What is the meaning of the famous proverb "child is the father of man"?

Question

Can any one explain the meaning of this proverb, Please make a sentence using this proverb to make it more clear

Answer 1

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It is the spontaneously unselfish love of the small child which makes the transition to full adulthood possible. Of course, this love does often tend to be overshadowed for a time by the almost too rapid growth of the competitively-trained adolescent intellect, and this unbalance of mind and heart surely accounts for a great many of the pains of adolescence. Yet to the degree that we guide our actions by our earliest, grandly unselfish, outward-reaching love -- now immensely strengthened and broadened by our knowledge and experience -- by so much does the true adult come to birth within us.
I believe in this lies the inner meaning of the old saying that the child is the father of the man

Answer 2

this basically means that an infant can also teach a lot to man. his orderliness and acts have a hidden message to give to the otherwise so called intelligent man. man never bends his head but in front of his child he has to because child is the father of man.

Answer 3

U know the story of hiranyakasika and PRAHALLADA . the BEST xample 4 this proverb

Answer 4

it just means that youre experiences as a child will determine what type of person you will be when you grow up, that is, the environment you grow up in makes you what you are later in life. I can't really use it in a sentence, but i hope my explanation helps.

Answer 5

u can look at it in two ways:
1. we hav not all dropped from heaven.our parents gave birth to us,as we r going to giv birth to our children.

2. and the more appropriate one is that it is always believed that we teach our children everything.but on our way to this we forget some important thing ourselves.
it is by observing our children that we may be able to learn a few of them back.
so even children can teach us a lot n be our parents i.e teach us lots.

the best comes when the do the same unto us as we do to our parents
so be careful of wat u r teaching ur children.it has chances of backfiring.

Source(s):

my brain

Answer 6

It means that that today's children will be the fathers of tomorrow's men. It makes one realize how much potential a seemingly innocent, small, and insignificant child has. This proverb also implies that whatever we teach our children, we must expect to see in future generations, because those will be the attitudes, ideas, and policies that our children will pass on to THEIR children. In the United States, George Washington is said to be one of our founding fathers, or if you like, the father of [American] man. George Washington was a child once, and so it could have been said of him that this "child is the father of man." Today there are billions of youngsters in the world. One day, a handful of these youngsters will be presidents, tyrants, inventors, scientists, generals, peacekeapers, inovateors, authors, politicians, etc. and they will rule the world and decide their generations' destiny; they will be "fathers of men."

Answer 7

a good example is lord muruga who thought the meaning of "om endra pranava manthra" for his father lord shiva

this proves "child is the father of man"

Answer 8

This proverb has got a deep and sensible meaning.As a man grows up, we say that he gains maturity.At the same time he also looses some qualities like innocence , purity of soul and selflessness.Man tends to become more and more egoistic as he earns more knowledge and power.So it is said that at some decisive points in life man should observe those childly qualities for peace and well being of himself and others.This attitude resolves the problems that seem to be complicated.That's why,
child is the father of man because he has to praise the very innocence and godliness of a child !

Answer 9

"A child is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He is going to sit where you are sitting, and when you are gone, attend to those things which you think are important. You may adopt all the policies you please, but how they are carried out depends on him. He will assume control of your cities, states and nations. He is going to move in and take over your churches, schools, universities, and corporations. All your books are going to be judged, praised or condemned by him. The fate of humanity is in his hands."
"The essence of education is not to stuff you full of facts, but to help you discover your uniqueness, to teach you how to develop it, and then show you how to give it away."

Leo Buscaglia
"The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead."
Aristotle

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Chinese Proverb

Answer 10

b The role of the father is to educate the child his education decides what kind of men this child will be, your proverb suggests that the most affecting thing in man's life and really decides what kind of man and really influences and educates this child is his childhood , the experiences of a child build his personality as a man ,so, child is the father of man

Answer 11

"child is the father of man" - means that children will grow up as adults & and childhood is the most important time. Whatever we learn or experience now , will definitely help us in our later life........

Answer 12

It has a big meaning.For example,when a person becomes old,he takes the help of a child to walk.

Answer 13

Every child become a father on one day.

Answer 14

Child is the father of man means that the child will grow and will then father another generation continuing life itself. Hence, "child is the father of man" should be child is the father of mankind as in, if the child dies man will no longer be.

Source(s):

I am a human.

Answer 15

we get this proverb from William Wordsworth poem

and that means a child teaches the father with their own innocence and their intelligence.