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A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes.
Robert Frost
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A mother's influence shapes a man over many years, whereas a romantic interest can quickly undo that wisdom.

This quote by Robert Frost highlights the profound impact a mother has on her son's character and upbringing over two decades. It also serves as a cautionary reflection on how easily a romantic relationship can lead to foolish decisions or romantically motivated mistakes in a very short time, emphasizing the contrast between nurturing and impulsiveness in relationships.

Themes

MotherInfluenceRelationshipsWisdomFoolishness

In practice

Example use cases

During a family gathering, I shared this quote to illustrate the importance of maternal guidance in a man's life.

More from Robert Frost

Two such as you with such a master speed, cannot be parted nor be swept away, from one another once you are agreed, that life is only life forevermore, together wing to wing and oar to oar.
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You have freedom when you're easy in your harness.
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God made a beauteous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowers tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end." God's Garden
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'Warm in December, cold in June, you say?' _x000D_ _x000D_ I don't suppose the water's changed at all. _x000D_ _x000D_ You and I know enough to know it's warm _x000D_ _x000D_ Compared with cold, and cold compared with warm. _x000D_ _x000D_ But all the fun's in how you say a thing.
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For, dear me, why abandon a belief, Merely because it ceases to be true, Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt, It will turn true again, for so it goes.
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The question that he frames in all but words is what to make of a diminished thing.
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