My father was a certain kind of man - I saw how he treated my mother and his family and how he treated strangers. And I vowed I would never make a film that would not reflect properly on my father's name.
Sidney PoitierRead
As I've mentioned, a large part of my father's legacy is the lesson he taught his sons. He brought us together and said, 'The measure of a man is how well he provides for his children.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's worth is determined by their ability to care for and support their family.
In this quote, Sidney Poitier emphasizes the profound impact a father's teachings can have on his sons, suggesting that the true measure of a man's character is not found in his personal achievements, but rather in his dedication to nurturing and providing for his children. This perspective highlights the importance of familial responsibilities and the legacy of love and support that is passed down through generations.
Themes
FatherLegacyProvideChildrenMeasureMan
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at a family gathering, one might quote this to highlight the importance of family values.
More from Sidney Poitier
All quotes →My father was the quintessential husband and dad.
Sidney PoitierRead
I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.
Sidney PoitierRead
We suffer pain, we hang tight to hope, we nurture expectations, we are plagued occasionally by fears, we are haunted by defeats and unrealized hopes . . . The hoplessness of which I speak is not limited.
Sidney PoitierRead
We're all imperfect, and life is simply a perpetual, unending struggle against those imperfections.
Sidney PoitierRead
I was the only Black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people.
Sidney PoitierRead
Similar quotes
We would not have been a successful family without my father and stepfather, who were working-class men with better dreams for their children. We just wore them out.
James McbrideRead
Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that supposed to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing.
Toni MorrisonRead
My mother's face floated to mind, a pale, reproachful moon, at her last and first visit to the asylum since my twentieth birthday. A daughter in an asylum! I had done that to her. Still, she had obviously decided to forgive me.
Sylvia PlathRead
Ironically, parenting is a shame and judgment minefield precisely because most of us are wading through uncertainty and self-doubt when it comes to raising our children.
Brene BrownRead
I love my mother, not as a prisoner of atherosclerosis, but as a person; and I must love her enough to accept her as she is, now, for as long as this dwindling may take.
Madeleine L'EngleRead
I'm really glad I didn't have kids earlier, because I probably would have ignored them. I was so into my career. I could just go and play a ton of shows, night after night after night. I can't do that anymore.
Bob SegerRead