--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature…" description: "\"My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do.\" — Celeste Ng" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg" --- # My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had… ![“My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do.” quote by Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg) > “My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do.” [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. Immigrant mothers adopt pragmatic resilience, shaping their children's adaptability. **In simple terms:** Pragmatic parenting stems from immigrant experience. Key Takeaway Embrace practical resilience. Themes family immigration pragmatism Mood thoughtful empathetic Type narrative cultural When to use this quote - parenting - cultural adaptation - community support Key Concepts identity survival strategies Questions to Reflect On - How does pragmatism affect family bonds? - What balance of practicality and emotion is healthy? A Different Perspective May undervalue emotional expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deeply Pragmatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-pragmatic-2229504/) [Immigrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrant/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-deeply-2229503/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Immigrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-immigrant-2229505/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Perhaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perhaps/) ## Related quotes > [No, I am not my mother. I am deeply, endlessly grateful for what she did and who she was, but I am a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/no-i-am-not-my-mother-i-am-deeply-endlessly-grateful-for-what-she-did/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I was brought up in a family of journalists, and a mother who was deeply committed to human rights, so I think that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/i-was-brought-up-in-a-family-of-journalists-and-a-mother-who-was/) [Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/) > [My father and mother deeply loved me and my sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deray-mckesson/my-father-and-mother-deeply-loved-me-and-my-sister/) [DeRay Mckesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deray-mckesson/) > [My mother was an immigrant from Lebanon to the United States. She came when she was 18 years old in 1920.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-j-mitchell/my-mother-was-an-immigrant-from-lebanon-to-the-united-states-she-came/) [George J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) > [I was painfully shy as a child; I was dyslexic. I had a single mother who's an immigrant. I just didn't believe acting was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-scodelario/i-was-painfully-shy-as-a-child-i-was-dyslexic-i-had-a-single-mother/) [Kaya Scodelario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-scodelario/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [My father's immigrant story is a big part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-s-immigrant-story-is-a-big-part-of-who-i-am/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-holland-i-have-seen-well-meaning-principled-people-blinded-by/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [The immigrant experience of all of us is what makes us Americans, because we value in our DNA liberty and opportunity above all else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-immigrant-experience-of-all-of-us-is-what-makes-us-americans/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/) > [I'm an immigrant, a legal immigrant to the United States. I only became a citizen five years ago. Every day, for seven months, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-gorka/i-m-an-immigrant-a-legal-immigrant-to-the-united-states-i-only-became/) [Sebastian Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-gorka/) > [My parents were, had a marriage of passion, and the passion was about their religious beliefs. They were both immigrant families that - well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/my-parents-were-had-a-marriage-of-passion-and-the-passion-was-about/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [Royalty has always been an unconscious but all-consuming goal of the European immigrant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/royalty-has-always-been-an-unconscious-but-all-consuming-goal-of-the/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [When you are in America, at least for me, as an immigrant, I try to be as Americanized as I could. I just want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-o-yang/when-you-are-in-america-at-least-for-me-as-an-immigrant-i-try-to-be/) [Jimmy O. Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/) > [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/) [Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/) ## 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 Immigrant quotes > [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/) [Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/) > [When you are in America, at least for me, as an immigrant, I try to be as Americanized as I could. I just want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-o-yang/when-you-are-in-america-at-least-for-me-as-an-immigrant-i-try-to-be/) [Jimmy O. Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/) > [Royalty has always been an unconscious but all-consuming goal of the European immigrant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/royalty-has-always-been-an-unconscious-but-all-consuming-goal-of-the/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [My parents were, had a marriage of passion, and the passion was about their religious beliefs. They were both immigrant families that - well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/my-parents-were-had-a-marriage-of-passion-and-the-passion-was-about/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [I'm an immigrant, a legal immigrant to the United States. I only became a citizen five years ago. Every day, for seven months, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-gorka/i-m-an-immigrant-a-legal-immigrant-to-the-united-states-i-only-became/) [Sebastian Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-gorka/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/) > [I was painfully shy as a child; I was dyslexic. I had a single mother who's an immigrant. I just didn't believe acting was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-scodelario/i-was-painfully-shy-as-a-child-i-was-dyslexic-i-had-a-single-mother/) [Kaya Scodelario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-scodelario/) > [The immigrant experience of all of us is what makes us Americans, because we value in our DNA liberty and opportunity above all else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-immigrant-experience-of-all-of-us-is-what-makes-us-americans/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-holland-i-have-seen-well-meaning-principled-people-blinded-by/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [My father's immigrant story is a big part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-s-immigrant-story-is-a-big-part-of-who-i-am/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [My mother was an immigrant from Lebanon to the United States. She came when she was 18 years old in 1920.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-j-mitchell/my-mother-was-an-immigrant-from-lebanon-to-the-united-states-she-came/) [George J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“I have lived my life defined as a refugee in Nepal and India, a resident alien and immigrant in the United States. At last,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsering-wangmo-dhompa/i-have-lived-my-life-defined-as-a-refugee-in-nepal-and-india-a/) [Tsering Wangmo Dhompa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsering-wangmo-dhompa/) > [The privilege of serving my country is not only rooted in my military service, but also in my personal history. I sit here, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-vindman/the-privilege-of-serving-my-country-is-not-only-rooted-in-my-military/) [Alexander Vindman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-vindman/) > [Immigrant stories are good stories for everyone to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-kenin/immigrant-stories-are-good-stories-for-everyone-to-know/) [Sofia Kenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-kenin/) [Browse all 472 Immigrant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Celeste Ng" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature-perhaps-you-had-to-be-as-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Immigrant" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature-perhaps-you-had-to-be-as-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82a/celeste-ng-1718_immigrant_my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature_1825385.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do.” — 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": "My mother is deeply pragmatic by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature-perhaps-you-had-to-be-as-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/my-mother-is-deeply-pragmatic-by-nature-perhaps-you-had-to-be-as-an/#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 } } ] } ```