---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My sister is also retarded. Across the…"
description: "\"My sister is also retarded. Across the board. She's a one hundred per cent, honest to goodness, born that way retard. I learned a long time ago that if..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg"
---

#  My sister is also retarded. Across the board. She's a one…

![“My sister is also retarded. Across the board. She's a one hundred per cent, honest to goodness, born that way retard. I learned a long time ago that if you're going to tell a story about your retarded sister, you need to mention she's retarded right off the bat or inevitably, at the end of the…” quote by Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg)

> “My sister is also retarded. Across the board. She's a one hundred per cent, honest to goodness, born that way retard. I learned a long time ago that if you're going to tell a story about your retarded sister, you need to mention she's retarded right off the bat or inevitably, at the end of the story, someone will say, What... is she, retarded? And then you have to go, Uh... yeah, she is. Followed by a lengthy, awkward silence.”

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of clear, upfront disclosure about a family member’s disability to avoid awkward misunderstandings later.

**In simple terms:** Be upfront about a sibling’s disability to prevent confusion.

Key Takeaway

Disclose early to avoid later awkwardness.

Themes

communication disability social etiquette

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

advice social commentary

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- storytelling
- public speaking

Key Concepts

stigma identity narrative framing

Questions to Reflect On

- How does early disclosure affect audience perception?
- What are respectful ways to discuss disability?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/)

## Related quotes

> [“You're like the little mentally retarded sister I never had”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/you-re-like-the-little-mentally-retarded-sister-i-never-had/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [It's very easy, when things like the gay marriage write-in happen, to get sick of how people view language and say, "ah, come on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/it-s-very-easy-when-things-like-the-gay-marriage-write-in-happen-to/)

[Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/)

> [It's interesting, once I have convinced people that, yes, I have a sister with a mental disability, the retard jokes really dry up, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/it-s-interesting-once-i-have-convinced-people-that-yes-i-have-a/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [The restoration of property would be a complicated, arduous and presumably a lengthy business; the transformation of a Capitalist Society into a Communist one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/the-restoration-of-property-would-be-a-complicated-arduous-and/)

[Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/)

> [I illustrate with a quotation from the atheist philosopher Richard Rorty, who died recently and is, I suspect, now having a lengthy conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rorty/i-illustrate-with-a-quotation-from-the-atheist-philosopher-richard/)

[Richard Rorty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rorty/)

> [I think it's very important to recognize talent in all facets of filmmaking. Making a movie is such a lengthy and intense experience, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/i-think-it-s-very-important-to-recognize-talent-in-all-facets-of/)

[Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/)

> [When I first joined the Irvine Company, I realized that less than 11,000 acres were designated as open space in the original master plan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-bren/when-i-first-joined-the-irvine-company-i-realized-that-less-than-11/)

[Donald Bren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-bren/)

> [The first recipe for happiness is: avoid too lengthy meditation on the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-recipe-for-happiness-is-avoid-too-lengthy-meditation-on-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Global warming results not from the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but from an unusually high level of solar radiation and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khabibullo-abdusamatov/global-warming-results-not-from-the-emission-of-greenhouse-gases-into/)

Khabibullo Abdusamatov

> [The enjoyment that all morality has given us to now and that it continues to give us--and so, what has kept it going up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-enjoyment-that-all-morality-has-given-us-to-now-and-that-it/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The vagaries of the industry and show business itself would not lead one to conclude a lengthy career - because things change. Popularities come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stein/the-vagaries-of-the-industry-and-show-business-itself-would-not-lead/)

[Chris Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stein/)

> [ The average college graduate's proficient literacy in English \[the ability to read lengthy, complex texts and draw complicated inferences\] has declined from 40 percent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/the-average-college-graduate-s-proficient-literacy-in-english-the/)

[Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/)

> [What makes a publishing house great? The easy answer is the consistency with which it produces books of value over a lengthy period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/what-makes-a-publishing-house-great-the-easy-answer-is-the/)

[Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/)

> [I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/i-am-at-the-moment-writing-a-lengthy-indictment-against-our-century/)

[John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/)

> [The notes I have made are not a diary in the ordinary sense, but partly lengthy records of my spiritual experiences, and partly poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-notes-i-have-made-are-not-a-diary-in-the-ordinary-sense-but/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

## More by Bonnie McFarlane

> [Just a tip if you have a big event to go to or an important meeting, if you cry enough your face swells up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/just-a-tip-if-you-have-a-big-event-to-go-to-or-an-important-meeting/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [I don't think cops should wear mirrored sunglasses; the whole time the guy was chewing me out, all I could think was I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/i-don-t-think-cops-should-wear-mirrored-sunglasses-the-whole-time-the/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [When you're pregnant, people feel like they can come up and give you unsolicited advice. When I was nine months pregnant, this one woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/when-you-re-pregnant-people-feel-like-they-can-come-up-and-give-you/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [One of my favorite sketches, and a popular comedy formula, is to put someone with a mental handicap in some kind of unlikely situation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/one-of-my-favorite-sketches-and-a-popular-comedy-formula-is-to-put/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [If you enjoy shaming people, I suggest dentistry as a profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/if-you-enjoy-shaming-people-i-suggest-dentistry-as-a-profession/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [You know, women are burdened with all this other crap all the time, like looking good. You need to be really superhuman to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/you-know-women-are-burdened-with-all-this-other-crap-all-the-time/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [There's no such thing as a feminist - just women who pay for their own breast implants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-feminist-just-women-who-pay-for-their-own/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [If you really are superior, you don't go around saying you're superior - unless you're Jewish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/if-you-really-are-superior-you-don-t-go-around-saying-you-re-superior/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [I think it's creepy if a guy says, I would never hit a girl. Cause that should go without saying. That's like if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/i-think-it-s-creepy-if-a-guy-says-i-would-never-hit-a-girl-cause-that/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [I love my hunting dog. I loved my hunting dog - I'm not very good at hunting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/i-love-my-hunting-dog-i-loved-my-hunting-dog-i-m-not-very-good-at/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [When one door closes another door opens. Usually a refrigerator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/when-one-door-closes-another-door-opens-usually-a-refrigerator/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [Intellectually, I think everyone really knows that women are funny, but it's a weird thing that people keep trotting out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/intellectually-i-think-everyone-really-knows-that-women-are-funny-but/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [It's interesting, once I have convinced people that, yes, I have a sister with a mental disability, the retard jokes really dry up, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/it-s-interesting-once-i-have-convinced-people-that-yes-i-have-a/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [I still don't really know what my style is. I like a lot of different kinds of comedy, I like watching it and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/i-still-don-t-really-know-what-my-style-is-i-like-a-lot-of-different/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [When I first started doing stand-up, I would be so nervous that I would just binge drink really heavily right before my sets, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/when-i-first-started-doing-stand-up-i-would-be-so-nervous-that-i/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

[Explore all 28 Bonnie McFarlane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

## More Awkward quotes

> [“I needed to stop staring at his bicep...and chest...and tattoo. Never thought the sun could be so...sexy. Wow. This was awkward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-needed-to-stop-staring-at-his-bicep-and-chest-and-tattoo-never/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [“Osborne and Roger knowing that the wife of the former was a Frenchwoman, and, conscious of each other's knowledge, felt doubly awkward; while Molly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/osborne-and-roger-knowing-that-the-wife-of-the-former-was-a/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“Having to talk to people was the one thing, but soliciting conversation was something else. If I acted squirmy or didn't make eye contact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/having-to-talk-to-people-was-the-one-thing-but-soliciting/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [That awkward moment when you stop at a red light and look over to someone staring at you..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-you-stop-at-a-red-light-and-look-over-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [That awkward moment when you get your period and others know before you...Embarrassing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smile-so-pretty/that-awkward-moment-when-you-get-your-period-and-others-know-before/)

[Smile So Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smile-so-pretty/)

> [I was beautiful the day we met, But now I'm not so sure. Awkward and alone, you don't make me feel sexy anymore. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-beautiful-the-day-we-met-but-now-i-m-not-so-sure-awkward-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm an American, and always will be. I happen to love that big, awkward, sprawling country very much - and its big, awkward, sprawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jones/i-m-an-american-and-always-will-be-i-happen-to-love-that-big-awkward/)

[James Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jones/)

> [“That’s some awkward prose right there. Awkward like a Redditor talking to women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-s-some-awkward-prose-right-there-awkward-like-a-redditor-talking/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/)

[John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [It's such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There's a camera pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/it-s-such-a-weird-thing-because-you-have-a-whole-crew-of-people/)

[Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/)

> [A new constitution should be more amendable. A needlessly confusing system of courts should be altered to produce an arrangement that would be simple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edison/a-new-constitution-should-be-more-amendable-a-needlessly-confusing/)

[Charles Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edison/)

> [I don't really have loads of friends - three or four who are close. The thing that I love the most is playing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-odell/i-don-t-really-have-loads-of-friends-three-or-four-who-are-close-the/)

[Tom Odell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-odell/)

> [That awkward moment when you're creepin on someone through Facebook and accidentally like one of their posts...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mswazi-omarion/that-awkward-moment-when-you-re-creepin-on-someone-through-facebook/)

[Mswazi Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mswazi-omarion/)

Browse all 1,880 Awkward quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My sister is also retarded. Across the board. She's a one hundred per cent, honest to goodness, born that way retard. I learned a long time ago that if you're going to tell a story about your retarded sister, you need to mention she's retarded right off the bat or inevitably, at the end of the story, someone will say, What... is she, retarded? And then you have to go, Uh... yeah, she is. Followed by a lengthy, awkward silence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bonnie McFarlane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-board-she-s-a-one-hundred-per/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awkward"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-board-she-s-a-one-hundred-per/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/bonnie-mcfarlane-21682_awkward_my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-bo_2044610.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My sister is also retarded. Across the board. She's a one hundred per cent, honest to goodness, born that…” — Bonnie McFarlane",
                "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": "Bonnie McFarlane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My sister is also retarded. Across...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-board-she-s-a-one-hundred-per/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/my-sister-is-also-retarded-across-the-board-she-s-a-one-hundred-per/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
