--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe I had three children in the first…" description: "\"Maybe I had three children in the first place so I wouldn't ever have to play board games. In my religion, martyrs die.\" — Anna Quindlen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/anna-quindlen-467_board-games_maybe-i-had-three-children-in-the-first_1388619.png" --- # Maybe I had three children in the first place so I… ![“Maybe I had three children in the first place so I wouldn't ever have to play board games. In my religion, martyrs die.” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/anna-quindlen-467_board-games_maybe-i-had-three-children-in-the-first_1388619.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/anna-quindlen-467_board-games_maybe-i-had-three-children-in-the-first_1388619.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/anna-quindlen-467_board-games_maybe-i-had-three-children-in-the-first_1388619.png) > “Maybe I had three children in the first place so I wouldn't ever have to play board games. In my religion, martyrs die.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children can be a distraction from personal pursuits, and martyrdom is a profound sacrifice in faith. **In simple terms:** Children distract from personal goals. Key Takeaway Balance family and self. Themes family faith martyrdom distraction Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Parenting - career planning - volunteering - spiritual reflection Key Concepts sacrifice personal priorities spiritual commitment Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize family and personal growth? - What does martyrdom mean to you? A Different Perspective Balancing roles is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Board games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board-games/) [Boards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boards/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Games Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games-religion-2657012/) [Heartless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartless/) [Martyr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyr/) [Maybe Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-children-2888643/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Martyrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-martyrs-4831804/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Wouldn Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wouldn-play-847211/) ## Related quotes > [“Men made games of religion, did they not? They made God into a reason for warfare. Who was to say that He was anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/men-made-games-of-religion-did-they-not-they-made-god-into-a-reason/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Our freedoms are vanishing. If you do not get active to take a stand now against all that is wrong while we still can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/our-freedoms-are-vanishing-if-you-do-not-get-active-to-take-a-stand-2/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Maybe children just want whatever it is they don't get. And then they grow up and give their children what they wanted, be it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moriarty/maybe-children-just-want-whatever-it-is-they-don-t-get-and-then-they/) [Laura Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moriarty/) > [“What was happening here? He decided that children were what was happening here; that children served as a symbolic blemish, like a birthmark or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/what-was-happening-here-he-decided-that-children-were-what-was/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [Sometimes maybe children also fulfill their parents' secrets desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/sometimes-maybe-children-also-fulfill-their-parents-secrets-desire/) [Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/) > [“Maybe we're all the children of a star, Misguided in direction, our misdirection”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mudvayne/maybe-we-re-all-the-children-of-a-star-misguided-in-direction-our/) [Mudvayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mudvayne/) > [Parents of young children should realize that few people, and maybe no one, will find their children as enchanting as they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/parents-of-young-children-should-realize-that-few-people-and-maybe-no/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Well if I could play like Wynton, I wouldn't play like Wynton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chet-baker/well-if-i-could-play-like-wynton-i-wouldn-t-play-like-wynton/) [Chet Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chet-baker/) > [We'd record a song that people liked and wanted to hear on the radio, and the radio wouldn't play it because it was too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hetfield/we-d-record-a-song-that-people-liked-and-wanted-to-hear-on-the-radio/) [James Hetfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hetfield/) > [“If this were the Make-A-Wish Foundation and you were going to die in twenty minutes, like just long enough to play "Freebird", we still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-brock/if-this-were-the-make-a-wish-foundation-and-you-were-going-to-die-in/) [Isaac Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-brock/) > [I get tired of people trying to dog out the radio for not playing this or that. There are lots of people who like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stapleton/i-get-tired-of-people-trying-to-dog-out-the-radio-for-not-playing/) [Chris Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stapleton/) > [I wouldn't play in Minnesota unless my career was at an end and I had to go to Minnesota to play the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torii-hunter/i-wouldn-t-play-in-minnesota-unless-my-career-was-at-an-end-and-i-had/) [Torii Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torii-hunter/) > [I drove my Mum crazy, because I wouldn't go out and play football or join the Boy Scouts, I'd just sit at home and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-moore/i-drove-my-mum-crazy-because-i-wouldn-t-go-out-and-play-football-or/) [Gary Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-moore/) > [If everyone were like him (Mitch Williams) I wouldn't play. I'd find a safer way to make a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-van-slyke/if-everyone-were-like-him-mitch-williams-i-wouldn-t-play-i-d-find-a/) [Andy Van Slyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-van-slyke/) > [I wouldn't play together with someone who likes to control everything like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/i-wouldn-t-play-together-with-someone-who-likes-to-control-everything/) [Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More Board games quotes > [My kids love little things like board games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-anstead/my-kids-love-little-things-like-board-games/) [Christina Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-anstead/) > [Oh, I'm nerdy about science fiction and fantasy and graphic novels and reading, and I'm nerdy about board games. My favorite board game is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-campbell/oh-i-m-nerdy-about-science-fiction-and-fantasy-and-graphic-novels-and/) [Billy Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-campbell/) > [“Programmer Chris Camfield was in charge of implementing the tactical layer battle mechanics. A lifelong player of pencil-and-paper role-playing games as well as strategy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/programmer-chris-camfield-was-in-charge-of-implementing-the-tactical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like board games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katya-zamolodchikova/i-don-t-like-board-games/) [Katya Zamolodchikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katya-zamolodchikova/) > [“Life is like a boardgame. Advancing forward is the key.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torron-lee-dewar/life-is-like-a-boardgame-advancing-forward-is-the-key/) [Torron-Lee Dewar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torron-lee-dewar/) > [Sure, I like to win when I play basketball or board games or video games, but my day isn't ruined if I lose. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-staton/sure-i-like-to-win-when-i-play-basketball-or-board-games-or-video/) [Aaron Staton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-staton/) > [The amount of times my wife has rolled her eyes at board games is impossible to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/the-amount-of-times-my-wife-has-rolled-her-eyes-at-board-games-is/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [You don't have to be really good anymore to get good results. What's happening with Chess is that it's gradually losing its place as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-berliner/you-don-t-have-to-be-really-good-anymore-to-get-good-results-what-s/) [Hans Berliner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-berliner/) > [I didn't play or like a lot of board games as a child. I liked playing with my G.I. Joes and making up adventures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ames/i-didn-t-play-or-like-a-lot-of-board-games-as-a-child-i-liked-playing/) [Jonathan Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ames/) > [My ideal beach house has bookshelves full of paperbacks that can tolerate a little sand, a DVD library that includes some Disney classics for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/my-ideal-beach-house-has-bookshelves-full-of-paperbacks-that-can/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [You have to start over. That's what they say. But life is not a board game, and losing a loved one is never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-have-to-start-over-that-s-what-they-say-but-life-is-not-a-board/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I love all board games, actually, apart from backgammon. 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