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Quote by Fran Lebowitz

“Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far more likely to elicit a cheerful response than "Where's your manuscript?" "Why haven't you called?" and "Who's your lawyer?"”

Quote by Fran Lebowitz

Work

The Fran Lebowitz Reader

The Fran Lebowitz Reader is a compilation of the renowned author's work, including her insightful essays and humorous observations on contemporary life, culture, and society. more

Author

Fran Lebowitz
Fran Lebowitz

Fran Lebowitz is an American author known for her humorous and satirical writing style. Her works cover a variety of topics, including urban life, cultural commentary, and women's experiences. Born on October 27, 1950, Lebowitz's works include 'Social Studies' and 'City Life', among others. more

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“Children learn about the nature of the world from their family. They learn about power and about justice, about peace and about compassion within the family. Whether we oppress or liberate our children in our relationships with them will determine whether they grow up to oppress and be oppressed or to liberate and be liberated.”

“If nothing has helped you decide, go ask a child. Children know what they need, and more surprisingly, the know what we need. Adults think. Kids respond with their feelings. They don't think about what you will think of their answer, so they just speak the truth-if you can get to them before junior high school age. At that time, they grow up, stop feeling loved, become depressed and start thinking-and what they are thinking about worries me.”

“By teaching our children to stay in line we create well-behaved followers. While this may make parenting a bit easier, it has enormous costs later in life. These same children grow up to be unhappy adults who desperately want to lead their own lives, yet lack the necessary skills to do so.”

“For children mastery entails struggle. This means they must be permitted to struggle. If parents inappropriately step in to "help"-out of impatience or solicitude-they sabotage important learning. Among other things, the child is unlikely to discover the advantages of perseverance and self-discipline.”

“If you are trying to appear calm and collected on the outside when actually you are feeling upset and angry, your children may mirror this to you by becoming wild and disruptive. While you are trying to maintain control, they pick up the chaotic energy inside of you and reflect it in their behavior. If you express directly what you are feeling, without trying to cover it up, they will usually calm down. They feel comfortable with the truth, the congruity between your feelings and your words. This is true of other relationships as well.”

“If I could put my finger on it, I'd bottle it and sell it. I came down here originally in 1972 with some drunken fraternity guys and had never seen anything like it - the climate, the smells. It's the cradle of music; it just flipped me. Someone suggested that there's an incomplete part of our chromosomes that gets repaired or found when we hit New Orleans. Some of us just belong here.”