--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parental love is not contingent on the…" description: "\"Parental love is not contingent on the talents and attributes the child happens to have. We choose our friends and spouses at least partly on the basis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg" --- # Parental love is not contingent on the talents and… ![“Parental love is not contingent on the talents and attributes the child happens to have. We choose our friends and spouses at least partly on the basis of qualities we find attractive. But we do not choose our children. Their qualities are unpredictable, and even the most conscientious parents…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg) > “Parental love is not contingent on the talents and attributes the child happens to have. We choose our friends and spouses at least partly on the basis of qualities we find attractive. But we do not choose our children. Their qualities are unpredictable, and even the most conscientious parents cannot be held wholly responsible for the kind of child they have. That is why parenthood, more than other human relationships, teaches what the theologian William F. May calls an “openness to the unbidden.” [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. Parental love is unconditional, not based on a child's traits, highlighting the unpredictable nature of children and the limits of parental responsibility. **In simple terms:** Parents love children regardless of abilities. Key Takeaway Accept love without expectations. Themes unconditional love parenthood responsibility Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - family life - parenting decisions - ethical reflections Key Concepts acceptance openness unpredictability Questions to Reflect On - How do you practice love without expectations? - What limits should we accept in parenting? A Different Perspective Parents cannot control all child outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attractive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractive/) [Attributes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attributes/) [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Child Parenthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-parenthood-5802797/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Choose Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-children-1587450/) [Conscientious Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscientious-parents-1084210/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Human relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relations/) [Human relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationship/) [Human relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationships/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-is/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parental/) [Parental love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parental-love/) [Parenthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenthood/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) [Spouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spouse/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologian/) [Unpredictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpredictable/) ## Related quotes > [“From his own experience, Alex knew that parental love is an ideal, not a guarantee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/from-his-own-experience-alex-knew-that-parental-love-is-an-ideal-not/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [Love for family and friends, great as it may be, is much more profound when anchored in the love of Jesus Christ. Parental love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/love-for-family-and-friends-great-as-it-may-be-is-much-more-profound/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [Parental love is unconditional, and so is God's love. No matter what a child of God has done against Him, or feels he or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/parental-love-is-unconditional-and-so-is-god-s-love-no-matter-what-a/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [The last step in parental love involves the release of the beloved; the willing cutting of the cord that would otherwise keep the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/the-last-step-in-parental-love-involves-the-release-of-the-beloved/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Prayer is never just an emergency flare or desperate anxious gamble. God's attention is not based on our performance but parental love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/prayer-is-never-just-an-emergency-flare-or-desperate-anxious-gamble/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Sisters define their rivalry in terms of competition for the gold cup of parental love. It is never perceived as a cup which runneth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-fishel/sisters-define-their-rivalry-in-terms-of-competition-for-the-gold-cup/) [Elizabeth Fishel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-fishel/) > [Although we have, in theory, abolished human slavery, recognized women's rights, and stopped child labor, we continue to enslave other species who, if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/although-we-have-in-theory-abolished-human-slavery-recognized-women-s/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [The norm of unconditional parental love, I think, depends on the fact that we don't pick and choose the traits of our children in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/the-norm-of-unconditional-parental-love-i-think-depends-on-the-fact/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [“When a child is loved as a child, it does not matter if they are boy or girl, abled-body or disabled, elven or human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-grantly/when-a-child-is-loved-as-a-child-it-does-not-matter-if-they-are-boy/) [Maxwell Grantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-grantly/) > [There is no love. There's only love of men and women, love Of children, love of friends, of men, of God: Divine love, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-no-love-there-s-only-love-of-men-and-women-love-of-children/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“The horror of incest is not in the sexual act. but in the exploitation of children and the corruption of parental love. p4”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-horror-of-incest-is-not-in-the-sexual-act-but-in-the-exploitation/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [Parental love & guidance of both parents, a loving family, true friendship, etc.-everyone wasn't born with this luxury to personally call their own. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-hunter/parental-love-guidance-of-both-parents-a-loving-family-true/) [Lucas Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-hunter/) > [To be a good father and mother requires that the parents defer many of their own needs and desires in favor of the needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/to-be-a-good-father-and-mother-requires-that-the-parents-defer-many/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [To be a good father and mother requires that the parents defer many of their own needs and desires in favor of the needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/to-be-a-good-father-and-mother-requires-that-the-parents-defer-many-2/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [In addition, help your children learn self-discipline by such activities as learning to play a musical instrument or other demanding skill. I am reminded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-j-christensen/in-addition-help-your-children-learn-self-discipline-by-such/) [Joe J. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-j-christensen/) ## 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 Attractive quotes > [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [A beautiful woman must expect to be more accountable for her steps, than one less attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/a-beautiful-woman-must-expect-to-be-more-accountable-for-her-steps/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [We are Bay Aryans from Berkeley: prepare to be reengineered in an attractive range of color schemes for your safety and comfort!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/we-are-bay-aryans-from-berkeley-prepare-to-be-reengineered-in-an/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [I was unusual looking - I didn't have the look of that time. If you look at 'Lucas' - and, basically, my first five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-was-unusual-looking-i-didn-t-have-the-look-of-that-time-if-you-look/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Violence is what people do when they run out of good ideas. It's attractive because it's simple, it's direct, it's almost always available as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/violence-is-what-people-do-when-they-run-out-of-good-ideas-it-s/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [I hated grunge. No one’s more feminist than me, but you don’t have to look as if you don’t give a - you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-hated-grunge-no-one-s-more-feminist-than-me-but-you-don-t-have-to/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Just be confident. Confidence is the most attractive part of a person. Because if they're not confident enough to show you who they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/just-be-confident-confidence-is-the-most-attractive-part-of-a-person/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [I think it's sort of the hypothetical point where communism and fascism meet. They love tragedy, and they love surface beauty. You just watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/i-think-it-s-sort-of-the-hypothetical-point-where-communism-and/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When you consider the sheer magnitude of investable equities to choose from in the world's emerging markets, you realize that finding one that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mobius/when-you-consider-the-sheer-magnitude-of-investable-equities-to/) [Mark Mobius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mobius/) > [“Are pervs only pervs if you don't find them attractive?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancy/are-pervs-only-pervs-if-you-don-t-find-them-attractive/) [Rick Yancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancy/) > [I've tried to stay true, in my own fashion, to the ideas of The Sex Pistols, even while I was working with bands like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-temple/i-ve-tried-to-stay-true-in-my-own-fashion-to-the-ideas-of-the-sex/) [Julien Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-temple/) > [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. The downside was sitting through 'Splatteria III: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-remember-the-early-1980s-when-i-first-got-one-of-these-fabulous/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) [Browse all 1,796 Attractive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Parental love is not contingent on the talents and attributes the child happens to have. We choose our friends and spouses at least partly on the basis of qualities we find attractive. But we do not choose our children. Their qualities are unpredictable, and even the most conscientious parents cannot be held wholly responsible for the kind of child they have. That is why parenthood, more than other human relationships, teaches what the theologian William F. May calls an “openness to the unbidden.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-talents-and-attributes-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attractive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-talents-and-attributes-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/anonymous-1_attractive_parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-t_2364650.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Parental love is not contingent on the talents and attributes the child happens to have. We choose our…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Parental love is not contingent on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-talents-and-attributes-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/parental-love-is-not-contingent-on-the-talents-and-attributes-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```