--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a society that will tinker with any…" description: "\"“For a society that will tinker with any “natural” process—birth, death, aging, noses, or chicken pox—this clinging to the old-fashioned “man and woman..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/avital-norman-nathman-65218_death_for-a-society-that-will-tinker-with-any_219031.jpg" --- # For a society that will tinker with any “natural”… ![“For a society that will tinker with any “natural” process—birth, death, aging, noses, or chicken pox—this clinging to the old-fashioned “man and woman make a baby” mode as the truest path to motherhood is, when you think about it, rather odd. Witnessing my daughter’s birth as, essentially, a…” quote by Avital Norman Nathman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/avital-norman-nathman-65218_death_for-a-society-that-will-tinker-with-any_219031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/avital-norman-nathman-65218_death_for-a-society-that-will-tinker-with-any_219031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/avital-norman-nathman-65218_death_for-a-society-that-will-tinker-with-any_219031.jpg) > ““For a society that will tinker with any “natural” process—birth, death, aging, noses, or chicken pox—this clinging to the old-fashioned “man and woman make a baby” mode as the truest path to motherhood is, when you think about it, rather odd. Witnessing my daughter’s birth as, essentially, a bystander, I promise I’m not less of a mother to her. I’m not like her mother; I am her mother.”” [Avital Norman Nathman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avital-norman-nathman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal expectations of motherhood are outdated; motherhood is defined by love and responsibility, not biology alone. **In simple terms:** Motherhood is about love, not just biology. Key Takeaway Embrace inclusive definitions of motherhood. Themes motherhood gender norms identity family Mood thoughtful hopeful Type social commentary inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - adoption - surrogacy - LGBTQ+ families Key Concepts feminist theory social constructivism Questions to Reflect On - How can society support diverse mothering experiences? - What challenges do non‑biological mothers face? A Different Perspective Biological ties can be emphasized, marginalizing non‑biological mothers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth-essentially-2242556/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Man and woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-and-woman/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood/) [Motherhood Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood-think-2242555/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Path Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path-motherhood-2131534/) [Process Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-birth-2242558/) ## Related quotes > [Writing something about motherhood, I think that would be pretty cheesy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/writing-something-about-motherhood-i-think-that-would-be-pretty-cheesy/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My path to motherhood was challenging, to say the least, and I always feel like I'm living a 'Sliding Doors' version of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-elise-goldsberry/my-path-to-motherhood-was-challenging-to-say-the-least-and-i-always/) [Renee Elise Goldsberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-elise-goldsberry/) > [I wanted to talk to a lot of women about their experiences along the path to motherhood - or along the path to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-wanted-to-talk-to-a-lot-of-women-about-their-experiences-along-the/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [God gave us the gift of motherhood. I think that is where our real strength is. =)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-motherhood-i-think-that-is-where-our-real/) [Jackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie/) > [The process of birth and the growth of human body into a complicated system are still a marvel for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sreenivasan/the-process-of-birth-and-the-growth-of-human-body-into-a-complicated/) [Sreenivasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sreenivasan/) > [“Begin to invest quality time. Start the conversion process and birth your products.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/begin-to-invest-quality-time-start-the-conversion-process-and-birth/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [A society that places a low value on its mothers and the process of birth will suffer an array of negative repercussions for doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/a-society-that-places-a-low-value-on-its-mothers-and-the-process-of/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [“Start the conversion process and birth your products.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/start-the-conversion-process-and-birth-your-products/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“The civil law, as well as nature herself, has always recognized a wide difference in the respective spheres and destinies of man and woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-bradley/the-civil-law-as-well-as-nature-herself-has-always-recognized-a-wide/) [Joseph P. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-bradley/) > [Man and woman and speech and deed and city and object should be honored with praise if praiseworthy and incur blame if unworthy, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gorgias/man-and-woman-and-speech-and-deed-and-city-and-object-should-be/) [Gorgias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gorgias/) > [People wonder why a man and woman can't be friends after being in love. It is because it's very tough to look beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/people-wonder-why-a-man-and-woman-can-t-be-friends-after-being-in/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [I do not believe we are all created equal. Physical and emotional differences, parental guidance, varying environments, being in the right place at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-believe-we-are-all-created-equal-physical-and-emotional/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The representation of women in the society, especially through mass media has been the most delusional act ever done on the grounds of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-representation-of-women-in-the-society-especially-through-mass/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“He feared that by leaving her he would ruin her life - so he stayed, and did just that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/he-feared-that-by-leaving-her-he-would-ruin-her-life-so-he-stayed-and/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) ## More by Avital Norman Nathman > [“Never judge another’s outsides against your own insides.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avital-norman-nathman/never-judge-another-s-outsides-against-your-own-insides/) [Avital Norman Nathman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avital-norman-nathman/) > [“While I plan to encourage my daughters to try new challenges and step outside their comfort zones, I might also gently suggest that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avital-norman-nathman/while-i-plan-to-encourage-my-daughters-to-try-new-challenges-and-step/) [Avital Norman Nathman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avital-norman-nathman/) > [“Among the other things I’ve learned as a mother, is that women continue to explain way too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avital-norman-nathman/among-the-other-things-i-ve-learned-as-a-mother-is-that-women/) [Avital Norman Nathman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avital-norman-nathman/) [Explore all 4 Avital Norman Nathman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avital-norman-nathman/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For a society that will tinker with any “natural” process—birth, death, aging, noses, or chicken pox—this clinging to the old-fashioned “man and woman make a baby” mode as the truest path to motherhood is, when you think about it, rather odd. Witnessing my daughter’s birth as, essentially, a bystander, I promise I’m not less of a mother to her. 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