--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children, I always think, are just…" description: "\"Children, I always think, are just putting on a performance of being naive and not understanding anything. I have worked with children in films, and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/wallace-shawn-7437_adult_children-i-always-think-are-just-putting_2135281.jpg" --- # Children, I always think, are just putting on a… ![“Children, I always think, are just putting on a performance of being naive and not understanding anything. I have worked with children in films, and they're treated as adults and they just drop the pretense of being children.” quote by Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/wallace-shawn-7437_adult_children-i-always-think-are-just-putting_2135281.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/wallace-shawn-7437_adult_children-i-always-think-are-just-putting_2135281.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/wallace-shawn-7437_adult_children-i-always-think-are-just-putting_2135281.jpg) > “Children, I always think, are just putting on a performance of being naive and not understanding anything. I have worked with children in films, and they're treated as adults and they just drop the pretense of being children.” [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children often mimic adult behavior, shedding naive pretenses when treated seriously. **In simple terms:** Kids act adult-like when adults treat them as such. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect children's agency. Themes childhood performance authenticity Mood reflective thoughtful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - film sets - education - parenting - theatre - media production Key Concepts social roles identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How does adult treatment affect a child's self‑perception? - What can adults do to nurture authentic childhood? A Different Perspective Adults may impose expectations that limit genuine expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Pretense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretense/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [I've worked with children all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-ve-worked-with-children-all-my-life/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [When I left drama school I worked in children's theatre for six months, then went up to the Gateway to do my first ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-james/when-i-left-drama-school-i-worked-in-children-s-theatre-for-six/) [Geraldine James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-james/) > [My father worked for a children's home called Dr. Barnardo's Homes. They're a charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/my-father-worked-for-a-children-s-home-called-dr-barnardo-s-homes/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I have a particular dislike for children's films. I'm way past the novelty aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-have-a-particular-dislike-for-children-s-films-i-m-way-past-the/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [The problem is, with a lot of children's films, they are very commercial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/the-problem-is-with-a-lot-of-children-s-films-they-are-very-commercial/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [The single difference between films for children and films for adults is that in films for children, there is always the option to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/the-single-difference-between-films-for-children-and-films-for-adults/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [If I give you two children films then come back and give you an adult film. I just love mixing it up and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lawrence/if-i-give-you-two-children-films-then-come-back-and-give-you-an-adult/) [Martin Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lawrence/) > [I only do children's films now! I think when you go to LA some people feel you've defected a little bit and that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jensen/i-only-do-children-s-films-now-i-think-when-you-go-to-la-some-people/) [Ashley Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jensen/) > [When I met Akira Kurosawa in Japan, one question he asked me was, "How did you actually make the children act the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/when-i-met-akira-kurosawa-in-japan-one-question-he-asked-me-was-how/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) > [My children can't see many of the films that I've been in because I'm always either dying or taking my clothes off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/my-children-can-t-see-many-of-the-films-that-i-ve-been-in-because-i-m/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Not everyone wants to see children's films, comics, and supermen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/not-everyone-wants-to-see-children-s-films-comics-and-supermen/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [Adults are just outdated children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/adults-are-just-outdated-children/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [“Most adults are just hollowed out. You watch them try to fill themselves up with booze or money or God or fame or whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/most-adults-are-just-hollowed-out-you-watch-them-try-to-fill/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Adults are just kids with money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danialla/adults-are-just-kids-with-money/) [DaniAlla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danialla/) > [Adults are just kids who have spent a little more time on this earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentin-chmerkovskiy/adults-are-just-kids-who-have-spent-a-little-more-time-on-this-earth/) [Valentin Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentin-chmerkovskiy/) ## More by Wallace Shawn > [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [You can go to a play that is enjoyable because it's funny, and then on the next night you can go to a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-can-go-to-a-play-that-is-enjoyable-because-it-s-funny-and-then-on/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [The actor's role in the community is quite unlike anyone else's. Businessmen, for example, don't take their clothes off or cry in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/the-actor-s-role-in-the-community-is-quite-unlike-anyone-else-s/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [From being a writer of plays, it was not that surprising that somebody thought of giving me a job as an actor. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/from-being-a-writer-of-plays-it-was-not-that-surprising-that-somebody/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I have more free time than a lot of individuals, so, instead of talking, I sometimes write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-have-more-free-time-than-a-lot-of-individuals-so-instead-of-talking/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [My personal life is lived as 'me,' but my professional life is lived as other people. In other words, when I go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/my-personal-life-is-lived-as-me-but-my-professional-life-is-lived-as/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [There's nothing regular about my life at all, really. I don't keep a regular schedule and every day is different. It's all rather chaotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/there-s-nothing-regular-about-my-life-at-all-really-i-don-t-keep-a/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I am recognized a lot for 'Clueless,' but I am recognized a great deal for 'The Princess Bride.' I don't know... maybe everybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-am-recognized-a-lot-for-clueless-but-i-am-recognized-a-great-deal/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [Sleep: a poor substitute for caffeine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/sleep-a-poor-substitute-for-caffeine/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm a very lucky man. It's a beautiful thing for a writer, to see people allowing your words to enter their own unconscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-a-very-lucky-man-it-s-a-beautiful-thing-for-a-writer-to-see/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [And my singing, I don't think I could sing Wagner or opera, but I could probably carry a tune. I was in a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/and-my-singing-i-don-t-think-i-could-sing-wagner-or-opera-but-i-could/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I think I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-think-i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. The way I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or-the-way/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was first starting to write plays, I quite literally had never heard of the idea of studying playwriting. I wouldn't have studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-first-starting-to-write-plays-i-quite-literally-had-never/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was a child, I did always feel that people were hiding things, and that they weren't expressing their true feelings. When adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-a-child-i-did-always-feel-that-people-were-hiding-things/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) [Explore all 91 Wallace Shawn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## More Adult quotes > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I am a big outliner. For my adult book, 'The Visibles,' I did not outline, and it took me two years to write because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/i-am-a-big-outliner-for-my-adult-book-the-visibles-i-did-not-outline/) [Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I have spent my entire adult life trying to make Liberty University the world-class Christian university that was envisioned at its founding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell-jr/i-have-spent-my-entire-adult-life-trying-to-make-liberty-university/) [Jerry Falwell, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell-jr/) > [“To love was a privilege not afforded to those of us born in these trying times when survival was never guaranteed. We were products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-x-chang/to-love-was-a-privilege-not-afforded-to-those-of-us-born-in-these/) Molly X. Chang > [Adults look upon a child as something empty that is to be filled through their own efforts, as something inert and helpless for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/adults-look-upon-a-child-as-something-empty-that-is-to-be-filled/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“There's such an intimate kind of beauty in the act of listening to music being created right in front of your eyes, watching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-frank/there-s-such-an-intimate-kind-of-beauty-in-the-act-of-listening-to/) [M.C. 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Jodie Foster was the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lester/child-actors-going-on-to-become-adult-actors-never-really-works-apart/) Mark Lester > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [“Oh, I don’t mean to infer that you’re not a great guy. I’m sure you’re the exception to the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-frances/oh-i-don-t-mean-to-infer-that-you-re-not-a-great-guy-i-m-sure-you-re/) Jaye Frances Browse all 1,153 Adult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Children, I always think, are just putting on a performance of being naive and not understanding anything. 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