Oh, the joys of being a parent. There are the highs that include kiddie snuggles, belly laughs, and memories you know you’ll cherish forever. Then there are the lows, the moments when you think, “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.” Sometimes those tiny humans are your best friends, sometimes they’re little, mysterious strangers and you have no idea what’s going on inside their heads. No matter where you are on your parenting journey right now, feel comforted knowing that some of history’s greatest thinkers were exactly in your shoes once.

Our roundup of kids' quotes perfectly illustrate the bliss of wonderful moments — and the agony of the not-so-wonderful ones. In short, they capture the essence of what it means to be a kid. After you read them, you might have a different perspective about the ways kids are being raised today, or you just might feel the catharsis of knowing there are other people like you out there who think that kids can be “dimpled lunatics,” to borrow the words of one of our country’s greatest writers. Then, if you’re looking for even more inspiration, you can see what the world’s greatest minds have said about moms, dads, or even best friends.