I want to do what I can lend my talents to, but I want it to be as a human being and not as a two-dimensional character.
Gene WilderRead
I said something really stupid once. I told a friend that my mother was so beautiful, but my dad was ugly. My dad heard it and just laughed it off, but I felt guilty. It haunted me for years. I should never have said that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the impact of words on relationships and the guilt that can arise from unintentional hurtful remarks.
Gene Wilder shares a personal anecdote highlighting how a seemingly innocent comment can have lasting repercussions in relationships. Despite a lighthearted response from his father, the guilt of having made an unkind remark about his appearance haunted Wilder, underscoring the importance of being mindful of our words and the sensitive nature of familial relationships.
Themes
WordsRelationshipsGuiltCommunicationFamily
In practice
Example use cases
During a family gathering to emphasize the importance of thoughtfulness in our speech.
More from Gene Wilder
All quotes →So my idea of neurotic is spending too much time trying to correct a wrong. When I feel that I'm doing that, then I snap out of it.
Gene WilderRead
A lot of comic actors derive their main force from childish behavior. Most great comics are doing such silly things; you'd say, 'That's what a child would do.
Gene WilderRead
What good is a character who's always winking at the audience to let them in on the secret?
Gene WilderRead
I never used to believe in fate. I used to think you make your own life and then you call it fate. That's why I call it irony.
Gene WilderRead
If my mother hadn't laughed at the funny things I did, I probably wouldn't be a comic actor. After she had her first heart attack, the doctor said, 'Try to make her laugh.' And that was the first time I tried to make anyone laugh.
Gene WilderRead
Similar quotes
Today is my anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Please pray for me and all priests.
Pope FrancisRead
Four D's of Disconnection: 1. Diagnosis (judgment, analysis, criticism, comparison); 2. Denial of Responsibility; 3. Demand; 4. 'Deserve' oriented language.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
For a second, two seconds, they had exchanged an equivocal glance, and that was the end of the story. But even that was a memorable event, in the locked loneliness in which one had to live.
George OrwellRead
Gossip can also kill, because it kills the reputation of the person! It is so terrible to gossip! At first it may seem like a nice thing, even amusing, like enjoying a candy. But in the end, it fills the heart with bitterness, and even poisons us.
Pope FrancisRead
All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is a mother to her husband. Clytemnestra is every woman when she kills.
Martha GrahamRead
Yes, you know enough of my frankness to believe me capable of that. After abusing you so abominably to your face, I could have no scruple in abusing you to all your relations.
Jane AustenRead