Our lives are shaped as much by those who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift. Memory is our guide
Hope EdelmanRead
I am fooling only myself when I say that my mother exists now only in the photographs on my bulletin board or in the outline of my hand or in the armful of memories I still hold tight. She lives on beneath everything I do. Her presence influenced who I was and her absence influences who I am. Our lives are shaped as much by those who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift. Memory is our guide.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the lasting impact of loved ones who have passed away and how their influence continues to shape our lives.
In this quote, Hope Edelman reflects on the enduring presence of a lost loved one, particularly a mother. She suggests that although her mother may no longer be physically present, the memories and influence of her life remain integral to her own identity. The quote suggests that loss is not just an absence but a complex legacy that shapes our experiences and relationships. Through memories, we find guidance and insight, acknowledging that those who leave us profoundly affect who we become.
Themes
LossMemoryInfluenceFamilyLegacyGrief
In practice
Example use cases
In a eulogy for a loved one, one might say, 'Although they are gone, their influence will forever guide us.'
More from Hope Edelman
All quotes βWhen a daughter loses a mother, the intervals between grief responses lengthen over time, but her longing never disappears. It always hovers at the edge of her awareness, prepared to surface at any time, in any place, in the least expected ways.
Hope EdelmanRead
a mother's death also means the loss of the consistent, supportive family system that once supplied her with a secure home base, she then has to develop her self-confidence and self-esteem through alternate means. Without a mother or mother-figure to guide her, a daughter also has to piece together a female self-image of her own.
Hope EdelmanRead
Similar quotes
A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.
Billy GrahamRead
But whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: Fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first. You must read to your children and you must hug your children and you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House but on what happens inside your house
James E. FaustRead
I would have been a terrible mother because I'm basically a very selfish human being. Not that that has stopped most people going off and having children.
Katharine HepburnRead
There's no handbook for parenting. So you walk a very fine line as a parent because you are civilizing these raw things. They will tip the coffee over and finger-paint on the table. At some point, you have to say, 'We're gonna have to clean that up because you don't paint with coffee on a table.'
Gary OldmanRead
I'm very at ease, and I like it. I never thought I would be such a family-oriented guy; I didn't think that was part of my makeup. But somebody said that as you get older you become the person you always should have been, and I feel that's happening to me. I'm rather surprised at who I am, because I'm actually like my dad!
David BowieRead
I have lived with extraordinary women, whether it was my grandmother, my mother. My father passed away when I was 16... I was witness to a woman who single handedly brought up the entire family and managed to do everything... She was an extraordinary role model for me.
Christine LagardeRead