out of the mouths of babes

1. Young and inexperienced persons often can be remarkably wise, as in She's only six but she said, quite rightly, that Harry was afraid of the sitter—out of the mouths of babes, Mother said. This expression is a shortening and revision of expressions in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In Psalms 8:2, God ordains strength out of the mouth of babes and sucklings; in Matthew 21:16, praise comes from this source. Later generations changed strength and praise to wisdom.

Example Sentences

Out of the mouths of babes, eh?

From Washington Times

“Out of the mouths of babes seemed the most palatable way to introduce Blacks to the funny pages,” she wrote.

From New York Times

The basic premise — not too far removed from the television show “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” or the saying “out of the mouths of babes” — is that children are natural and underrated philosophers.

From New York Times

This can be summarized as the “out of the mouths of babes” reverse-learning paradigm.

From Washington Post

Out of the mouths of babes: “My 13-year-old used a gift card he received for Christmas, but with tax, the total came to 22 cents more than the value of the card. I gave him the money and told him not to worry about it. He taped 22 cents to a note that said, ‘I don’t like being in debt.’

From Washington Post