They don't ask much of you. They only want you to hate the things you love and to love the things you despise.
Boris PasternakRead
All mothers are mothers of great people, and it is not their fault that life later disappoints them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the inherent greatness of children in the eyes of their mothers, regardless of how life unfolds.
Boris Pasternak's quote emphasizes the unconditionally high expectations that mothers have for their children, showcasing their belief in their children's potential to achieve greatness. It also reflects on the disappointments that can arise as those children grow and face life's challenges, suggesting that such outcomes are not a reflection of the mothers' abilities or failures. This perspective encourages empathy towards mothers and acknowledges the complexities of parental expectations and the realities of adult life.
Themes
MothersGreatnessDisappointmentLifeExpectations
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the influence of parenting on individual potential.
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.
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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.
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Our evenings are farewells. Our parties are testaments. So that the secret stream of suffering. May warm the cold of life.
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The most extraordinary discoveries are made when the artist is overwhelmed by what he has to say.
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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!
Boris PasternakRead
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