--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hate the word mentor, the…" description: "\"I hate the word mentor, the professionalization of friendships between generations. I just feel like the fact of friendship is the thing we all adored,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/eileen-myles-21151_facts_i-hate-the-word-mentor-the-professionali_568428.jpg" --- # I hate the word mentor, the professionalization of… ![“I hate the word mentor, the professionalization of friendships between generations. I just feel like the fact of friendship is the thing we all adored, like the younger befriends or reaches out to their hero, and for me, whenever you meet some younger person, who has a fire in their gut, a way of…” quote by Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/eileen-myles-21151_facts_i-hate-the-word-mentor-the-professionali_568428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/eileen-myles-21151_facts_i-hate-the-word-mentor-the-professionali_568428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/eileen-myles-21151_facts_i-hate-the-word-mentor-the-professionali_568428.jpg) > “I hate the word mentor, the professionalization of friendships between generations. I just feel like the fact of friendship is the thing we all adored, like the younger befriends or reaches out to their hero, and for me, whenever you meet some younger person, who has a fire in their gut, a way of being in the world, it excites you.” [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She dislikes the term “mentor” because it formalizes friendships, preferring organic, inspiring connections across generations. **In simple terms:** Mentor term feels too formal for true friendship. Key Takeaway Cultivate genuine, informal mentorships. Themes friendship generation gap inspiration Mood thoughtful hopeful Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - creative collaborations - community events - career guidance Key Concepts authenticity role models Questions to Reflect On - What value does a formal mentor bring? - How can you balance authenticity with guidance? A Different Perspective Formal mentorship can still provide structure and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendships/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Guts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guts/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Mentor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentor/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“I vale friendship above every thing I care for my friends more then I do my own family sometimes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pikmin100xx/i-vale-friendship-above-every-thing-i-care-for-my-friends-more-then-i/) pikmin100xx > [Friendship is not one but two thing 1 YOU 2 ME](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graceh/friendship-is-not-one-but-two-thing-1-you-2-me/) \#graceH > [Friendship is the only thing in the world concerning the usefulness of which all mankind are agreed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-is-the-only-thing-in-the-world-concerning-the-usefulness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Friendship is not a thing I have ever experienced. Not as a child, and not as I am now. Except. One month ago, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/friendship-is-not-a-thing-i-have-ever-experienced-not-as-a-child-and-2/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [Friendship is not a thing I have ever experienced. Not as a child, and not as I am now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/friendship-is-not-a-thing-i-have-ever-experienced-not-as-a-child-and/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [Swag is just a Word. Friendship is the thing you need. Stay Together Thru everything, No matter what happends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armin-ferizovic/swag-is-just-a-word-friendship-is-the-thing-you-need-stay-together/) [Armin Ferizovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armin-ferizovic/) > [Friendship is a thing most necessary to life, since without friends no one would choose to live, though possessed of all other advantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/friendship-is-a-thing-most-necessary-to-life-since-without-friends-no/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I would be willing to do almost anything to make Art happy. I care about our friendship. The only thing I won't do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-would-be-willing-to-do-almost-anything-to-make-art-happy-i-care/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Mentors are like friendships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bozoma-saint-john/mentors-are-like-friendships/) [Bozoma Saint John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bozoma-saint-john/) > [A black star appears, a point of darkness in the night sky's clarity. Point of darkness and gateway to repose. Reach out, pierce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/a-black-star-appears-a-point-of-darkness-in-the-night-sky-s-clarity/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [I'm not saying this because I'm looking for a soft cushion wherever I'm heading, I just feel that I've got thousands and thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eazy-e/i-m-not-saying-this-because-i-m-looking-for-a-soft-cushion-wherever-i/) [Eazy-E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eazy-e/) > [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [The fact is that in too many parts of our country, we still have discrimination. And affirmative action is not just something that applies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/the-fact-is-that-in-too-many-parts-of-our-country-we-still-have/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [The people the Republicans should reach out to are the white votes, the white voters who didn't vote in the last election. The propagandists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/the-people-the-republicans-should-reach-out-to-are-the-white-votes/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More by Eileen Myles > [Poetry is my politics. It's an opportunity that gives me a way to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/poetry-is-my-politics-it-s-an-opportunity-that-gives-me-a-way-to-speak/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Women aren't physically afraid of men; women are genetically afraid of men. It's happened for such a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/women-aren-t-physically-afraid-of-men-women-are-genetically-afraid-of/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I think poets are supposed to be writing for television and film. I grew up in the day of early TV that was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-think-poets-are-supposed-to-be-writing-for-television-and-film-i/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Listen, I have been educated. I have learned about Western Civilization. Do you know What the message of Western Civilization is? I am alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/listen-i-have-been-educated-i-have-learned-about-western-civilization/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Part of the glamour of being a poet was always this long reach into the future. You knew you were managing time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/part-of-the-glamour-of-being-a-poet-was-always-this-long-reach-into/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [Time passes. That's for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/time-passes-that-s-for-sure/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I really just love reading. 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It's like wet grass, tons of it soaked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/if-passion-was-a-substance-i-would-say-it-is-dark-brown-and-then/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [“On The Death of Robert Lowell by Eileen Myles O, I don’t give a shit. He was an old white haired man Insensate beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/on-the-death-of-robert-lowell-by-eileen-myles-o-i-don-t-give-a-shit/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I hope you all find yourselves sleeping with someone you love, maybe not all of the time, but a lot of the time. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-hope-you-all-find-yourselves-sleeping-with-someone-you-love-maybe/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [I'm a poet born in the era of Andy Warhol and a generation that wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/i-m-a-poet-born-in-the-era-of-andy-warhol-and-a-generation-that/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [People love discovering you. The thing about not being historically a mainstream writer is that everyone feels like you're theirs, you're their friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/people-love-discovering-you-the-thing-about-not-being-historically-a/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) > [People loved to talk about how Frank O'Hara didn't really care about getting published. That doesn't jibe with my experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/people-loved-to-talk-about-how-frank-o-hara-didn-t-really-care-about/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) [Explore all 29 Eileen Myles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) ## More Facts quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [He bombarded me with words, of all things, apparently clueless to the fact that the predawn hours rendered me incapable of coherent thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/he-bombarded-me-with-words-of-all-things-apparently-clueless-to-the/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [Le biologiste passe, la grenouille reste. 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