QuoteProject
When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.
William Shakespeare
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects the emotional complexity of the parent-child relationship, highlighting joy in giving and sorrow in receiving.

This quote by William Shakespeare suggests that the act of giving often brings joy, particularly when it is from a father to a son. However, the dynamic changes when the son gives to the father, evoking a sense of sadness, which may stem from the recognition of the father's aging or the passage of time, emphasizing the bittersweet nature of familial relationships and the cycle of life.

Themes

FatherSonGivingEmotionsFamily

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be shared during a Father's Day speech to highlight the special bond between fathers and sons.

More from William Shakespeare

As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
William ShakespeareRead
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
William ShakespeareRead
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
William ShakespeareRead
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
William ShakespeareRead
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
William ShakespeareRead
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
William ShakespeareRead

Similar quotes

Whoever happens to give birth to mischievous children lives always with unending grief in his spirit and heart.
HesiodRead
Having a child, particularly your first child, is such a life-changing moment. Nothing can really prepare you for that.
Kate MiddletonRead
My son, Wolf, was born when I was past 40 and the author of a best-selling novel. That means he has grown up a middle-class child - one who sometimes asks me for stories of my childhood but knows nothing of what it means to grow up poor and afraid. I have worked to make sure of that.
Dorothy AllisonRead
Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.
David O. MckayRead
My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters.
Michelle ObamaRead
This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.
Ellen GoodmanRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.