--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there were a category in the Olympics…" description: "\"If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.\" — Elizabeth Berg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg" --- # If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my… ![“If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.” quote by Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg) > “If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.” [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## 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 humorously suggests that his mother excels at laundry, implying she would dominate a fictional Olympic event dedicated to that chore. **In simple terms:** Mother's laundry skill likened to Olympic gold. Key Takeaway Exaggerated praise for domestic competence. Themes humor family domestic life excellence hyperbole Mood playful affectionate Type humorous quote family anecdote When to use this quote - describing a parent’s skill - lighthearted family anecdotes - comparing everyday tasks to sports Key Concepts laundry Olympics maternal abilities Practical Applications - using humor to celebrate everyday mastery - highlighting undervalued domestic work Questions to Reflect On - How does humor change our perception of routine tasks? - What other everyday activities could be imagined as competitive sports? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gold medal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-medal/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olympics/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winner/) ## Related quotes > [“Wouldn't you like to be the skater who wins the silver, and yet is thrilled about those three triple jumps that the gold medal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/wouldn-t-you-like-to-be-the-skater-who-wins-the-silver-and-yet-is/) [Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/) > [“I like to do things in bed. I fold the laundry on the bed. Food tastes better to me when I'm under the covers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-like-to-do-things-in-bed-i-fold-the-laundry-on-the-bed-food-tastes/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [When I lived in Boston, I had an office that I rented because I found it wonderful to go away from my house to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/when-i-lived-in-boston-i-had-an-office-that-i-rented-because-i-found/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Dear wife, I'm sorry that I am mysteriously incapable of folding clean laundry, but I iron, oh, I iron. Sweetheart, I'll make your white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/dear-wife-i-m-sorry-that-i-am-mysteriously-incapable-of-folding-clean/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [In a way it was like washing your laundry in public and, yep, there you go, you've seen my underwear. And now I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/in-a-way-it-was-like-washing-your-laundry-in-public-and-yep-there-you/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) > [For every nineteenth-century middle-class family that protected its wife and child within the family circle, there was an Irish ora German girl scrubbing floors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/for-every-nineteenth-century-middle-class-family-that-protected-its/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [Airing the family's laundry can make people upset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/airing-the-family-s-laundry-can-make-people-upset/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [If you saw me trying to do laundry or something, well, I'm not really equipped to do anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitt/if-you-saw-me-trying-to-do-laundry-or-something-well-i-m-not-really/) [Michael Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pitt/) > [The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-compatible-with-contemplation-are/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Do you like laundry detergent lmaoo !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-like-laundry-detergent-lmaoo/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once you get yourself on that path where you're willing to find something delightful in laundry and in dishwashers, it means that you train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/once-you-get-yourself-on-that-path-where-you-re-willing-to-find/) [Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [Better to have loved and lost than to live with regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-pun/better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-to-live-with-regret/) [Big Pun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-pun/) > [The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-serpico/the-reality-is-that-we-do-not-wash-our-own-laundry-it-just-gets/) [Frank Serpico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-serpico/) > [I had to grow up quite fast, trying to cook for myself, trying to make laundry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/i-had-to-grow-up-quite-fast-trying-to-cook-for-myself-trying-to-make/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) ## More by Elizabeth Berg > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“You know, sometimes marriage is iron. Sometimes it’s tissue paper. And I think the times it’s tissue paper are when you need to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-sometimes-marriage-is-iron-sometimes-it-s-tissue-paper-and-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“It's not that he doesn't smile; it's that if his smile were something you drew, you'd erase it, thinking, Wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/it-s-not-that-he-doesn-t-smile-it-s-that-if-his-smile-were-something/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [People say you should give until it hurts. I say you should give until it stops hurting. Know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/people-say-you-should-give-until-it-hurts-i-say-you-should-give-until/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I should have said “powder room.” That would evoke the image of me sitting before a beautiful gold mirror, a vase of fresh flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-should-have-said-powder-room-that-would-evoke-the-image-of-me/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Sometimes the best reading comes just by accident. Someone talks about a book, or you're just wandering the stacks in the library, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-the-best-reading-comes-just-by-accident-someone-talks-about/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I don’t think Martha’s so bad. I think I want her for a friend instead of you. When I look at her magazine, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-don-t-think-martha-s-so-bad-i-think-i-want-her-for-a-friend-instead/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [\*We give so little when it's in us always to give so much more. It's bothering to listen with an open heart to someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-give-so-little-when-it-s-in-us-always-to-give-so-much-more-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-re-not-just-writers-we-re-readers-probably-more-than-anything-else/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“How is it that we dare to honk at others in traffic, when we know nothing about where they have just come from or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/how-is-it-that-we-dare-to-honk-at-others-in-traffic-when-we-know/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [The truth is, we usually only show our unhappiness to another woman. I suppose this is one of our problems. And yet it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/the-truth-is-we-usually-only-show-our-unhappiness-to-another-woman-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [As for my 'real life,' yes, I do have friends who are different from me, and I find it refreshing being around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/as-for-my-real-life-yes-i-do-have-friends-who-are-different-from-me/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) [Explore all 350 Elizabeth Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## More Been quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) Browse all 13,699 Been quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Berg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Been" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d56/elizabeth-berg-853_been_if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics_13951.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.” — Elizabeth Berg", "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": "Elizabeth Berg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there were a category in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/#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 } } ] } ```