--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents were both writers - they would…" description: "\"My parents were both writers - they would type their manuscripts sitting side by side on the veranda of our house near Watford - so I wanted to do some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg" --- # My parents were both writers - they would type their… ![“My parents were both writers - they would type their manuscripts sitting side by side on the veranda of our house near Watford - so I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be a bluegrass singer, an architect, a landscape gardener, or to do something with animals.” quote by Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg) > “My parents were both writers - they would type their manuscripts sitting side by side on the veranda of our house near Watford - so I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be a bluegrass singer, an architect, a landscape gardener, or to do something with animals.” [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels constrained by family expectations and seeks a distinct identity through diverse aspirations. **In simple terms:** Seeking a unique path beyond family legacy. Key Takeaway Explore varied passions to discover personal purpose. Themes identity family expectations career choices Mood reflective determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - artistic pursuits - personal development - life coaching Key Concepts self‑discovery creativity Questions to Reflect On - What truly drives your career choices? - How do you balance expectations with personal desires? A Different Perspective Practical constraints may limit pursuit of many dreams. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Bluegrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bluegrass/) [Both](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/both/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-wanted-1363209/) [Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardener/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Manuscripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuscripts/) [Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/near/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-writers-744809/) [Side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side/) [Side by side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side-by-side/) [Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singer/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Bluegrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-bluegrass-5411187/) [Wanted Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-different/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-type-5411186/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I wanted to be different. I wanted to address everyone. I wanted to address the hood, but also the people that was getting money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-daddy-kane/i-wanted-to-be-different-i-wanted-to-address-everyone-i-wanted-to/) [Big Daddy Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-daddy-kane/) > [I always wanted to be different. I always wanted to be first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/i-always-wanted-to-be-different-i-always-wanted-to-be-first/) [Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/) > [I wanted to see myself as something different, and I wanted to convince people that I was capable of something other than what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzy-caplan/i-wanted-to-see-myself-as-something-different-and-i-wanted-to/) [Lizzy Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzy-caplan/) > [When Wes came back to Limp Bizkit, we really wanted to do something different. We wanted to make a core record that we didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/when-wes-came-back-to-limp-bizkit-we-really-wanted-to-do-something/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [I wanted to show a different side of ourselves. I wanted to see in what ways I could explore something new. I felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-cole-smith/i-wanted-to-show-a-different-side-of-ourselves-i-wanted-to-see-in/) [Zachary Cole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-cole-smith/) > [When I was a boy, my parents were writers and they owned a bookstore, 'The Complete Traveler in New York,' so writing and books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-greenberg/when-i-was-a-boy-my-parents-were-writers-and-they-owned-a-bookstore/) [Mike Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-greenberg/) > [I always wrote. My parents are writers. It just seemed like something people did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-always-wrote-my-parents-are-writers-it-just-seemed-like-something/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [They all laugh because I'm different, but why are they wanted because they're the same?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/none/they-all-laugh-because-i-m-different-but-why-are-they-wanted-because/) [None](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/none/) > [“I am different and that has nothing to do with you, I wanted to tell him. Leo is different and that has nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/i-am-different-and-that-has-nothing-to-do-with-you-i-wanted-to-tell/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“But she found herself drawn to Ivy because he wasn't like her at all, wasn't like anyone, really. Most people were different because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-todd/but-she-found-herself-drawn-to-ivy-because-he-wasn-t-like-her-at-all/) [Pamela Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-todd/) > [“But we were different now. I wanted only his pain, and judging from the girl he’d come home with last night, Madoc was still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/but-we-were-different-now-i-wanted-only-his-pain-and-judging-from-the/) [Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/) > [I've always wanted to do things different, always wanted to be the person who stands out from the pack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-things-different-always-wanted-to-be-the/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [I felt my personal life was not what it should be. It had nothing to do with Mr. Show - I'm monstrously appreciative and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-odenkirk/i-felt-my-personal-life-was-not-what-it-should-be-it-had-nothing-to/) [Bob Odenkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-odenkirk/) > [You know, I've done so much of my life in front of cameras... I wanted to show a different side of me. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-glanville/you-know-i-ve-done-so-much-of-my-life-in-front-of-cameras-i-wanted-to/) [Brandi Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-glanville/) > [But I didnt feel like an invalid even for a second. I knew that I could never be the player that I was, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunima-sinha/but-i-didnt-feel-like-an-invalid-even-for-a-second-i-knew-that-i/) [Arunima Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunima-sinha/) ## More by Deborah Moggach > [It's not a failure if a marriage or partnership ends after a certain number of years. I think, in general, we expect too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-s-not-a-failure-if-a-marriage-or-partnership-ends-after-a-certain/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“Our task is not to solve enigmas, but to be aware of them, to bow our heads before them and also to prepare the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/our-task-is-not-to-solve-enigmas-but-to-be-aware-of-them-to-bow-our/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [It was very liberating, living in a foreign country, a place where everything was new and strange - the food, the customs, the climate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-was-very-liberating-living-in-a-foreign-country-a-place-where/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour. At ten o’clock the night-watch trumpet sounds and those who are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/even-when-i-succeed-in-getting-there-we-only-have-an-hour-at-ten-o/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“The world is chaotic. All artists know this, but they try to make sense of it. Sophia has made sense of it for him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/the-world-is-chaotic-all-artists-know-this-but-they-try-to-make-sense/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/don-t-start-writing-your-novel-until-you-know-your-characters-very/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/everything-will-be-alright-in-the-end-so-if-it-is-not-alright-it-is/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Living apart is hardly possible if people have children together. It can also be more expensive to maintain two homes. But then, it's expensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/living-apart-is-hardly-possible-if-people-have-children-together-it/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [My first novel, 'You Must be Sisters,' was started in Pakistan. I've wrote several novels and a TV drama set or partly-set there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-first-novel-you-must-be-sisters-was-started-in-pakistan-i-ve-wrote/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Writing a novel is a huge adventure; when it's going well it's more fun than fun. When it stutters to a halt put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/writing-a-novel-is-a-huge-adventure-when-it-s-going-well-it-s-more/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I like missing someone and being missed; I like looking forward to seeing him again. I like getting emails and texts with lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-like-missing-someone-and-being-missed-i-like-looking-forward-to/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [The greatest artists know how to entertain, or else nobody would read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/the-greatest-artists-know-how-to-entertain-or-else-nobody-would-read/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I hate fussing about in the kitchen when I have people over to supper, so I make a rich beef stew cooked in wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-hate-fussing-about-in-the-kitchen-when-i-have-people-over-to-supper/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [But it's also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/but-it-s-also-true-that-the-person-who-risks-nothing-does-nothing-has/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I do believe that we baby-boomers are reinventing ageing as we enter it. We're living longer and expecting more from life; the success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-do-believe-that-we-baby-boomers-are-reinventing-ageing-as-we-enter/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) [Explore all 72 Deborah Moggach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) ## More Animals quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My parents were both writers - they would type their manuscripts sitting side by side on the veranda of our house near Watford - so I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be a bluegrass singer, an architect, a landscape gardener, or to do something with animals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deborah Moggach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would-type-their-manuscripts/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would-type-their-manuscripts/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b8/deborah-moggach-9536_animals_my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would_3107199.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My parents were both writers - they would type their manuscripts sitting side by side on the veranda of our…” — Deborah Moggach", "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": "Deborah Moggach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My parents were both writers -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would-type-their-manuscripts/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-parents-were-both-writers-they-would-type-their-manuscripts/#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 } } ] } ```