child is father of the man

the child is father of the man

proverb The personality traits that one displays as an adult form in childhood. He's always been a quiet, analytical person—the child is father of the man, after all.

See also: child, father, man, of

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

child is father of the man

 and child is father to the man

Prov. People's personalities form when they are children; A person will have the same qualities as an adult that he or she had as a child. (From William Wordsworth's poem, "My Heart Leaps Up.") In Bill's case, the child was father of the man; he never lost his childhood delight in observing nature.

See also: child, father, man, of

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.