--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a source of great sadness to me that…" description: "\"It's a source of great sadness to me that my father died without having seen me do anything worthwhile. He was constantly having to make excuses for me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg" --- # It's a source of great sadness to me that my father died… ![“It's a source of great sadness to me that my father died without having seen me do anything worthwhile. He was constantly having to make excuses for me.” quote by Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg) > “It's a source of great sadness to me that my father died without having seen me do anything worthwhile. He was constantly having to make excuses for me.” [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Regret over a father's unfulfilled expectations and feeling of not living up to them. **In simple terms:** Father felt he didn't achieve enough. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond external validation. Themes family regret expectations identity Mood somber contemplative Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - family relationships - personal achievement Key Concepts legacy selfworth filial duty Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor your father’s hopes? - What defines “worthwhile” for you? A Different Perspective May cause lingering guilt and self‑criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Died Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-having-5207713/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-died/) [Great Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-sadness-299500/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sadness Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness-father-5207712/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [Worthwhile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthwhile/) ## Related quotes > [They weren't nice words he said. He could've lived a good life and died never having made a person feel rubbed down to bones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/they-weren-t-nice-words-he-said-he-could-ve-lived-a-good-life-and/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [My mother did play classical piano, not that well. And actually, my father sang with the big bands - he sang with Bob Crosby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-tennille/my-mother-did-play-classical-piano-not-that-well-and-actually-my/) [Toni Tennille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-tennille/) > [As a final example, let's remember Jeremy Glick, whose father died in the World Trade Center. After his name appeared in an ad opposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/as-a-final-example-let-s-remember-jeremy-glick-whose-father-died-in/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [My father died early. My mother died early. I started hanging with the gangs. I'm on the streets; I'm committing crimes. And the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/my-father-died-early-my-mother-died-early-i-started-hanging-with-the/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [My grandfather died in the war, my family went through the war, and it affected my parents in really profound ways. I've always wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/my-grandfather-died-in-the-war-my-family-went-through-the-war-and-it/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I had just been promoted to the first rugby team. It was a perfect, wonderful coming of age. My brother was already in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-had-just-been-promoted-to-the-first-rugby-team-it-was-a-perfect/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I suppose I often think of my writing as quite impersonal. But it turned out, when my father died, writing was exactly what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-suppose-i-often-think-of-my-writing-as-quite-impersonal-but-it/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [My dad died, and my grandfather died, and my great-grandfather died. And the guy before him, I don't know. Probably died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/my-dad-died-and-my-grandfather-died-and-my-great-grandfather-died-and/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [This is our problem, our dilemma, yes? We cannot celebrate and declare ourselves to belong to the victorious nations because our brothers and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-rommel/this-is-our-problem-our-dilemma-yes-we-cannot-celebrate-and-declare/) [Manfred Rommel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-rommel/) > [Father, you died once, salted down at fifty-nine, packed down like a big snow angel, wasn't that enough?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/father-you-died-once-salted-down-at-fifty-nine-packed-down-like-a-big/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [My father died very suddenly at sixty-three. Just dropped dead. For a long time afterward, I'd ask myself, Why didn't I ask him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/my-father-died-very-suddenly-at-sixty-three-just-dropped-dead-for-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [My real father died when I was two years old, so I never knew him. He was a barber in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/my-real-father-died-when-i-was-two-years-old-so-i-never-knew-him-he/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [Sadly, my father died before I graduated, so he didn't see any of the success at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-logan/sadly-my-father-died-before-i-graduated-so-he-didn-t-see-any-of-the/) [Phyllis Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-logan/) > [At home we didnt talk about religion. So gradually the question faded away by itself and disappeared from the agenda. When I was nineteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-prokofiev/at-home-we-didnt-talk-about-religion-so-gradually-the-question-faded/) [Sergei Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-prokofiev/) ## More by Daniel Day-Lewis > [You don't merely give over your creativity to making a film - you give over your life! In theatre, by contrast, you live these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/you-don-t-merely-give-over-your-creativity-to-making-a-film-you-give/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I became conflicted in my late teens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-became-conflicted-in-my-late-teens/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I spend many months in apparently listless rumination out of which I hope something will emerge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-spend-many-months-in-apparently-listless-rumination-out-of-which-i/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Perhaps I'm particularly serious, because I'm not unaware of the potential absurdity of what I'm doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/perhaps-i-m-particularly-serious-because-i-m-not-unaware-of-the/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Being at the centre of a film is a burden one takes on with innocence the first time. Thereafter, you take it on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/being-at-the-centre-of-a-film-is-a-burden-one-takes-on-with-innocence/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [There must've been some part of me that wanted to make my mark. But there was never a defining moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/there-must-ve-been-some-part-of-me-that-wanted-to-make-my-mark-but/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [For as long as I can remember, the thing that gave me a sense of wonderment and renewal... has always been the work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-the-thing-that-gave-me-a-sense-of/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [The more articulate somebody is, the more suspicious I am of them. I like to feel that the important things remain unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/the-more-articulate-somebody-is-the-more-suspicious-i-am-of-them-i/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I've got a serious-looking head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-ve-got-a-serious-looking-head/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I don't know what impression you might have of the way I live. I live in a quiet place. I do not live as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-don-t-know-what-impression-you-might-have-of-the-way-i-live-i-live/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I broke things to get attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-broke-things-to-get-attention/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I still relate to my father very much. I mean, I talk to him in a certain way, as we do talk to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-still-relate-to-my-father-very-much-i-mean-i-talk-to-him-in-a/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [When I've gone back to work, it's always with that sense of inevitability. That may be a complete delusion, but it's the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/when-i-ve-gone-back-to-work-it-s-always-with-that-sense-of/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [There are always practical decisions to be made about any character you're playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/there-are-always-practical-decisions-to-be-made-about-any-character/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [My preference is that, that day when someone sticks a tripod in front of you with a camera on the top, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/my-preference-is-that-that-day-when-someone-sticks-a-tripod-in-front/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) [Explore all 127 Daniel Day-Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) ## More Died quotes > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [If I had to choose a song to listen to before I died, it would be Simone singing Começar de novo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-bittencourt-de-oliveira/if-i-had-to-choose-a-song-to-listen-to-before-i-died-it-would-be/) [Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-bittencourt-de-oliveira/) > [“Rather than see me or have me touch it again, it died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/rather-than-see-me-or-have-me-touch-it-again-it-died/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [My gramps died 4 years ago from a heart attack .. I came in late at the hospital because I was buying dope.. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yankit/my-gramps-died-4-years-ago-from-a-heart-attack-i-came-in-late-at-the/) [Yankit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yankit/) > [I realized my father's sister Joanne, who died at 19 had instilled her spirit in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-realized-my-father-s-sister-joanne-who-died-at-19-had-instilled-her/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [At home we didnt talk about religion. So gradually the question faded away by itself and disappeared from the agenda. When I was nineteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-prokofiev/at-home-we-didnt-talk-about-religion-so-gradually-the-question-faded/) [Sergei Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-prokofiev/) > [My dad died of a stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/my-dad-died-of-a-stroke/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Although their parents died in the wilderness for their stubbornness, Israel could profit from the older generation's failure by remembering that God had used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/although-their-parents-died-in-the-wilderness-for-their-stubbornness/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Mothers love you to the end, and she didn't want to hold me back from my livelihood. So I left for a month and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/mothers-love-you-to-the-end-and-she-didn-t-want-to-hold-me-back-from/) [Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/) > [Sadly, my father died before I graduated, so he didn't see any of the success at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-logan/sadly-my-father-died-before-i-graduated-so-he-didn-t-see-any-of-the/) [Phyllis Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-logan/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) [Browse all 2,648 Died quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a source of great sadness to me that my father died without having seen me do anything worthwhile. He was constantly having to make excuses for me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Day-Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-that-my-father-died-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Died" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-that-my-father-died-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/daniel-day-lewis-3575_died_it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-tha_651242.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a source of great sadness to me that my father died without having seen me do anything worthwhile. He…” — Daniel Day-Lewis", "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": "Daniel Day-Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a source of great sadness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-that-my-father-died-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/it-s-a-source-of-great-sadness-to-me-that-my-father-died-without/#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 } } ] } ```