To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
I don't think anybody feels like they're a good parent. Or if people think they're good parents, they ought to think again.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Parenting often comes with self-doubt, and even those who feel confident may need to reflect on their approach.
In this quote, Joan Didion expresses the idea that many parents struggle with the perception of their own parenting abilities. Rather than feeling entirely confident in their skills, most parents experience doubt and insecurity, suggesting that the complexities of parenthood require continual reflection and self-assessment.
Themes
ParentingSelf-DoubtReflectionInsecurityIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
During a parenting workshop, this quote can be used to resonate with parents experiencing doubt.
More from Joan Didion
All quotes βThe truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Joan DidionRead
Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
Joan DidionRead
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
Joan DidionRead
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Joan DidionRead
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
Joan DidionRead
Similar quotes
I am fooling only myself when I say that my mother exists now only in the photographs on my bulletin board or in the outline of my hand or in the armful of memories I still hold tight. She lives on beneath everything I do. Her presence influenced who I was and her absence influences who I am. Our lives are shaped as much by those who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift. Memory is our guide.
Hope EdelmanRead
You couldn't find two people more different than my mother and I. There are a thousand things about me that she fought against.
Isabel AllendeRead
I got a lot of support from my parents. That's the one thing I always appreciated. They didn't tell me I was being stupid; they told me I was being funny.
Jim CarreyRead
My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings.
Robin WilliamsRead
There is no greater warrior than a mother protecting her child.
N.K. JemisinRead
The family meal is really the nursery of democracy. It's where we learn to share; it's where we learn to argue without offending. It's just too critical to let go, as we've been so blithely doing.
Michael PollanRead