--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If your mother did not know how to love…" description: "\"If your mother did not know how to love herself, or your father did not know how to love himself, then it would be impossible for them to teach you to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/anonymous-1_children_if-your-mother-did-not-know-how-to-love_2157585.jpg" --- # If your mother did not know how to love herself, or your… ![“If your mother did not know how to love herself, or your father did not know how to love himself, then it would be impossible for them to teach you to love yourself. They were doing the best they could with what they had been taught as children.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/anonymous-1_children_if-your-mother-did-not-know-how-to-love_2157585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/anonymous-1_children_if-your-mother-did-not-know-how-to-love_2157585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/anonymous-1_children_if-your-mother-did-not-know-how-to-love_2157585.jpg) > “If your mother did not know how to love herself, or your father did not know how to love himself, then it would be impossible for them to teach you to love yourself. They were doing the best they could with what they had been taught as children.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑love is learned from parental models; if parents lack self‑love, they cannot teach it effectively. **In simple terms:** Parents shape self‑esteem. Key Takeaway Seek self‑growth beyond parental influence. Themes family self‑esteem learning Mood reflective somber Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - personal development - parent‑child relationships Key Concepts attachment theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - What self‑love lessons did you inherit? - Can you re‑teach yourself what was missing? A Different Perspective Healing may require confronting inherited patterns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-did/) [How to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how-to-love/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Love Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-father/) [Love you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-you/) [Love yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-yourself/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-did/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Self love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-love/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-love/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Those who live passionately teach us how to love. Those who love passionately teach us how to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/those-who-live-passionately-teach-us-how-to-love-those-who-love/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Love is and has always been His idea. He came to love us and to teach us how to love. When we do this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/love-is-and-has-always-been-his-idea-he-came-to-love-us-and-to-teach/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [I May Not Be Cali Swag District That Can Teach You How To Dougie, But I Can Be Lil Wayne That Can Teach You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-may-not-be-cali-swag-district-that-can-teach-you-how-to-dougie-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I had my child to raise all over again,I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-had-my-child-to-raise-all-over-again-i-d-finger-paint-more-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One thing that I completely got—I got why my father fell in love with her. Why she fell in love with my father”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-thing-that-i-completely-got-i-got-why-my-father-fell-in-love-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Family is based on mutual love of father, mother, brothers and sisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-is-based-on-mutual-love-of-father-mother-brothers-and-sisters/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-love-the-world-or-the-things-in-the-world-if-anyone-loves-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The love of father is like sky.you cannot touch it,but it exists all the time.the sky is like an eye,you can never escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-love-of-father-is-like-sky-you-cannot-touch-it-but-it-exists-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You are my father, provider. You're my deliverer, your mercy embrass me surround me through your everlasting love. Father I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-my-father-provider-you-re-my-deliverer-your-mercy-embrass-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only way is to teach with love, which requires looking beyond what seems, and remembering we create with our judgements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-is-to-teach-with-love-which-requires-looking-beyond-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What the daughter does, the mother did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-the-daughter-does-the-mother-did/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happy Fathers Day to the Man who created all of us, GOD! I love you Father, without you I dont know where I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-fathers-day-to-the-man-who-created-all-of-us-god-i-love-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Teach only love for that is what you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teach-only-love-for-that-is-what-you-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love for father, mother, sisters and brothers are from divine and always have sympathy for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-for-father-mother-sisters-and-brothers-are-from-divine-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes, we need someone to teach us, to love us, to hurt us, to protect us, and to help us to be a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-need-someone-to-teach-us-to-love-us-to-hurt-us-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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