--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My son, my son. When I had my son I would…" description: "\"“My son, my son. When I had my son I would explain all that to him when he was starry enough to like understand. But then I knew he would not understan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/anthony-burgess-1167_brothers_my-son-my-son-when-i-had-my-son-i-would_3167146.jpg" --- # My son, my son. When I had my son I would explain all that… ![“My son, my son. When I had my son I would explain all that to him when he was starry enough to like understand. But then I knew he would not understand or would not want to understand at all and would do all the veshches I had done, yes perhaps even killing some poor starry forella surrounded with…” quote by Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/anthony-burgess-1167_brothers_my-son-my-son-when-i-had-my-son-i-would_3167146.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/anthony-burgess-1167_brothers_my-son-my-son-when-i-had-my-son-i-would_3167146.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/anthony-burgess-1167_brothers_my-son-my-son-when-i-had-my-son-i-would_3167146.jpg) > ““My son, my son. When I had my son I would explain all that to him when he was starry enough to like understand. But then I knew he would not understand or would not want to understand at all and would do all the veshches I had done, yes perhaps even killing some poor starry forella surrounded with mewing kots and koshkas, and I would not be able to really stop him. And nor would he be able to stop his own son, brothers. And so it would itty on to like the end of the world...”” [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A parent worries that their child will repeat destructive behaviors, unable to prevent the cycle of violence and its catastrophic consequences. **In simple terms:** A parent fears their child will repeat harmful actions and cannot stop it. Key Takeaway Recognize and break harmful generational patterns. Themes parenting violence generational trauma control fate Mood anxious somber reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - family dynamics - education - intervention - social policy - mental health Key Concepts psychology free will determinism Questions to Reflect On - How can we intervene early to prevent harmful cycles? - What responsibility do we hold for our children's choices? A Different Perspective Even with guidance, individuals may choose destructive paths despite warnings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Teens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teens/) ## Related quotes > [“Yes yes yes, there it was. Youth must go, ah yes. 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But what story do I tell my 20-year-old son? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-wallstrom/the-eu-lacks-a-story-for-previous-generations-the-peace-argument-was/) [Margot Wallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-wallstrom/) > [“Why can't one stop being a son without becoming a father?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/why-can-t-one-stop-being-a-son-without-becoming-a-father/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [I'll do anything to stop my son running out into the street. I'll take a bullet for him. He's hit me a few times.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-fawcett/i-ll-do-anything-to-stop-my-son-running-out-into-the-street-i-ll-take/) [Farrah Fawcett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-fawcett/) > [You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-get-into-your-teens-now-they-can-t-hold-you-back-you-jump-to-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I became conflicted in my late teens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-became-conflicted-in-my-late-teens/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [“There comes a time in a girl’s life where she finds her heart broken, what matters is not the boy who broke it but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-hunter/there-comes-a-time-in-a-girl-s-life-where-she-finds-her-heart-broken/) Kara Lee Hunter > [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/a-great-tennis-career-is-something-that-a-15-year-old-normally-doesn/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) ## More by Anthony Burgess > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Life is a wretched gray Saturday, but it has to be lived through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/life-is-a-wretched-gray-saturday-but-it-has-to-be-lived-through/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [A novelist should not be too intelligent either, although... he may be permitted to be an intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-novelist-should-not-be-too-intelligent-either-although-he-may-be/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“A man who serves language, however imperfectly, should always serve truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-man-who-serves-language-however-imperfectly-should-always-serve/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [All human life is here, but the Holy Ghost seems to be somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/all-human-life-is-here-but-the-holy-ghost-seems-to-be-somewhere-else/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Rome's just a city like anywhere else. A vastly overrated city, I'd say. It trades on belief just as Stratford trades on Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/rome-s-just-a-city-like-anywhere-else-a-vastly-overrated-city-i-d-say/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The important thing is moral choice. Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Life is sustained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-important-thing-is-moral-choice-evil-has-to-exist-along-with-good/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Civilised my syphilised yarbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/civilised-my-syphilised-yarbles/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The downtrodden are the great creators of slang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-downtrodden-are-the-great-creators-of-slang/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Without class differences, England would cease to be the living theatre it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/without-class-differences-england-would-cease-to-be-the-living/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [... A CLOCKWORK ORANGE- and I said: 'That's a fair gloopy title. Who ever heard of a clockwork orange?' Then I read a malenky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-clockwork-orange-and-i-said-that-s-a-fair-gloopy-title-who-ever/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [A work of fiction should be, for its author, a journey into the unknown, and the prose should convey the difficulties of the journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-work-of-fiction-should-be-for-its-author-a-journey-into-the-unknown/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“They don't go into what is the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop? If lewdies are good that's because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/they-don-t-go-into-what-is-the-cause-of-goodness-so-why-of-the-other/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“By definition, a human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/by-definition-a-human-being-is-endowed-with-free-will-he-can-use-this/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) [Explore all 261 Anthony Burgess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) ## More Brothers quotes > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“Zed and Sky had stayed behind and were chatting with Will, Sky sitting on Zed's knee as if nothing was going to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/zed-and-sky-had-stayed-behind-and-were-chatting-with-will-sky-sitting/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“But if I had to pick another person for her, I'd have to say you, Jess, since I hold you in such high regard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-brendan/but-if-i-had-to-pick-another-person-for-her-i-d-have-to-say-you-jess/) Maggie Brendan > [Brothers all In honour, as in one community, Scholars and gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/brothers-all-in-honour-as-in-one-community-scholars-and-gentlemen/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [I would love 'Aankhen 2' to happen. I would have Govinda and I play these two brothers and having kids who can take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chunky-pandey/i-would-love-aankhen-2-to-happen-i-would-have-govinda-and-i-play/) [Chunky Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chunky-pandey/) > [The Jonas Brothers are all sweet. Theyre so amazing to me. Theyve become really good friends of mine, but Im not dating any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/the-jonas-brothers-are-all-sweet-theyre-so-amazing-to-me-theyve/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/please-be-slow-to-judge-brothers-who-have-a-different-calling/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) > [My brothers and sister and me grew up making fun of each other, the way we'd speak or move. When we get together, everyone's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-domingo/my-brothers-and-sister-and-me-grew-up-making-fun-of-each-other-the/) [Colman Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-domingo/) > [Mr. Peabody is this genetic anomaly. He does have brothers and sisters, all of them non-speaking, not super-smart dogs. He's an outcast, but has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/mr-peabody-is-this-genetic-anomaly-he-does-have-brothers-and-sisters/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [I had six brothers and four sisters and I competed with my brothers every day when I was a kid. If you lost in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blanda/i-had-six-brothers-and-four-sisters-and-i-competed-with-my-brothers/) [George Blanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blanda/) > [On the gallows tree, all men are brothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-the-gallows-tree-all-men-are-brothers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for \[Donald\] Trump, and do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-consoling-that-white-brothers/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Real estate funded our first creative endeavors as teenagers and we were doing what we do long before the show 'Property Brothers' was pitched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-scott/real-estate-funded-our-first-creative-endeavors-as-teenagers-and-we/) [Drew Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-scott/) [Browse all 1,709 Brothers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My son, my son. When I had my son I would explain all that to him when he was starry enough to like understand. 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