Children Quote by A.S. Byatt
““There was once a poor shoemaker who had three fine strong sons and two pretty daughters and a third who could do nothing well, who shivered plates and tangled her spinning, who curdled milk, could not get butter to come, nor set a fire so that smoke did not pour into the room, a useless, hopeless, dreaming daughter, to whom her mother would often say that she should try to fend for herself in the wild wood, and then she would know the value of listening to advice, and of doing things properly. And this filled the perverse daughter with a great desire to go even a little way into the wild wood, where there were no plates and no stitching, but might well be a need of such things as she knew she had it in herself to perform…””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt, 1978
A mother urges a struggling daughter to learn self‑reliance by facing hardship, believing that hardship will teach her value and skill.
In simple terms: Mother pushes daughter to learn independence through difficulty.
Key Takeaway
Embrace challenges to discover hidden abilities.
Themes
self‑reliance
family
growth
adversity
learning
Mood
determined
reflective
hopeful
Type
advice
narrative
motivational
When to use this quote
- family dynamics
- personal crisis
- career change
- skill building
- self‑discovery
Key Concepts
personal development
resilience
skill acquisition
Questions to Reflect On
- What skills could you develop by confronting a feared task?
- How does hardship shape self‑worth?
A Different Perspective
The advice may ignore the daughter's unique strengths and circumstances.
