--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our parents will maybe sometimes when…" description: "\"Our parents will maybe sometimes when they are upset with us and we have been troublesome say something like \"Mommy really doesn't like a naughty child..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/desmond-tutu-442_approval_our-parents-will-maybe-sometimes-when-th_2467369.jpg" --- # Our parents will maybe sometimes when they are upset with… ![“Our parents will maybe sometimes when they are upset with us and we have been troublesome say something like "Mommy really doesn't like a naughty child." And we think that we have to earn the approval, earn the love of our parents. And then we transfer it to God and think we have to earn... We…” quote by Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/desmond-tutu-442_approval_our-parents-will-maybe-sometimes-when-th_2467369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/desmond-tutu-442_approval_our-parents-will-maybe-sometimes-when-th_2467369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/desmond-tutu-442_approval_our-parents-will-maybe-sometimes-when-th_2467369.jpg) > “Our parents will maybe sometimes when they are upset with us and we have been troublesome say something like "Mommy really doesn't like a naughty child." And we think that we have to earn the approval, earn the love of our parents. And then we transfer it to God and think we have to earn... We don't have to earn it! God loves us.” [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often seek parental approval and mistakenly think divine love must be earned, but God's love is unconditional and freely given. **In simple terms:** God's love is free, not earned. Key Takeaway Release the need for approval; trust unconditional love. Themes faith parental relationships self‑worth Mood reflective hopeful Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - family conflict - spiritual counseling - personal growth - self‑esteem building Key Concepts unconditional love spiritual freedom Questions to Reflect On - Do you still seek approval? - How can you accept love without conditions? A Different Perspective Believing love must be earned can cause anxiety and dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Earn God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earn-god-629744/) [Earn Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earn-love-658152/) [God love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-love/) [God loves us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-loves-us/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-parents/) [Naughty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naughty/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-maybe-617120/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Transfers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transfers/) [Troublesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troublesome/) [Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset/) ## Related quotes > [I sort of locked into the idea that if I could be the perfect son to both of my parents, well maybe that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/i-sort-of-locked-into-the-idea-that-if-i-could-be-the-perfect-son-to/) [Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/) > [People didn't seem able to consider that maybe both were true. OK, I was born to white parents, but maybe I had an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/people-didn-t-seem-able-to-consider-that-maybe-both-were-true-ok-i/) [Rachel Dolezal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dolezal/) > [I always travel with my coach and with my physio. And then when I'm in Europe, my parents, maybe they come to events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garbine-muguruza/i-always-travel-with-my-coach-and-with-my-physio-and-then-when-i-m-in/) [Garbine Muguruza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garbine-muguruza/) > [“Cassian, I think, would also savour the opportunity to shred their entire court to pieces. Starting with my parents. Maybe I'll let him do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/cassian-i-think-would-also-savour-the-opportunity-to-shred-their/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [I never posted pictures with my parents, maybe one with my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/i-never-posted-pictures-with-my-parents-maybe-one-with-my-brother/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [“Here was an unknown quantity-a child in breeches with a blue scarf wound around his neck whose job it was to get them out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-findley/here-was-an-unknown-quantity-a-child-in-breeches-with-a-blue-scarf/) [Timothy Findley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-findley/) > [I just don't know when, as a society... it sort of only became OK to represent gay people in the traditional sense, where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-gavaris/i-just-don-t-know-when-as-a-society-it-sort-of-only-became-ok-to/) [Jordan Gavaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-gavaris/) > [“Serafina said, 'Have you been married, Mr Scoresby? Have you any children?' 'No, ma'am, I have no child, though I would have liked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/serafina-said-have-you-been-married-mr-scoresby-have-you-any-children/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [You realize how much the relationship when kids are young can suffer. And it's important to make sure that you are able to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-vaughn/you-realize-how-much-the-relationship-when-kids-are-young-can-suffer/) [Vince Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-vaughn/) > [A lot of teenagers have parents that are maybe a little too real with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-damiano/a-lot-of-teenagers-have-parents-that-are-maybe-a-little-too-real-with/) [Jennifer Damiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-damiano/) > [In most, when you go to church, most churches when they have images of the good shepherd, they show Jesus carrying a nice fluffy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/in-most-when-you-go-to-church-most-churches-when-they-have-images-of/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“We do good works, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved; not in order to earn God's favor, but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brett-harris/we-do-good-works-not-in-order-to-be-saved-but-because-we-are-saved/) [Alex Brett Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brett-harris/) > [We don't earn God's love; we receive it. We don't work for His approval; He approves us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/we-don-t-earn-god-s-love-we-receive-it-we-don-t-work-for-his-approval/) [Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/) > [“Communion with God is the only thing to live for. You will have to come to that understanding eventually, often after much suffering. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/communion-with-god-is-the-only-thing-to-live-for-you-will-have-to/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“Because it is in giving of ourselves and our possessions that we best please God; by actions, not words. And all men do deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kearsley/because-it-is-in-giving-of-ourselves-and-our-possessions-that-we-best/) [Susanna Kearsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kearsley/) ## More by Desmond Tutu > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Freedom and liberty lose out by default because good people are not vigilant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/freedom-and-liberty-lose-out-by-default-because-good-people-are-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Many people would be surprised that, in fact, I'm quite shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/many-people-would-be-surprised-that-in-fact-i-m-quite-shy/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Too many people think that reconciliation means you soft-pedal differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/too-many-people-think-that-reconciliation-means-you-soft-pedal/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Every situation of justice is an occasion where someone is being humiliated and they want to restore their dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/every-situation-of-justice-is-an-occasion-where-someone-is-being/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Race should not be used to claim privileges and rights for one group, exclusively, which are denied other different groups. Then that is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/race-should-not-be-used-to-claim-privileges-and-rights-for-one-group/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [People are able to justify immense cruelty and say that it is something that is sanctioned by their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-are-able-to-justify-immense-cruelty-and-say-that-it-is/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [South Africa, so utterly improbably, is a beacon of hope in a dark and troubled world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/south-africa-so-utterly-improbably-is-a-beacon-of-hope-in-a-dark-and/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I don't often want to speak. I try to be a reasonable person and to be diplomatic, but you go to that place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-don-t-often-want-to-speak-i-try-to-be-a-reasonable-person-and-to-be/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“child of God, known by name and whose very hairs are numbered. Praise and adore God and thank him for ever and ever. Amen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/child-of-god-known-by-name-and-whose-very-hairs-are-numbered-praise/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [To remain neutral in situations of injustice is to be complicit in that injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/to-remain-neutral-in-situations-of-injustice-is-to-be-complicit-in/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [It's a fantastic thing that from moment to the next moment if God were to have stopped for a split second we would disintegrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-s-a-fantastic-thing-that-from-moment-to-the-next-moment-if-god/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Once lost, trust can only be regained if we are as good as our word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/once-lost-trust-can-only-be-regained-if-we-are-as-good-as-our-word/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) [Explore all 558 Desmond Tutu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## More Approval quotes > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tehyi-hsieh/lean-too-much-on-the-approval-of-people-and-it-becomes-a-bed-of-thorns/) [Tehyi Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tehyi-hsieh/) > [But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/but-i-always-reassure-them-that-as-far-as-my-contractual-rights-can/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. It took me a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/growing-up-in-that-fashion-is-a-breeding-ground-for-insecurity-and/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the supreme court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/a-year-ago-my-approval-rating-was-in-the-30s-my-nominee-for-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Approval is a greater motivator than disapproval, but we have to disapprove on occasion when we correct. It’s necessary. I make corrections only after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/approval-is-a-greater-motivator-than-disapproval-but-we-have-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [These days people are mean to people just because they don't like the way they look. No-one should be hated because of their flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/these-days-people-are-mean-to-people-just-because-they-don-t-like-the/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [My dad taught me swears when I was a toddler, and I saw, at a really early age, that if I shocked people, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-dad-taught-me-swears-when-i-was-a-toddler-and-i-saw-at-a-really/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Comedy is a very approval-oriented field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/comedy-is-a-very-approval-oriented-field/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [Whenever you are too worried about someone else's approval, that person loses respect for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-argov/whenever-you-are-too-worried-about-someone-else-s-approval-that/) [Sherry Argov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-argov/) > [Pleasure is Nature's test, her sign of approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/pleasure-is-nature-s-test-her-sign-of-approval/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Do you really mean the only reason you try to be good is to gain God's approval and reward? That's not morality, that's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/do-you-really-mean-the-only-reason-you-try-to-be-good-is-to-gain-god/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 904 Approval quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our parents will maybe sometimes when they are upset with us and we have been troublesome say something like \"Mommy really doesn't like a naughty child.\" And we think that we have to earn the approval, earn the love of our parents. And then we transfer it to God and think we have to earn... We don't have to earn it! 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