I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
Sonia SotomayorRead
I barely saw my mother, and the mom I saw was often angry and unhappy. The mother I grew up with is not the mother I know now. It's not the mother she became after my father died, and that's been the greatest prize of my life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the transformative power of grief and personal growth, as experienced by the speaker in relation to their mother.
Sonia Sotomayor expresses how her relationship with her mother evolved, particularly after the death of her father. She acknowledges that the mother she grew up with was often angry and unhappy, but after enduring loss, her mother underwent a significant transformation that brought them closer and became a source of great value in Sotomayor's life.
Themes
FamilyTransformationGriefLoveRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
In a family therapy session to discuss personal growth after a loss.
More from Sonia Sotomayor
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I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of view.
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The truth is that since childhood I had cultivated an existential independence. It came from perceiving the adults around me as unreliable, and without it I felt I wouldn't have survived. I cared deeply for everyone in my family, but in the end I depended on myself.
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As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.
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There are uses to adversity, and they don't reveal themselves until tested. Whether it's serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.
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