--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mother could go for one year without…" description: "\"Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day without her lip sticks.\" — Barbara Kingsolver" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png" --- # Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day… ![“Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day without her lip sticks.” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png) > “Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day without her lip sticks.” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when deprived of food, a mother cannot go without her lipstick, showing the power of personal rituals for morale. **In simple terms:** Mothers need personal rituals like lipstick even in hardship. Key Takeaway Maintain small personal rituals to sustain morale. Themes family resilience ritual beauty survival Mood hopeful determined Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - daily routines - stressful work - resource scarcity Key Concepts Psychological coping self‑care Questions to Reflect On - Why are personal rituals vital in hardship? - How do they affect mental health? A Different Perspective Rituals may seem frivolous in crisis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Food Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-day-464903/) [Lip Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lip-sticks-3863616/) [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-year-2946017/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Year Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year-food-2589360/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't write about my mother much in the third year after she died. I was still trying to get my argument straight: When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-didn-t-write-about-my-mother-much-in-the-third-year-after-she-died/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The mother of the year should be a sterilized woman with two adopted children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/the-mother-of-the-year-should-be-a-sterilized-woman-with-two-adopted/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [A mother of a one-year-old boy is a movie star in a world without critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/a-mother-of-a-one-year-old-boy-is-a-movie-star-in-a-world-without/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [I am definitely not the best wife, and no one has nominated me for 'Mother of the Year.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/i-am-definitely-not-the-best-wife-and-no-one-has-nominated-me-for/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [Two reasons I come down here every year: the food and there are multiple guys here every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tomlin/two-reasons-i-come-down-here-every-year-the-food-and-there-are/) [Mike Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tomlin/) > [Ultimately, for me, weight is something I have to deal with every year, but I do it with food because I love food. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaetlyn-osmond/ultimately-for-me-weight-is-something-i-have-to-deal-with-every-year/) [Kaetlyn Osmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaetlyn-osmond/) > [“For the past year, food of some sort has been a permanent appendage to Deo’s hand. Sometimes both hands at once. At first, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rysa-walker/for-the-past-year-food-of-some-sort-has-been-a-permanent-appendage-to/) [Rysa Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rysa-walker/) > [Each year, food companies use an amount of salt that is every bit as staggering as it sounds: 5 billion pounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moss/each-year-food-companies-use-an-amount-of-salt-that-is-every-bit-as/) [Michael Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moss/) > [Those of us who think about what we eat, how it's grown, those of us who care about the environmental impact of food -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lappe/those-of-us-who-think-about-what-we-eat-how-it-s-grown-those-of-us/) [Anna Lappe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lappe/) > [I've always done food that can work in a set time frame. The message I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/i-ve-always-done-food-that-can-work-in-a-set-time-frame-the-message-i/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [The true believer can no more live without prayer, than without food day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-whitefield/the-true-believer-can-no-more-live-without-prayer-than-without-food/) [George Whitefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-whitefield/) > [Marriage is functional in which the woman must cook the food every day and the man has to eat it every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/marriage-is-functional-in-which-the-woman-must-cook-the-food-every/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [When I come to meet the press to publicise my films, I get free food, so that's a day when I saved some money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/when-i-come-to-meet-the-press-to-publicise-my-films-i-get-free-food/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [The idea of eating one kind of food day in and day out, for some, is sometimes the only option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leong/the-idea-of-eating-one-kind-of-food-day-in-and-day-out-for-some-is/) [Melissa Leong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leong/) > [Dream food day, hmm - maybe a hamburger and fries, but honestly, it's not really a dream because I tend to eat what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-maxwell/dream-food-day-hmm-maybe-a-hamburger-and-fries-but-honestly-it-s-not/) [Stella Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-maxwell/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Lips quotes > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I'm am an expert at reading lips especially when it's not moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-m-am-an-expert-at-reading-lips-especially-when-it-s-not-moving/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [Nobody can have your psychedelic experience for you; you just have to screw your courage up and raise the cup to your lips or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckenna/nobody-can-have-your-psychedelic-experience-for-you-you-just-have-to/) [Dennis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-mckenna/) > [Live with your lips pressed against your fears, kissing your fears, neither pulling back nor aggressively violating them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/live-with-your-lips-pressed-against-your-fears-kissing-your-fears/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Silent lips may avoid problems, but smiling lips may solve many problems...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusra/silent-lips-may-avoid-problems-but-smiling-lips-may-solve-many/) [Yusra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusra/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Your lips look so lonely. Would they like to meet mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-lips-look-so-lonely-would-they-like-to-meet-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not be satisfied with the speech of your lips and the thought in your heart, all the promises and good sayings in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-mendel-of-kotzk/do-not-be-satisfied-with-the-speech-of-your-lips-and-the-thought-in/) [Menachem Mendel of Kotzk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-mendel-of-kotzk/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) > [Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, "Mmm. O positive, my favorite." Keith sprayed out the wine he'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/keith-was-just-bringing-the-glass-to-his-lips-when-adrian-said-mmm-o/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) [Browse all 2,751 Lips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day without her lip sticks.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Kingsolver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-food-but-not-one-day-without-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lips" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-food-but-not-one-day-without-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/barbara-kingsolver-200_lips_mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-foo_440384.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day without her lip sticks.” — Barbara Kingsolver", "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": "Barbara Kingsolver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mother could go for one year...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-food-but-not-one-day-without-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/mother-could-go-for-one-year-without-food-but-not-one-day-without-her/#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 } } ] } ```