[Ads-l] Quote Origin: Do Not Confine Your Children to Your Own Learning, for They Were Born in Another Time

[Stephen Goranson]

Interesting topic. The Gems of the Orient book by Rabbi Adolph Huebsch
(1830-1888) may be from 1877 rather than 1887.
s

On Wed, May 13, 2026 at 12:32 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> The saying in the subject line has been attributed to the Bengali sage
> Rabindranath Tagore. The statement has also been called a Rabbinical
> saying and an Arabic Proverb. I received a request to investigate.
>
> The earliest match I found appeared in an 1887 book titled "Gems of
> the Orient" which contained sayings compiled and translated by
> Reverend A. Huebsch. The saying occurred in a part of the volume
> titled "Arabic Proverbs and Sentences". The precise source of the
> saying was not specified. Here are four statements from the subsection
> about "Children":
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born
> in another time.
>
> By much falling the child learns to walk.
>
> From the rose proceeds a thorn, from the thorn a rose. (Said of the
> diversity between parents and children.)
>
> Be submissive in thy childhood that thou mayest be respected in thy old
> age.
> [End excerpt]
>
> In 1894 "Good Housekeeping" magazine printed a collection of
> miscellaneous sayings under the title "The Family Scrap Basket"
> including the following three items:
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> What class of tradesmen succeed best by going to the wall? Paper hangers.
>
> He is a gallant man, indeed, who always stands up for women—in a street
> car.
>
> Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born
> in another time.
> [End excerpt]
>
> In 1900 the saying appeared in "Wit and Wisdom of the Talmud" edited
> by Madison C. Peters. Here are four statements from a section titled
> "Duties Between Parents and Children":
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born
> in another time.
>
> Where the children honor their parents, there God dwells, there He is
> honored.
>
> Parental love should be impartial; one child must not be preferred to the
> other.
> [End excerpt]
>
> The three citations above demonstrate the uncertain origin of the
> saying. The creator remains anonymous. The saying seems to be either
> Arabic or Rabbinic. I hope that future research will help to clarify
> the origin.
>
> The earliest attribution to Rabindranath Tagore I found appeared in
> 2008 which is an extremely late date.
>
> Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
> https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/05/13/children-time/
>
> Feedback welcome
> Garson O'Toole
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org