There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child.

The remark points to a practical test of conviction: if you can’t make your beliefs intelligible to a curious child, you may not yet understand them clearly yourself. An “inquisitive child” represents relentless, literal-minded questioning—asking “why?” until vague slogans and inherited assumptions are exposed. The quote suggests that explanation is not merely communication but a method of self-clarification: translating abstractions into plain language forces you to examine premises, definitions, and evidence. It also implies an ethical dimension—beliefs worth holding should be defensible without intimidation or obscurity, and the humility to be questioned is part of intellectual honesty.