I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless.
If you've never been hated by your child, you've never been a parent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Parenting involves making difficult decisions that may not always be appreciated by children.
This quote by Bette Davis highlights the complex and often challenging nature of parenting. It suggests that a parent must sometimes enforce rules or boundaries that may lead to temporary feelings of resentment or hatred from their child, pointing to the deep emotional involvement and sacrifices that come with raising a child. To be a parent often means to prioritize long-term well-being over immediate acceptance or affection, implying that experiencing hatred from your child can be an indication of effective parenting.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a parenting seminar to discuss the challenges of raising children.
More from Bette Davis
All quotes βI have been uncompromising, peppery, intractable, monomaniacal, tactless, volatile, and oftentimes disagreeable... I suppose I'm larger than life.
Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.
Today everyone is a star - they're all billed as 'starring' or 'also starring'. In my day, we earned that recognition.
Once the love bug wears off, as it inevitably does, you are shocked to discover that you really didn't know the object of your affections at all. We know this to be so, even as we repeat the same mistake over and over and over.
If everybody likes you, you're pretty dull.
Similar quotes
The family is a community of love where each of us learns to relate to others and to the world around us.
Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends." ~ (1925- ), English political leader.
My family truly believes they are better cooks than I am. They see me as Giada, not as a celebrity chef. To them I'm just me - their granddaughter, niece, etc., and they're older and wiser. I like that because it keeps you grounded.
Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family.
My father died when I was 7. I was his favorite child, and he was my beloved father. I brought him along with me all through my life. Every elderly man has a bit of my father in him for me.
I've decided to tell my kids things like: 'I love the way each of you tilted back your heads when you laughed.' I will give them specific stuff they can grasp.