--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father died five days before I…" description: "\"My father died five days before I returned to New York. He was only fifty-three years old. My parents and my father's doctor had all decided it was wis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/beverly-sills-11881_america_my-father-died-five-days-before-i-return_3185048.png" --- # My father died five days before I returned to New York. He… ![“My father died five days before I returned to New York. He was only fifty-three years old. My parents and my father's doctor had all decided it was wiser for me to go to South America than to stay home and see Papa waste away. For a long time, I felt an enormous sense of guilt about having left my…” quote by Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/beverly-sills-11881_america_my-father-died-five-days-before-i-return_3185048.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/beverly-sills-11881_america_my-father-died-five-days-before-i-return_3185048.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/beverly-sills-11881_america_my-father-died-five-days-before-i-return_3185048.png) > “My father died five days before I returned to New York. He was only fifty-three years old. My parents and my father's doctor had all decided it was wiser for me to go to South America than to stay home and see Papa waste away. For a long time, I felt an enormous sense of guilt about having left my father's side when he was so sick.” [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He left his father early, feeling guilt over not staying during illness. **In simple terms:** He felt guilty for leaving his dying father. Key Takeaway Address unresolved grief. Themes family guilt loss responsibility Mood somber introspective Type memoir reflective When to use this quote - caregiver decisions - family expectations - personal healing Key Concepts ethics psychology mortality Questions to Reflect On - What would you have done differently? - How can you reconcile duty and personal needs? A Different Perspective Guilt may persist despite rational decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [South america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-america/) [Stay Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-home/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“She died a few days later, and her death buried once and for all the intrigues between the Precious Wife, the Gracious Wife, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shan-sa/she-died-a-few-days-later-and-her-death-buried-once-and-for-all-the/) [Shan Sa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shan-sa/) > [“But my darling was as frail as a bird. She died nine days later. 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I think three months before the book came out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gross/so-when-the-book-came-out-my-mother-stunned-us-all-by-leaving-my/) [Terry Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gross/) > [“Her entire life was obeying orders. She’d left her Father behind, only to fall into the hands of another dictator. Was her life her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-hunter/her-entire-life-was-obeying-orders-she-d-left-her-father-behind-only/) [Callie Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-hunter/) > [What kind of wife would I be if I left your father simply because he was dead?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/what-kind-of-wife-would-i-be-if-i-left-your-father-simply-because-he/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [My work is done; I have nothing left to do but to go to my Father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selina-hastings-countess-of-huntingdon/my-work-is-done-i-have-nothing-left-to-do-but-to-go-to-my-father/) Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon > [So I think that having Donald Trump as president of our country, and also his impact around the world, would have left my father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/so-i-think-that-having-donald-trump-as-president-of-our-country-and/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) ## More by Beverly Sills > [There is something in me-I just can't stand to admit defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-is-something-in-me-i-just-can-t-stand-to-admit-defeat/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [My voice had a long, nonstop career. It deserves to be put to bed with quiet and dignity, not yanked out every once in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/my-voice-had-a-long-nonstop-career-it-deserves-to-be-put-to-bed-with/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [“Any excess in life is a substitute for something that's missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/any-excess-in-life-is-a-substitute-for-something-that-s-missing/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [This joyfulness that I felt when I sang, and this need to communicate with people, these are my two strongest points. I've always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/this-joyfulness-that-i-felt-when-i-sang-and-this-need-to-communicate/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [The Lourie Center eases the burden of children and their families through early intervention and diagnoses and treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/the-lourie-center-eases-the-burden-of-children-and-their-families/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [Opera is music AND drama. I'm prepared to sacrifice the beautiful note for the meaningful sound any time... I can make a pretty tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/opera-is-music-and-drama-i-m-prepared-to-sacrifice-the-beautiful-note/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I know that anybody who does all this and doesn't have to, everything thinks she's very driven. The truth is, I enjoy it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-know-that-anybody-who-does-all-this-and-doesn-t-have-to-everything/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I've always tried to be cheerful, because I think people who whine are boring, and I never could tolerate bores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-ve-always-tried-to-be-cheerful-because-i-think-people-who-whine-are/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [The press frequently sneers at the hype devoted to a superstar, but the press itself is responsible for all the hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/the-press-frequently-sneers-at-the-hype-devoted-to-a-superstar-but/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [There is no short cut to a place worth going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-is-no-short-cut-to-a-place-worth-going/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [There were times in my career ... when I felt like a trapeze artist doing dangerous somersaults without a net underneath. When you execute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-were-times-in-my-career-when-i-felt-like-a-trapeze-artist-doing/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [Anger begins with folly, and ends with repentance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/anger-begins-with-folly-and-ends-with-repentance/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/you-may-be-disappointed-if-you-fail-but-you-are-doomed-if-you-don-t/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I love Massenet - 'Manon' had been a wonderful role for me - and the music he wrote for 'Thais' is quite enjoyable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-love-massenet-manon-had-been-a-wonderful-role-for-me-and-the-music/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I can't be happy every day but I can be cheerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-can-t-be-happy-every-day-but-i-can-be-cheerful/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) [Explore all 57 Beverly Sills quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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