--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How had it begun? Like everything: with…" description: "\"“How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and fathers. Because of Lydia's mother and father, because of her mother's and father's mothers and fa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg" --- # How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and… ![“How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and fathers. Because of Lydia's mother and father, because of her mother's and father's mothers and fathers. Because long ago, her mother had gone missing, and her father had brought her home. Because more than anything, her mother had wanted to…” quote by Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg) > ““How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and fathers. Because of Lydia's mother and father, because of her mother's and father's mothers and fathers. Because long ago, her mother had gone missing, and her father had brought her home. Because more than anything, her mother had wanted to stand out; because more than anything, her father had wanted to blend in. Because those things had been impossible.”” [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on how identity and desires are shaped by generational inheritance and family dynamics, showing both the constraints and aspirations passed down. **In simple terms:** Family history shapes who we become. Key Takeaway Recognize inherited patterns and choose consciously. Themes family identity inheritance desire conflict Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type narrative philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - personal growth - relationship counseling - storytelling - cultural analysis Key Concepts generational trauma individual agency social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How do you see your parents' hopes influencing your choices? - Can you break a pattern you feel trapped by? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex personal agency by attributing too much to lineage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fathers Lydia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers-lydia-3797741/) [Like Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-mothers-625238/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Lydia Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lydia-mother-3797740/) [Mother and father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-and-father/) [Mother Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-father/) [Mothers Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers-fathers-589082/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/explain-to-the-mothers-and-fathers-of-american-servicemen-that-may/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [Mothers and fathers do really crazy things with the best of intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/mothers-and-fathers-do-really-crazy-things-with-the-best-of-intentions/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [Mothers and fathers act in mostly similar ways toward their young children. Psychologists are still highlighting small differencesrather than the overwhelming similarities in parents'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/mothers-and-fathers-act-in-mostly-similar-ways-toward-their-young/) [Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/) > [Its a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/its-a-funny-thing-about-mothers-and-fathers-even-when-their-own-child/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/come-mothers-and-fathers-throughout-the-land-and-don-t-criticize-what-2/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Most mothers and fathers will shop more for a TV set than they will for a child care center for their child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-zigler/most-mothers-and-fathers-will-shop-more-for-a-tv-set-than-they-will/) [Edward Zigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-zigler/) > [Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/parents-rarely-let-go-of-their-children-so-children-let-go-of-them/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [If we can genuinely honor our mother and father we are not only at peace with ourselves but we can then give birth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/if-we-can-genuinely-honor-our-mother-and-father-we-are-not-only-at/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Well I love my second mother and father they have been there for me. They are happy people and outgoing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mariee/well-i-love-my-second-mother-and-father-they-have-been-there-for-me/) [Jessica Mariee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mariee/) > [My father said it himself in an interview many years ago: 'Husband and wife failed, but mother and father didn't.' I've got a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-dylan/my-father-said-it-himself-in-an-interview-many-years-ago-husband-and/) [Jakob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-dylan/) > [God is the mother and father of the world. Our parents are the mother and father of this body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-is-the-mother-and-father-of-the-world-our-parents-are-the-mother/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I got my first check I was thinking my mother and father didn't make this probably in their lifetime. It's real amazing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwyane-wade/when-i-got-my-first-check-i-was-thinking-my-mother-and-father-didn-t/) [Dwyane Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwyane-wade/) > [We used to go to the jazz fest in Kansas City. And my mother and father took me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steward/we-used-to-go-to-the-jazz-fest-in-kansas-city-and-my-mother-and/) [David Steward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steward/) > [My mother is a huge fan of my work. I told her about 'Coraline' long before the film was made, and she got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/my-mother-is-a-huge-fan-of-my-work-i-told-her-about-coraline-long/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [Our mother and father are our way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-mother-and-father-are-our-way-of-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Celeste Ng > [When you mention to people growing up in Cleveland they bring up the river catching on fire, or LeBron James leaving, they have these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/when-you-mention-to-people-growing-up-in-cleveland-they-bring-up-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It's so easy, as a writer, to get stuck in your own head, to live in the little worlds you create. To forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/it-s-so-easy-as-a-writer-to-get-stuck-in-your-own-head-to-live-in-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“All up and down the street the houses looked like any others—but inside them were people who might be happy, or taking refuge, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/all-up-and-down-the-street-the-houses-looked-like-any-others-but/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [No reader wants to sit through the same scene four times in a row, unless they're radically different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-reader-wants-to-sit-through-the-same-scene-four-times-in-a-row/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Debut novels are difficult because nobody knows you... they just don't find a huge audience, because that's how the market works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/debut-novels-are-difficult-because-nobody-knows-you-they-just-don-t/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [We have to figure out why we see the world in different ways and then how are we going to adjust so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/we-have-to-figure-out-why-we-see-the-world-in-different-ways-and-then/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“I have measured my life with coffee spoons and do I dare to eat a peach?' 'DO I DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-have-measured-my-life-with-coffee-spoons-and-do-i-dare-to-eat-a/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/most-of-the-time-everyone-deserves-more-than-one-chance-we-all-do/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Though she would never quite articulate it this way, resentment began to sheathe concern. ANGER IS FEAR'S BODYGUARD, a poster in the hospital hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/though-she-would-never-quite-articulate-it-this-way-resentment-began/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Spend too much time alone with your own words, and your writing grows anemic, in dire need of a transfusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/spend-too-much-time-alone-with-your-own-words-and-your-writing-grows/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Everyone sees race, Lex," said Moody. "The only difference is who pretends not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/everyone-sees-race-lex-said-moody-the-only-difference-is-who-pretends/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Writers, most of them, don't have a lot of resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/writers-most-of-them-don-t-have-a-lot-of-resources/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/browse-amazon-reviews-and-you-ll-see-a-surprising-number-of-readers/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Short of the dishonest, the illegal, and the cruel, there's only one thing my son could do that would really disappoint me: not liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/short-of-the-dishonest-the-illegal-and-the-cruel-there-s-only-one/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) [Explore all 212 Celeste Ng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## More Long ago quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/) [Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/) [Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/) [Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/) > [“...The devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-annie-proulx-author/the-devil-had-long-ago-taken-a-shine-to-tert-card-filled-him-like-a/) [E. Annie Proulx (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-annie-proulx-author/) > [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) [Molly Caldwell Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-caldwell-crosby/) > [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) [Browse all 2,059 Long ago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and fathers. Because of Lydia's mother and father, because of her mother's and father's mothers and fathers. Because long ago, her mother had gone missing, and her father had brought her home. Because more than anything, her mother had wanted to stand out; because more than anything, her father had wanted to blend in. Because those things had been impossible.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Celeste Ng" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mothers-and-fathers-because-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Long ago" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mothers-and-fathers-because-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f1/celeste-ng-1718_long-ago_how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mo_1229525.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How had it begun? Like everything: with mothers and fathers. Because of Lydia's mother and father, because…” — Celeste Ng", "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": "Celeste Ng", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How had it begun? Like everything:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mothers-and-fathers-because-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/how-had-it-begun-like-everything-with-mothers-and-fathers-because-of/#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 } } ] } ```