If you feel dirty, insignificant or unloved, then rats are a good role model. They exist without permission, they have no respect for the hierarchy of society, and they have sex 50 times a day.
A lot of mothers will do anything for their children, except let them be themselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mothers often sacrifice their desires for their children, yet they may struggle to accept their children's individuality.
This quote by Banksy highlights the complex relationship between mothers and their children. While many mothers are willing to make great sacrifices and go to great lengths for their children’s welfare, they might simultaneously impose their own expectations and ideals, hindering their children's ability to fully express their unique identities. It calls into question the balance between nurturing and controlling, emphasizing the importance of allowing children to grow into their authentic selves.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a parenting workshop discussing the importance of accepting children's choices.
More from Banksy
All quotes →T.V. has made going to the theatre seem pointless, photography has pretty much killed painting but graffiti has remained gloriously unspoilt by progress.
I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I'm not sure I like it enough.
Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; "I'll meet you in that pub, you know, the one opposite that wall with a picture of a monkey holding a chainsaw". I mean, how much more useful can a painting be than that?
Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a f**king sharp knife to it.
Gaza is often described as 'the world's largest open air prison' because no-one is allowed to enter or leave. But that seems a bit unfair to prisons - they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.
Similar quotes
When you stay present with your children, that’s where abundance is. And when you stay out of their business, that’s where everything you deserve in life is. When you’re in presence, there’s no story, and you are abundance. And you come to trust that space so often that you just eventually hang out as that, because there is nothing that can move you out of it, not even a perceived child or a perceived anything.
There's so much negative imagery of black fatherhood. I've got tons of friends that are doing the right thing by their kids, and doing the right thing as a father - and how come that's not as newsworthy?
A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.
Jen and I were accustomed to our father's last-will-and-testament diction, and were at times free to interrupt Atticus for a translation when it was beyond our understanding.
God blessed me with two unbelievable parents, and I am just like both of them. I have the smile and charisma of my mother and the big heart of my mom, because she wants to save the world and help the world, so I am just like her.
That's my parenting style - 'Go watch the TV.' I'm one of 11 children, and my mother's parenting style was, 'There's the TV. Go watch it. Mommy's got 10 other people to take care of.'