--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother thought I would have a hard…" description: "\"My mother thought I would have a hard life as a painter. My father thought the highest thing a person could be was an architect. Below that was a paint..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/alex-katz-25578_architect_my-mother-thought-i-would-have-a-hard-li_2319620.png" --- # My mother thought I would have a hard life as a painter… ![“My mother thought I would have a hard life as a painter. My father thought the highest thing a person could be was an architect. Below that was a painter. So he thought it was much better than being, say, a doctor.” quote by Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/alex-katz-25578_architect_my-mother-thought-i-would-have-a-hard-li_2319620.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/alex-katz-25578_architect_my-mother-thought-i-would-have-a-hard-li_2319620.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/alex-katz-25578_architect_my-mother-thought-i-would-have-a-hard-li_2319620.png) > “My mother thought I would have a hard life as a painter. My father thought the highest thing a person could be was an architect. Below that was a painter. So he thought it was much better than being, say, a doctor.” [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parental expectations shaped his view of artistic careers, valuing architecture over painting and medicine. **In simple terms:** Family influences career perception. Key Takeaway Consider personal passion versus external expectations. Themes family career art expectations identity Mood thoughtful reflective Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - career counseling - family discussions - art education - personal decision‑making Key Concepts Vocational choice social pressure artistic value Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile personal passion with family expectations? - What role should family play in career choices? A Different Perspective Family bias can limit exploration of diverse paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Hard life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [I was born knowing that I had to be a painter, because my father, an art historian, always presented painting as the only acceptable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domenico-gnoli/i-was-born-knowing-that-i-had-to-be-a-painter-because-my-father-an/) [Domenico Gnoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domenico-gnoli/) > [“The future - what should I do with the future? 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In fact, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/my-mother-always-always-always-thought-that-i-was-going-to-be-famous/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [My mother thought Hollywood was a den of iniquity, and people came to terrible bad ends there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-carlisle/my-mother-thought-hollywood-was-a-den-of-iniquity-and-people-came-to/) [Kitty Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-carlisle/) > [My dream was to play football for the Oakland Raiders. But my mother thought I would get hurt playing football, so she chose baseball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-henderson/my-dream-was-to-play-football-for-the-oakland-raiders-but-my-mother/) [Rickey Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-henderson/) > [“I might have been more worried if I hadn't been defending myself against six brothers my whole life. And if I didn't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyxandra-harvey/i-might-have-been-more-worried-if-i-hadn-t-been-defending-myself/) [Alyxandra Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyxandra-harvey/) ## More by Alex Katz > [You have to find what your temperament is like and live around it. I find I work really well off the top of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/you-have-to-find-what-your-temperament-is-like-and-live-around-it-i/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [If you're going to go for 'it' you have a common thing you share with other artists; that's desperation. You jump out a window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/if-you-re-going-to-go-for-it-you-have-a-common-thing-you-share-with/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [You usually want to get something out of a painting other than the ideas that you had in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/you-usually-want-to-get-something-out-of-a-painting-other-than-the/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [I know people can be a little nervous about swimsuits, but have some fun with it. Believe you can hold it down. 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But with selfies, I don't know what those people are doing. It's like they believe what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/i-use-the-iphone-now-for-information-but-with-selfies-i-don-t-know/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [Sometimes it takes me days or weeks to get something clear in my head on what I want to do. Everything is in steps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/sometimes-it-takes-me-days-or-weeks-to-get-something-clear-in-my-head/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [What makes everything one is the style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/what-makes-everything-one-is-the-style/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [Part of what Im about is seeing how I can paint the same thing differently instead of different things the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/part-of-what-im-about-is-seeing-how-i-can-paint-the-same-thing/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [The abstract expressionists had that thing of, subject matter becomes content, content becomes form. And I always thought there was no room for style.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/the-abstract-expressionists-had-that-thing-of-subject-matter-becomes/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [Picasso and Matisse were the guys I wanted to get away from, and cubism is all still lifes. Their paintings are all closed drawings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/picasso-and-matisse-were-the-guys-i-wanted-to-get-away-from-and/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [You have to be a little scared of what you're doing. Otherwise, you just paint the same masterpiece a little worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/you-have-to-be-a-little-scared-of-what-you-re-doing-otherwise-you/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) > [If you know what you're doing, you're doing dull stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-katz/if-you-know-what-you-re-doing-you-re-doing-dull-stuff/) [Alex Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) [Explore all 23 Alex Katz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-katz/) ## More Architect quotes > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. 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