---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've never been particularly maternal."
description: "\"I've never been particularly maternal.\" — Clare Balding"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg"
---

#  I've never been particularly maternal.

![“I've never been particularly maternal.” quote by Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg)

> “I've never been particularly maternal.”

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

## About This Quote

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

She admits lacking a nurturing instinct, highlighting personal identity over traditional maternal expectations.

**In simple terms:** She does not feel maternal.

Key Takeaway

Accept personal strengths.

Themes

identity gender roles self-awareness

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- career choices
- family dynamics
- self-reflection

Key Concepts

maternal instinct personal authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you define yourself beyond gender norms?
- How does this view affect relationships?

A Different Perspective

Societal expectations may clash with self-view.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Maternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maternal/)

## Related quotes

> [Being pregnant is a very boring six months. I am not particularly maternal. It's an occupational hazard of being a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-princess-royal/being-pregnant-is-a-very-boring-six-months-i-am-not-particularly/)

[Anne, Princess Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-princess-royal/)

> [I've never done anything particularly scandalous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/i-ve-never-done-anything-particularly-scandalous/)

[Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/)

> [How shall I sum up my life? I think I’ve been particularly lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/how-shall-i-sum-up-my-life-i-think-i-ve-been-particularly-lucky/)

[Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/)

> [I've never been particularly spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-redman/i-ve-never-been-particularly-spiritual/)

[Amanda Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-redman/)

> [Maternal health remains a staggering challenge, particularly in the developing world. Globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/maternal-health-remains-a-staggering-challenge-particularly-in-the/)

[Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/)

> [Particularly when you're young, you're terribly flattered by people who like you, so you think you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/particularly-when-you-re-young-you-re-terribly-flattered-by-people/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [There is a tension in relationships between wanting to return to the womb, but also wanting to be free. Because sometimes the woman's attentions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/there-is-a-tension-in-relationships-between-wanting-to-return-to-the/)

[Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/)

> [My maternal grandmother, Rose, was as tough as an old boot - she knew her own mind. She was the first person I lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/my-maternal-grandmother-rose-was-as-tough-as-an-old-boot-she-knew-her/)

[Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/)

> [I think maternal instinct is a male construct that has been used for centuries to keep women in their place, at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-think-maternal-instinct-is-a-male-construct-that-has-been-used-for/)

[Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/)

> [Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/midwives-and-doctors-play-a-crucial-role-preventing-unnecessary/)

[Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/)

> [I have connected with my family more because I have made a group in which I have added all my family members from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-khan/i-have-connected-with-my-family-more-because-i-have-made-a-group-in/)

[Sara Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-khan/)

> [Young women who live in areas with high maternal mortality change their behavior less in response to HIV than young women who live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/young-women-who-live-in-areas-with-high-maternal-mortality-change/)

[Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/)

> [One of the great issues in biology is the origin of altruism - of why you would do something for someone else that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/one-of-the-great-issues-in-biology-is-the-origin-of-altruism-of-why/)

[Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/)

> [O maternal earth which rocks the fallen leaf to sleep!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/o-maternal-earth-which-rocks-the-fallen-leaf-to-sleep/)

[Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/)

> [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. Me, my great-grandmother - a Holocaust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/miami-beach-that-s-where-i-grew-up-in-a-middle-class-jewish-family/)

[Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/)

## More by Clare Balding

> [On the beach, I take my clothes off under a towel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/on-the-beach-i-take-my-clothes-off-under-a-towel/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [The most important quality in a partner is a sense of humour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/the-most-important-quality-in-a-partner-is-a-sense-of-humour/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I play golf - even though I'm awful at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-play-golf-even-though-i-m-awful-at-it/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I know sport can change the world, and that matters to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-know-sport-can-change-the-world-and-that-matters-to-me/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I find people interesting. People trying hard are interesting. People with a passion are interesting - whether it's old cars or taxidermy or knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-find-people-interesting-people-trying-hard-are-interesting-people/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [Not everyone has to have children. If everyone had two or three, we'd run out of room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/not-everyone-has-to-have-children-if-everyone-had-two-or-three-we-d/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [Particularly when you're young, you're terribly flattered by people who like you, so you think you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/particularly-when-you-re-young-you-re-terribly-flattered-by-people/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I find people interesting. People trying hard are interesting. People with a passion are interesting - whether its old cars or taxidermy or knitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-find-people-interesting-people-trying-hard-are-interesting-people-2/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [If you look back at British history, women being allowed to play sport in schools meant they had to change their clothing. They couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/if-you-look-back-at-british-history-women-being-allowed-to-play-sport/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [It had become boring to write: 'I like Clare Balding'. To say: 'I don't like Clare Balding' is much more newsworthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/it-had-become-boring-to-write-i-like-clare-balding-to-say-i-don-t/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [Dad is a really surprising guy. Every time I think he's going to be useless, he ends up doing something amazing and saying exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/dad-is-a-really-surprising-guy-every-time-i-think-he-s-going-to-be/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I have never understood the clamour for waif-like women whose flesh acts merely as a thin veil for their bones - much as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-have-never-understood-the-clamour-for-waif-like-women-whose-flesh/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I think I can be spiritual, and I can feel that I want to live well, I want to do things that I'm proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-think-i-can-be-spiritual-and-i-can-feel-that-i-want-to-live-well-i/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [Weekends are a real luxury for me because I'm usually working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/weekends-are-a-real-luxury-for-me-because-i-m-usually-working/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

> [I cannot be a placard waver for every campaign; that's why I have mostly kept quiet about gay marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-cannot-be-a-placard-waver-for-every-campaign-that-s-why-i-have/)

[Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

[Explore all 49 Clare Balding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/)

## More Maternal quotes

> [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. Me, my great-grandmother - a Holocaust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/miami-beach-that-s-where-i-grew-up-in-a-middle-class-jewish-family/)

[Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/)

> [O maternal earth which rocks the fallen leaf to sleep!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/o-maternal-earth-which-rocks-the-fallen-leaf-to-sleep/)

[Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/)

> [One of the great issues in biology is the origin of altruism - of why you would do something for someone else that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/one-of-the-great-issues-in-biology-is-the-origin-of-altruism-of-why/)

[Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/)

> [Young women who live in areas with high maternal mortality change their behavior less in response to HIV than young women who live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/young-women-who-live-in-areas-with-high-maternal-mortality-change/)

[Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/)

> [I have connected with my family more because I have made a group in which I have added all my family members from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-khan/i-have-connected-with-my-family-more-because-i-have-made-a-group-in/)

[Sara Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-khan/)

> [Maternal health remains a staggering challenge, particularly in the developing world. Globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/maternal-health-remains-a-staggering-challenge-particularly-in-the/)

[Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/)

> [Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/midwives-and-doctors-play-a-crucial-role-preventing-unnecessary/)

[Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/)

> [I think maternal instinct is a male construct that has been used for centuries to keep women in their place, at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-think-maternal-instinct-is-a-male-construct-that-has-been-used-for/)

[Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/)

> [My maternal grandmother, Rose, was as tough as an old boot - she knew her own mind. She was the first person I lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/my-maternal-grandmother-rose-was-as-tough-as-an-old-boot-she-knew-her/)

[Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/)

> [There is a tension in relationships between wanting to return to the womb, but also wanting to be free. Because sometimes the woman's attentions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/there-is-a-tension-in-relationships-between-wanting-to-return-to-the/)

[Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/)

> [No-one believes me when I talk about this, but I'm really maternal... I worry that because I've always wanted kids so much, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/no-one-believes-me-when-i-talk-about-this-but-i-m-really-maternal-i/)

[Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/)

> [Mum is withdrawn and very shy. I don't see her as a friend, like I do my dad. He's active and bouncy. She's maternal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-madeley/mum-is-withdrawn-and-very-shy-i-don-t-see-her-as-a-friend-like-i-do/)

[Chloe Madeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-madeley/)

> [“I became a mother before becoming sick, but i never expected sickness to take away my independent mothering, so i plant trees to sooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/i-became-a-mother-before-becoming-sick-but-i-never-expected-sickness/)

[Nikki rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/)

> [I come from a family of linguists. My maternal grandparents have been authors and translators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishaan-khatter/i-come-from-a-family-of-linguists-my-maternal-grandparents-have-been/)

[Ishaan Khatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishaan-khatter/)

> [“Suddenly, it occurred to me that my feelings towards the little man were distinctly maternal. Good God, I thought, how utterly revolting, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/suddenly-it-occurred-to-me-that-my-feelings-towards-the-little-man/)

[Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/)

[Browse all 93 Maternal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maternal/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've never been particularly maternal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Clare Balding"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Maternal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/clare-balding-13865_maternal_i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal-26_2682951.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've never been particularly maternal.” — Clare Balding",
                "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": "Clare Balding",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've never been particularly maternal.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/i-ve-never-been-particularly-maternal/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
