When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become." - Meaning and context.">
The phrase in French is found in Étienne Blanchard (1941), "Recueil d'idées", p. 76: "Quand je m'approche d'un enfant, il m'inspire deux sentiments: la tendresse pour ce qu'il est, et le respect pour ce qu'il peut être un jour." It doesn't give any reference, just like modern books which include the quote in English.

When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.

— Louis Pasteur

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become." in the context of "The phrase in French is found in Étienne Blanchard (1941), "Recueil d'idées", p. 76: "Quand je m'approche d'un enfant, il m'inspire deux sentiments: la tendresse pour ce qu'il est, et le respect pour ce qu'il peut être un jour." It doesn't give any reference, just like modern books which include the quote in English." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Louis Pasteur" (Disputed) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Louis Pasteur

About Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur (27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) French microbiologist, chemist, pioneer of the "Germ theory of disease", discoverer of molecular asymmetry and stereo-chemistry, and inventor of the process of Pasteurization.