As an adult, be child-like as you learn but not childish as you live.

— Carew Papritz

As a very young person, I was ready and willing to explore and try new things, unhampered by the daily routines that adults so often feel obligated to adhere to.

— K. Martin Beckner

As far as I can tell, it doesn't make any difference to adults how clever children are. They always stick together. Unless you are sick or dying or mortally wounded, they will always side with the other adult.

— R.L. LaFevers

But I think parents aren't teachers anymore. Parents -- or a lot of us, at least -- lead by mouth instead of by example. It seems to me that if a child's hero is their mother or father -- or even better, both of them in tandem -- then the rough road of learning and experience is going to be smoothed some. And every little bit of smoothing helps, in this rough old world that wants children to be miniature adults, devoid of charm and magic and the beauty of innocence.

— Robert McCammon

By exchanging quality time for 'turn-up' times, what many of today's wayward youngsters have become - men and women of the village have failed them.

— T.F. Hodge

Children are being killed, because some "adults" think life is a game. Something is amiss. When children shoot up other children in school, it's a national tragedy, and a week of mourning. When grown men are killing unarmed young, yes unarmed young, it bespeaks the leagues of fear residing in these men's hearts; that they've created a world in which they themselves have become useless. Then it makes front page, and it becomes business as usual. Something is amiss here. If adults don't truly grow up, then their young may never get the chance.

— Justin K. McFarlane Beau

Children are the most reasonable about discipline. When they tell you not to do something, it's always because they know why.

— Criss Jami

Children, as I have said, use back ways and hidden paths, while adults take roads and official paths

— Neil Gaiman

Do adults realize how lucky they are?

— Stephanie Perkins

[E]everywhere I'm looking at kids, adults mostly don't seem to like them, not even the parents do. They call the kids gorgeous and so cute, they make the kids do the thing all over again so they can take a photo, but they don't want to actually play with them, they'd rather drink coffee talking to other adults. Sometimes there's a small kid crying and the Ma of it doesn't even hear.

— Emma Donoghue