--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is fundamental... It is as if…" description: "\"The problem is fundamental... It is as if a secret committee, now lost to history, has made a study of children and, having figured out what the greate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/tracy-kidder-8859_children_the-problem-is-fundamental-it-is-as-if-a_897040.jpg" --- # The problem is fundamental... It is as if a secret… ![“The problem is fundamental... It is as if a secret committee, now lost to history, has made a study of children and, having figured out what the greatest number were least disposed to declared that all of them should do it.” quote by Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/tracy-kidder-8859_children_the-problem-is-fundamental-it-is-as-if-a_897040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/tracy-kidder-8859_children_the-problem-is-fundamental-it-is-as-if-a_897040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/tracy-kidder-8859_children_the-problem-is-fundamental-it-is-as-if-a_897040.jpg) > “The problem is fundamental... It is as if a secret committee, now lost to history, has made a study of children and, having figured out what the greatest number were least disposed to declared that all of them should do it.” [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that society imposes a universal activity on children, perhaps education, without clear justification, treating them as a homogeneous group. **In simple terms:** Society forces a common task on kids without clear reason. Key Takeaway Question the assumptions behind universal mandates. Themes education conformity childhood Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - school curricula - parental expectations - policy design - child development Key Concepts social engineering collective decision making Questions to Reflect On - Who decides what is best for all children? - How can individual differences be respected? A Different Perspective Not all children benefit equally from the same approach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“Secret #1 The Fundamental Secret of Facilitation You can achieve more effective results when solutions are created, understood, and accepted by the people impacted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wilkinson/secret-1-the-fundamental-secret-of-facilitation-you-can-achieve-more/) Michael Wilkinson > [Wherever illiteracy is a problem, it's as fundamental a problem as getting enough to eat or a place to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/wherever-illiteracy-is-a-problem-it-s-as-fundamental-a-problem-as/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [The Bible says that our core problem, the fundamental reason we do what we do, is sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/the-bible-says-that-our-core-problem-the-fundamental-reason-we-do/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [Life has obliged him to remember so much useful knowledge that he has lost not only his history, but his whole original cargo of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/life-has-obliged-him-to-remember-so-much-useful-knowledge-that-he-has/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [“Minor segments of earlier history may have been rescued or 'retrieved' -- e.g. Greek 'democracy,' Aristotle, the Magna Carta, etc. -- but these remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wael-b-hallaq/minor-segments-of-earlier-history-may-have-been-rescued-or-retrieved/) Wael B. Hallaq > [“People have lost their history, the what and how and why of things. They know so little of the places where they live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/people-have-lost-their-history-the-what-and-how-and-why-of-things/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-some-things-that-should-not-have-been-forgotten-were-lost-history/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is funny, but it strikes me that a person without anecdotes that they nurse while they live, and that survive them, are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/it-is-funny-but-it-strikes-me-that-a-person-without-anecdotes-that/) [Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/) > [Truly it has been said that there is nothing new under the sun, for knowledge is revealed and is submerged again, even as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/truly-it-has-been-said-that-there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun-for/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) > [What happens, happens. It's permanent, forever lost in history. There's no turning back & time stops for no one. But the things I'd re-do...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-happens-happens-it-s-permanent-forever-lost-in-history-there-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/some-things-that-should-not-have-been-forgotten-were-lost-history/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gotten-lost-in-history/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [There is not a revolution that succe Women are suffering because they are being excluded. The high military council excluded women from the committee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/there-is-not-a-revolution-that-succe-women-are-suffering-because-they/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [“The reason you have committees is that you have divided responsibilities,” Jobs said. “We don’t. At Apple you can figure out exactly who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lashinsky/the-reason-you-have-committees-is-that-you-have-divided/) [Adam Lashinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lashinsky/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) ## More by Tracy Kidder > [“He sniffed, and said as others had before him and others no doubt would again, "I have learned never to say, 'Never again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/he-sniffed-and-said-as-others-had-before-him-and-others-no-doubt/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Don't worry about being worried. You're heading out on an adventure and you can always change your mind along the way and try something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/don-t-worry-about-being-worried-you-re-heading-out-on-an-adventure/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-that-enduring-geological-features-are-important-though-i/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“In the process Paul laid out a comprehensive theory of poverty, of a world designed by the elites of all nations to serve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/in-the-process-paul-laid-out-a-comprehensive-theory-of-poverty-of-a/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Farmer liked to tell his Harvard students that to be a good clinician you must never let a patient know that you have problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/farmer-liked-to-tell-his-harvard-students-that-to-be-a-good-clinician/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“One shouldn't expect anyone to be complete at any given moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/one-shouldn-t-expect-anyone-to-be-complete-at-any-given-moment/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-want-my-prose-to-be-as-clear-as-a-pane-of-glass/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/what-i-like-about-non-fiction-is-that-it-covers-such-a-huge-territory/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/things-were-here-before-you-and-will-be-here-after-you-re-gone-the/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I do believe in God. I think God has given so much power to people, and intelligence, and said, 'Well, you are on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-in-god-i-think-god-has-given-so-much-power-to-people-and/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [The goofiness of radicals thinking they have to dress in Guatemalan peasant clothes. The poor don't want you to look like them. They want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/the-goofiness-of-radicals-thinking-they-have-to-dress-in-guatemalan/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [That's when I feel most alive, he told me once on an airplane, when I'm helping people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/that-s-when-i-feel-most-alive-he-told-me-once-on-an-airplane-when-i-m/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/attempts-at-imitation-would-put-the-emphasis-where-it-didn-t-belong/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [“Nothing every happens unless you push it. Ed Rasala. 111”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/nothing-every-happens-unless-you-push-it-ed-rasala-111/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [Curing yourself of obsessive compulsive disorder by going to a strip club is pretty strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/curing-yourself-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-by-going-to-a-strip/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) [Explore all 77 Tracy Kidder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## 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. 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