They don't ask much of you. They only want you to hate the things you love and to love the things you despise.
He is her glory. Any woman could say it. For every one of them, God is in her child. Mothers of great men must have been familiar with this feeling, but then, all women are mothers of great men -- it isn't their fault if life disappoints them later.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the profound connection between motherhood and the potential greatness of children, highlighting the intrinsic value women bring through their roles as mothers.
In this quote, Boris Pasternak emphasizes the sacred bond between mothers and their children, suggesting that every woman carries within her the potential for raising remarkable individuals. It reflects the idea that the essence of God exists in the child, showcasing a deep spiritual connection that transcends disappointment in life, reminding us that every woman has the capacity for greatness through her offspring.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech celebrating women's contributions to society, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of mothers in shaping future leaders.
More from Boris Pasternak
All quotes βEven so, one step from my grave, I believe that cruelty, spite, The powers of darkness will in time, Be crushed by the spirit of light.
Our evenings are farewells. Our parties are testaments. So that the secret stream of suffering. May warm the cold of life.
The most extraordinary discoveries are made when the artist is overwhelmed by what he has to say.
Oh, how one wishes sometimes to escape from the meaningless dullness of human eloquence, from all those sublime phrases, to take refuge in nature, apparently so inarticulate, or in the wordlessness of long, grinding labor, of sound sleep, of true music, or of a human understanding rendered speechless by emotion!
They loved each other, not driven by necessity, by the "blaze of passion" often falsely ascribed to love. They loved each other because everything around them willed it, the trees and the clouds and the sky over their heads and the earth under their feet.
Similar quotes
My mother... she is beautiful, softened at the edges and tempered with a spine of steel. I want to grow old and be like her.
Tell me, do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
I'm not a great man to my children. I'm just 'Pop.' The more involved I am with my kids, it keeps my head flat on top.
My Papa's Waltz: The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt.
Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.
It is a wise father that knows his own child.