To a father, when a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, the past dies.
Interpretation
The loss of a child brings an end to a parent's hopes for the future, while the loss of a parent means a child has lost their connection to the past.
This poignant quote reflects the profound emotional impact of losing a family member, illustrating how such losses affect different generations. For a father, the death of a child symbolizes the shattering of dreams and aspirations for what the child's life could have been in the future. Conversely, for a child, the death of a parent signifies the end of a link to their personal history and the memories that shape their identity. Together, these experiences highlight the deep connections we have within families and the devastating nature of loss.
In practice
During a speech at a memorial service, this quote could evoke deep emotions about the fragility of family bonds.
To be a successful coach you should be and look prepared. You must be a man of integrity. Never break your word. Don't have two sets of standards. Remember you don't handle players-you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care-on and off the court. Very important-it's not 'how' or 'what' you say but what they absorb.
If you want to be a Champion, you've got to feel like one, you've got to act like one, you've got to look like one.
I don't believe in statistics. There are too many factors that can't be measured. You can't measure a ballplayer's heart.
I never took a position we were going to be a good ball club. I took the position we were going to be a winning ball club.
They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.
It's not what you tell your players that counts. It's what they hear.
My mother was the greatest mother in the world. She thought I was the greatest thing on two feet. I'd come home with a little composition I had written at school, and she'd look at it and say, 'It's wonderful! You're another Shakespeare!' I always assumed I could do anything. It really is amazing how much that has to do with your attitude.
It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.
The great thing about all my siblings is we all agree we had a horrendous childhood. It's not like it doesn't affect us now; it affects us every day, in everything we do.
I remember that the first time I looked at my son, of course I felt love. But I think the first feeling was not love: it was fear. Someone is needing me. If something happens to him, what am I going to do? Maybe I won't survive if something happens to him? The fear was as big as the love.
The good parent: someone who doesn't mind, for a time, being hated by their children.
It's interesting that I had such a close relationship with my grandfather. Because your parents always judge you: they say, 'You shouldn't do this, you shouldn't do that.' But with your grandparents you have a feeling that you can say anything or you can do anything, and they will support you. That's why you have this kind of connection.
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