confines of their parent's faith, a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg"
---

#  Children are free moral agents and have a right to be…

![“Children are free moral agents and have a right to be exposed to a range of beliefs well beyond the rigid doctrinal confines of their parent's faith, and we have an obligation to insist that they be so exposed, at least in public schools, if not elsewhere.” quote by Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg)

> “Children are free moral agents and have a right to be exposed to a range of beliefs well beyond the rigid doctrinal confines of their parent's faith, and we have an obligation to insist that they be so exposed, at least in public schools, if not elsewhere.”

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

## About This Quote

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

Children should be exposed to diverse beliefs to develop critical thinking, especially in public schools where exposure is limited.

**In simple terms:** Expose kids to many ideas for critical growth.

Key Takeaway

Support pluralistic education.

Themes

education pluralism critical thinking rights public policy

Mood

thoughtful advocacy

Type

policy educational

When to use this quote

- school curricula
- parental guidance
- community workshops

Key Concepts

Sociology philosophy of education human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How can schools balance exposure and guidance?
- What role should parents play?

A Different Perspective

Too much exposure may cause confusion without guidance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Confines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confines/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Public schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-schools/) [Schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schools/)

## Related quotes

> [If God eliminated evil by programming us to perform only good acts, we would lose this distinguishing mark - the ability to make choices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/if-god-eliminated-evil-by-programming-us-to-perform-only-good-acts-we/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [I wouldn't say that comedy brought me away from it.I think that my idea of faith was another obligation in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-wouldn-t-say-that-comedy-brought-me-away-from-it-i-think-that-my/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [To how many is the death of the beloved the parent of faith!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/to-how-many-is-the-death-of-the-beloved-the-parent-of-faith/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [“While living at a boarding school during her teen years, she experienced a deep sense of loneliness that was exacerbated because of her perceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-living-at-a-boarding-school-during-her-teen-years-she/)

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

> [Hope is the parent of Faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-a-bartol/hope-is-the-parent-of-faith/)

[C. A. Bartol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-a-bartol/)

> [God is not calling us to win the world and, in the process, lose our families. But I have known those who so enshrined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shibley/god-is-not-calling-us-to-win-the-world-and-in-the-process-lose-our/)

[David Shibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shibley/)

> [As for academics, I do not see why their responsibilities as moral agents should differ in principle from the responsibilities of others; in particular,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/as-for-academics-i-do-not-see-why-their-responsibilities-as-moral/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Moral questions may not have objective answers-whether revealed by God or by science-but they do have rational ones, answers rooted in a rationality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/moral-questions-may-not-have-objective-answers-whether-revealed-by/)

Kenan Malik

> [God has formed us moral agents... that we may promote the happiness of those with whom He has placed us in society, by acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/god-has-formed-us-moral-agents-that-we-may-promote-the-happiness-of/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [States are not moral agents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/states-are-not-moral-agents/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [States are not moral agents, people are, and can impose moral standards on powerful institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/states-are-not-moral-agents-people-are-and-can-impose-moral-standards/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [We should seek to free the moral life from the embarrassments and entanglements in which it has been involved by the quibbles of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/we-should-seek-to-free-the-moral-life-from-the-embarrassments-and/)

[Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/)

> [This great question of predestination and free will, of free moral agency and accountability, and being saved by the grace of God, and damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/this-great-question-of-predestination-and-free-will-of-free-moral/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [“I am not a Federalist because I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever…Such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-not-a-federalist-because-i-never-submitted-the-whole-system-of/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The Society is based on that great bottom law of human right, that nothing but crime can forfeit liberty. That no condition of birth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dwight-weld/the-society-is-based-on-that-great-bottom-law-of-human-right-that/)

Theodore Dwight Weld

## More by Tim Wise

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [Progress is always relative: to the oppressed, it can only be viewed as an all or nothing deal - if oppression continues, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/progress-is-always-relative-to-the-oppressed-it-can-only-be-viewed-as/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [I don't think the job of the antiracist is to convert the far-out heathen racist, or give them their 'come to Jesus' moment, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/i-don-t-think-the-job-of-the-antiracist-is-to-convert-the-far-out/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [And in "Elbow Room" the cast sings the glories of westward expansion in the United States, which involved the murder of native peoples and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/and-in-elbow-room-the-cast-sings-the-glories-of-westward-expansion-in/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [If we dont figure out a way to create equity, real equity, of opportunity and access, to good schools, housing, health care, and decent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/if-we-dont-figure-out-a-way-to-create-equity-real-equity-of/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [So, in "Melting Pot" the children (about a third of whom were kids of color) sang the line, "America was the new world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/so-in-melting-pot-the-children-about-a-third-of-whom-were-kids-of/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [Hardly any aspect of my life, from where I had lived to my education to my employment history to my friendships, had been free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/hardly-any-aspect-of-my-life-from-where-i-had-lived-to-my-education/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [People of color have to do this work as a mater of everyday survival. And so long as they have to, who am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/people-of-color-have-to-do-this-work-as-a-mater-of-everyday-survival/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [You can't organize people if you don't love them. And however hard it can be to love the racist you come in contact with;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/you-can-t-organize-people-if-you-don-t-love-them-and-however-hard-it/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [The denial of racism is a form of racism itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/the-denial-of-racism-is-a-form-of-racism-itself/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [Being asked to describe what 'post-racial' means is a bit like being asked to describe a leprechaun, cold fusion or unicorns: we know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/being-asked-to-describe-what-post-racial-means-is-a-bit-like-being/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [As a writer, there are times when you have something to say, and yet no particular 'hook' upon which to hang the missive you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/as-a-writer-there-are-times-when-you-have-something-to-say-and-yet-no/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [“The power of resistance is to set an example: not necessarily to change the person with whom you disagree, but to empower the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/the-power-of-resistance-is-to-set-an-example-not-necessarily-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [When you allow racial disparity and institutional inequity to affect one part of the country, eventually it's coming back to get everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/when-you-allow-racial-disparity-and-institutional-inequity-to-affect/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

[Explore all 48 Tim Wise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

## More Agents quotes

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/)

Tom Atlee

> [Love is the supreme form of communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as the supreme developing agent of the humanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/love-is-the-supreme-form-of-communication-in-the-hierarchy-of-needs/)

[Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/)

> [I have always believed that women are not victims, we are agents of change, we are drivers of progress, we are makers of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-always-believed-that-women-are-not-victims-we-are-agents-of/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/)

[Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/)

> [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [Government is the agent of those who are too refined to do their own mugging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/government-is-the-agent-of-those-who-are-too-refined-to-do-their-own/)

[Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/)

> [While much of modern behavioral and social science treats individuals as autonomous agents, it is absolutely clear that the way we think and act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-r-nelson/while-much-of-modern-behavioral-and-social-science-treats-individuals/)

Richard R. Nelson

> [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/)

[Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/)

> [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/)

[Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/)

> [“Honestly,” he says, “I judge writers on how they write queries. If you’re a good writer, you’re a good writer.” And if not, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/honestly-he-says-i-judge-writers-on-how-they-write-queries-if-you-re/)

[Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/)

Browse all 1,567 Agents quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Children are free moral agents and have a right to be exposed to a range of beliefs well beyond the rigid doctrinal confines of their parent's faith, and we have an obligation to insist that they be so exposed, at least in public schools, if not elsewhere.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tim Wise"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have-a-right-to-be-exposed-to-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agents"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have-a-right-to-be-exposed-to-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/tim-wise-14074_agents_children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have_2883152.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Children are free moral agents and have a right to be exposed to a range of beliefs well beyond the rigid…” — Tim Wise",
                "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": "Tim Wise",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Children are free moral agents and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have-a-right-to-be-exposed-to-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/children-are-free-moral-agents-and-have-a-right-to-be-exposed-to-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```