--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother was a big influence. She kept…" description: "\"My mother was a big influence. She kept pushing me because I was very shy and inhibited. And schoolwork was very difficult for me because I couldn't co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/don-rickles-1705_books_my-mother-was-a-big-influence-she-kept-p_3154534.png" --- # My mother was a big influence. She kept pushing me because… ![“My mother was a big influence. She kept pushing me because I was very shy and inhibited. And schoolwork was very difficult for me because I couldn't concentrate. I was failing almost every subject. To this day, I'm not too good at reading a book. But I was the president of my high school comedy…” quote by Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/don-rickles-1705_books_my-mother-was-a-big-influence-she-kept-p_3154534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/don-rickles-1705_books_my-mother-was-a-big-influence-she-kept-p_3154534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40b/don-rickles-1705_books_my-mother-was-a-big-influence-she-kept-p_3154534.png) > “My mother was a big influence. She kept pushing me because I was very shy and inhibited. And schoolwork was very difficult for me because I couldn't concentrate. I was failing almost every subject. To this day, I'm not too good at reading a book. But I was the president of my high school comedy group, and they treated me like a king.” [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Support and challenges can shape confidence, turning shy individuals into leaders in creative arenas despite academic struggles. **In simple terms:** Support can turn shyness into leadership. Key Takeaway Embrace supportive challenges. Themes personal growth confidence education Mood reflective encouraging Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - school projects - performing arts - public speaking - team leadership Key Concepts self‑efficacy social dynamics creative leadership Questions to Reflect On - What role does mentorship play in overcoming shyness? - How can creative outlets compensate for academic gaps? A Different Perspective Academic difficulties may persist despite confidence gains. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Couldn Concentrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-concentrate-873462/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Inhibited Schoolwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inhibited-schoolwork-5677898/) [Kept Pushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-pushing-710537/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Pushing Shy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pushing-shy-5677900/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Schoolwork Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schoolwork-difficult-5677899/) ## Related quotes > [Being closeted often put me in situations where I couldn't concentrate or even think straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/being-closeted-often-put-me-in-situations-where-i-couldn-t/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [“I was part of a focus group once, but to be honest, I couldn’t concentrate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-was-part-of-a-focus-group-once-but-to-be-honest-i-couldn-t/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I wasn't an academic. I hated maths and science at school. I couldn't concentrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-wasn-t-an-academic-i-hated-maths-and-science-at-school-i-couldn-t/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I couldn't concentrate on music. So I made the choice to give up my career as a musician in the frontline to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fripp/i-couldn-t-concentrate-on-music-so-i-made-the-choice-to-give-up-my/) [Robert Fripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fripp/) > [Before I was on medication, the mania was so bad that I couldn't concentrate, so although I'd feel very creative, I could never really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/before-i-was-on-medication-the-mania-was-so-bad-that-i-couldn-t/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I would be on dates with guys, and the radio would be on, and if the Moody Blues song came on I couldn't concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-wilson/i-would-be-on-dates-with-guys-and-the-radio-would-be-on-and-if-the/) [Ann Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-wilson/) > [The anxiety was like poison ivy. 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It was a problem for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/my-head-works-a-little-faster-than-people-around-me-sometimes-and-it/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [“He couldn't concentrate on anything while her incredible bottom led him up those stairs like the Pied Piper of tempting asses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-bangs/he-couldn-t-concentrate-on-anything-while-her-incredible-bottom-led/) [Nina Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-bangs/) > [You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made. But I just kept pushing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/you-just-keep-pushing-you-just-keep-pushing-i-made-every-mistake-that/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [You know, you don't work 30 something years in this business without knowing how to push yourself. So, I just kept pushing myself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-osmond/you-know-you-don-t-work-30-something-years-in-this-business-without/) [Marie Osmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-osmond/) > [ “I pushed until I felt his \[Donovan's\] body grow still, the tendons in his neck relaxing. I pushed until I felt the mouth beneath… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/i-pushed-until-i-felt-his-donovan-s-body-grow-still-the-tendons-in/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I'm just so honored that I never gave up and have kept pushing for my dreams to get here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mykayla-skinner/i-m-just-so-honored-that-i-never-gave-up-and-have-kept-pushing-for-my/) [MyKayla Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mykayla-skinner/) ## More by Don Rickles > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [They always use the word 'insult' with me, but I don't hurt anybody. I wouldn't be sitting here if I did. I make fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/they-always-use-the-word-insult-with-me-but-i-don-t-hurt-anybody-i/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I don't do impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-do-impressions/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I have a problem, if the light goes on on TV and it blinks midnight, I don't know how to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-have-a-problem-if-the-light-goes-on-on-tv-and-it-blinks-midnight-i/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [To my knowledge, I was the first guy really to do what I do. And then later on different comedians started trying doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/to-my-knowledge-i-was-the-first-guy-really-to-do-what-i-do-and-then/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [If something strikes me as funny, I'll put it in my performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/if-something-strikes-me-as-funny-i-ll-put-it-in-my-performance/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Famous people are deceptive. Deep down, they're just regular people. Like Larry King. We've been friends for forty years. He's one of the few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/famous-people-are-deceptive-deep-down-they-re-just-regular-people/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [It takes many years to be a great comedian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/it-takes-many-years-to-be-a-great-comedian/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I don't like to compare myself with anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-like-to-compare-myself-with-anybody/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Now when I'm not working, I don't really hang out with the young comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/now-when-i-m-not-working-i-don-t-really-hang-out-with-the-young-comics/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [To this day, when I say that I went to the American Academy, people are very impressed. The reputation of the school has always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/to-this-day-when-i-say-that-i-went-to-the-american-academy-people-are/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [In our day we went from - we went into saloons. We couldn't cross over like you can today, get a television series and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/in-our-day-we-went-from-we-went-into-saloons-we-couldn-t-cross-over/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [ I don't get into politics. I know \[Donald\] Trump, but I don't follow that. That's just an aside for him when he has nothing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-get-into-politics-i-know-donald-trump-but-i-don-t-follow-that/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I was always the guy who made jokes and ribbed people at parties. After I went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-was-always-the-guy-who-made-jokes-and-ribbed-people-at-parties/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [When I walk down the street in New York, I swear to God, the building constructor, the guy pounding cement and what not, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/when-i-walk-down-the-street-in-new-york-i-swear-to-god-the-building/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) [Explore all 214 Don Rickles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My mother was a big influence. She kept pushing me because I was very shy and inhibited. And schoolwork was very difficult for me because I couldn't concentrate. I was failing almost every subject. To this day, I'm not too good at reading a book. 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