---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father was temperamentally nervous and…"
description: "\"My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I inherited the seeds of madness. The angels o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png"
---

#  My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively…

![“My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I inherited the seeds of madness. The angels of fear, sorrow, and death stood by my side since the day I was born.” quote by Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png)

> “My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I inherited the seeds of madness. The angels of fear, sorrow, and death stood by my side since the day I was born.”

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker inherits a legacy of anxiety and religious obsession, feeling haunted by fear and death from birth.

**In simple terms:** Inherited anxiety and religious obsession shape identity.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge inherited emotional burdens.

Themes

psychology family trauma

Mood

somber introspective

Type

reflective philosophical

When to use this quote

- therapy
- artistic expression
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

anxiety religion inheritance

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you break cycles of inherited trauma?
- Can art transform personal anguish?

A Different Perspective

Inherited traits may not dictate destiny.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/)

## Related quotes

> [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Discord or jealousy inhibits the ability of the Holy Ghost to teach us and inhibits our ability to receive light and truth. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/discord-or-jealousy-inhibits-the-ability-of-the-holy-ghost-to-teach/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [Poverty comes from Hell. Prosperity comes from Heaven. Adam had complete dominion over the earth and all it contains. A. Adam could fly like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/poverty-comes-from-hell-prosperity-comes-from-heaven-adam-had/)

[Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/)

> [“Fruits doesn't fall far from the tree but there seeds can go places and wherever they go by their virtues they leave their traces”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-mukhopadhyay/fruits-doesn-t-fall-far-from-the-tree-but-there-seeds-can-go-places/)

Indira Mukhopadhyay

> [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections are your guides - valuable, objective, non-judgmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of-2/)

[David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/)

> [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [There is a patent office at the seat of government of the universe, whose managers are as much interested in the dispersion of seeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-is-a-patent-office-at-the-seat-of-government-of-the-universe/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

> [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/)

[David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/)

> [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

## More by Edvard Munch

> [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [For as long as I can remember I have suffered from a deep feeling of anxiety which I have tried to express in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-have-suffered-from-a-deep-feeling-of/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [The Academies of Art are nothing but great painting factories - those with talent are fed in at one end, and they come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-academies-of-art-are-nothing-but-great-painting-factories-those/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [I was walking along a road one evening – on one side lay the city, and below me was the fjord. The sun went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-was-walking-along-a-road-one-evening-on-one-side-lay-the-city-and/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun set. I felt a tinge of melancholy. Suddenly the sky became a bloody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-was-walking-along-the-road-with-two-friends-the-sun-set-i-felt-a/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [The notes I have made are not a diary in the ordinary sense, but partly lengthy records of my spiritual experiences, and partly poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-notes-i-have-made-are-not-a-diary-in-the-ordinary-sense-but/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [A work of art comes only from inside a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/a-work-of-art-comes-only-from-inside-a-human-being/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [I sense a scream passing through nature. I painted ... the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrieked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-sense-a-scream-passing-through-nature-i-painted-the-clouds-as/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [Youth must go ahead and prosper. These young painters are all very talented people, but they all paint frescoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/youth-must-go-ahead-and-prosper-these-young-painters-are-all-very/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [ But can they \[great works\] get rid of the worm that lies gnawing at the roots of my heart? No, never. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/but-can-they-great-works-get-rid-of-the-worm-that-lies-gnawing-at-the/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-fear-of-life-is-necessary-to-me-as-is-my-illness-without-anxiety/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [It would be quite amusing to preach a bit to all those people who for many years now have been looking at our paintings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/it-would-be-quite-amusing-to-preach-a-bit-to-all-those-people-who-for/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [The viewers must come to understand the sacredness of painting, so they will remove their hats as if they were in church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-viewers-must-come-to-understand-the-sacredness-of-painting-so/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [The way one sees is also dependent upon one's emotional state of mind. This is why a motif can be looked at in so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/the-way-one-sees-is-also-dependent-upon-one-s-emotional-state-of-mind/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

> [It is better to have a good painting with ten holes than ten bad paintings without any holes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/it-is-better-to-have-a-good-painting-with-ten-holes-than-ten-bad/)

[Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

[Explore all 79 Edvard Munch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/)

## More Angel quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [If I wer an angel,i would make all your wishes come true..but I'm only a girl a girl who loves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/if-i-wer-an-angel-i-would-make-all-your-wishes-come-true-but-i-m-only/)

[Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/)

[Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/)

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [I believe in UFOs, I believe in extraterrestrials, and I believe in angels. And maybe they'll protect all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-believe-in-ufos-i-believe-in-extraterrestrials-and-i-believe-in/)

[Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/)

> [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/)

[Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/)

> [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/)

[Flower A. Newhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flower-a-newhouse/)

> [Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new-born king.' Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/hark-the-herald-angels-sing-glory-to-the-new-born-king-peace-on-earth/)

[Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/)

> [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "this is it", he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep."this car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/mooner-was-walking-around-laying-his-hands-on-the-cars-divining-karma/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

[Browse all 4,625 Angel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I inherited the seeds of madness. The angels of fear, sorrow, and death stood by my side since the day I was born.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edvard Munch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-and-obsessively-religious-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Angel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-and-obsessively-religious-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8c/edvard-munch-8669_angel_my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-an_1967229.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I…” — Edvard Munch",
                "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": "Edvard Munch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My father was temperamentally nervous and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-and-obsessively-religious-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/my-father-was-temperamentally-nervous-and-obsessively-religious-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
