--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a man is taught, so he believes…" description: "\"“As a man is taught, so he believes. Thoughts being things, they may be planted like seeds in the mind of the child and completely dominate his mental ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/w-y-evans-wentz-63684_children_as-a-man-is-taught-so-he-believes-though_293112.jpg" --- # As a man is taught, so he believes. Thoughts being things… ![“As a man is taught, so he believes. Thoughts being things, they may be planted like seeds in the mind of the child and completely dominate his mental content. Given the favourable soil of the will to believe, whether the seed-thoughts be sound or unsound, whether they be of pure superstition or of…” quote by W.Y. Evans-Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/w-y-evans-wentz-63684_children_as-a-man-is-taught-so-he-believes-though_293112.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/w-y-evans-wentz-63684_children_as-a-man-is-taught-so-he-believes-though_293112.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/w-y-evans-wentz-63684_children_as-a-man-is-taught-so-he-believes-though_293112.jpg) > ““As a man is taught, so he believes. Thoughts being things, they may be planted like seeds in the mind of the child and completely dominate his mental content. Given the favourable soil of the will to believe, whether the seed-thoughts be sound or unsound, whether they be of pure superstition or of realizable truth, they take root and flourish, and make the man what he is mentally.”” [W.Y. Evans-Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-y-evans-wentz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early teachings and cultural context plant ideas that grow into lasting beliefs, shaping a person’s mental landscape. **In simple terms:** Ideas planted early shape later thoughts. Key Takeaway Examine the origins of your core beliefs. Themes education belief psychology Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - childhood education - parental guidance - religious instruction - media messaging Key Concepts cognitive development cultural transmission Questions to Reflect On - What early ideas still influence you? - How can you re‑evaluate inherited beliefs? A Different Perspective Not all planted ideas are beneficial; critical thinking is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Occult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occult/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Tibetan buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tibetan-buddhism/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“It is as if I have entered what the Tibetans call the Bardo-literally, between-two-existences- a dreamlike hallucination that precedes reincarnation, not necessarily in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/it-is-as-if-i-have-entered-what-the-tibetans-call-the-bardo-literally/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“Inside that tiny seed, lives the roots, branches, bark, trunk, leaves, twigs and apple fruit of that apple tree. 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A beat to drown out the thoughts, sound so high you cannot think, lyrics so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-peppernell/is-that-why-you-play-the-music-so-loud-a-beat-to-drown-out-the/) [Courtney Peppernell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-peppernell/) > [I don't like being forced to reduce my thoughts to sound bites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/i-don-t-like-being-forced-to-reduce-my-thoughts-to-sound-bites/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [Poetry is prose bewitched, a music made of visual thoughts, the sound of an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-loy/poetry-is-prose-bewitched-a-music-made-of-visual-thoughts-the-sound/) [Mina Loy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-loy/) ## More by W.Y. Evans-Wentz > [“The hour has come when energy and pure love are needed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-y-evans-wentz/the-hour-has-come-when-energy-and-pure-love-are-needed/) [W.Y. 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