QuoteProject
Although modesty is natural to man, it is not natural to children. Modesty only begins with the knowledge of evil.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Modesty is a trait that develops with maturity and awareness of moral complexities.

Rousseau's quote suggests that while modesty is an inherent quality in adults, children lack this trait because they are not yet aware of moral distinctions, particularly notions of good and evil. This realization of societal norms and the complexities of human behavior signifies the transition from childhood innocence to a more nuanced understanding of the world.

Themes

ModestyChildrenMaturityKnowledgePhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on child development, this quote can illustrate the process of gaining awareness and virtue.

More from Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Patience patience quotes is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
The infant, on opening his eyes, ought to see his country, and to the hour of his death never lose sight of it.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
O love, if I regret the age when one savors you, it is not for the hour of pleasure, but for the one that follows it.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
Those people who treat politics and morality separately will never understand either of them.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
As evening approached, I came down from the heights of the island, and I liked then to go and sit on the shingle in some secluded spot by the lake; there the noise of the waves and the movement of the water, taking hold of my senses and driving all other agitation from my soul, would plunge me into delicious reverie in which night often stole upon me unawares.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead

Similar quotes

Our collective future depends on opening channels of compassion, acceptance, and understanding of others.
Deepak ChopraRead
I do not believe there is an atheist in the world who would bulldoze Mecca-or Chartres, York Minster or Notre Dame, the Shwe Dagon, the temples of Kyoto or, of course, the Buddhas of Bamiyan.
Richard DawkinsRead
Old beliefs die hard even when demonstrably false.
E. O. WilsonRead
Truth, in its struggles for recognition, passes through four distinct stages. First, we say it is damnable, dangerous, disorderly, and will surely disrupt society. Second, we declare it is heretical, infidelic and contrary to the Bible. Third, we say it is really a matter of no importance either one way or the other. Fourth, we aver that we have always upheld it and believed it.
Elbert HubbardRead
Nothing is to be preferred before justice.
SocratesRead
One thing is certain: When the time has come, nothing which is man-made will subsist. One day, all human accomplishments will be reduced to a pile of ashes. But every single child to whom a has given birth will live forever, for he has been given an immortal soul made to God's image and likeness.
Alice Von HildebrandRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.