What is the the Jesuit maxim "Give me a child for for his first seven years and I'll give you the man"

Question

Is this maxim from a Jesuit source?

Does this maxim originate in Balthasar Gracian's writings or before or after this time (17th C)?

Does the Jesuit influence encapsulated in this maxim have any relevance in the French Revolution?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I love the life of quotes. I have seen this several dozen different ways, some to praise the Jesuits and others to condemn them. Most authors use the word "alleged" when attributing the quote to the Jesuits or one of their members -- St. Ignatius of Loyola, the found of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) or St. Francis Xavier, first missionary to India who assisted Ignatius in the formation of the Jesuits.


"Give me the child, and I will mould the man."

"Give me the child for seven years,
and I will give you the man."

"Give me the child until he is
seven and I care not who has him thereafter."

"Give me the child till the age of seven
and I will show you the man."

There is a great documentary on the subject with an accompanying book: "7 Up: 'Give Me the Child Until He is Seven, and I Will Show You the Man'" by Michael Apted, Bennett L. Singer who have followed their subjects for nearly forty years with subsequent films and books.

Baltasar Gracian was a Spanish Jesuit scholar who lived from 1601 till 1658.

The French Revolution began in 1789. From all accounts the most influential Jesuit was Henri Gregoire, considered the most educated of the cures because he had traveled further from their small parish which gave him a broader knowledge of the world. An award-winning essayist, he helped draw up the civil constitution of the clergy, considered the single most important passage in his life. However there has never been any evidence to indicate the Jesuits were directly involved in the Revolution.

For more information, see:
A History of the French Revolution
by Henry Morse Stephens
http://books.google.com/books?id=i6MNAAA…


Here are some Baltazar quotes...
http://www.wingo.com/opinion/baltasar.ht…

Answer 2

No.

Answer 3

It is a quote ascribed to Saint Francis Xavier a founder of the Jusuit order whether or not this had any connection to the source to speak of I do not know...but Francis Xavier was born before the 17thC.
Have no idea what a connection would be with the French revolution.

Source(s):

Went to school of the same name....

Answer 4

Give me the child, I will give you the man. This was said by Ignatius Loyola,later elevated to sainthood, who was the founder of the jesuit order.