--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I try to remember things my…" description: "\"Sometimes I try to remember things my mother told me about the awful way he was raised. But why does he have to keep on going? Why would you take somet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg" --- # Sometimes I try to remember things my mother told me about… ![“Sometimes I try to remember things my mother told me about the awful way he was raised. But why does he have to keep on going? Why would you take something bad out of your mouth and hand it to another, saying, Here, eat this?” quote by Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg) > “Sometimes I try to remember things my mother told me about the awful way he was raised. But why does he have to keep on going? Why would you take something bad out of your mouth and hand it to another, saying, Here, eat this?” [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. Remembering painful histories can reveal why harmful cycles persist and demand compassion. **In simple terms:** Recall past pain to break cycles. Key Takeaway Use memory to foster empathy and change. Themes memory family trauma compassion Mood somber hopeful Type narrative therapeutic When to use this quote - therapy - family discussions - community outreach - writing workshops Key Concepts psychology social work literature Questions to Reflect On - Why do we repeat harmful patterns? - How can we transform painful memories? A Different Perspective Memories may be unreliable or trigger distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“Last night I did things my mother told me not to with the people I shouldn't see in the places that I should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-santino/last-night-i-did-things-my-mother-told-me-not-to-with-the-people-i/) Nick Santino > [“How do you go to your own house when something has gone bad on the inside, when it doesn't seem like your place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kittredge/how-do-you-go-to-your-own-house-when-something-has-gone-bad-on-the/) [William Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kittredge/) > [You can easily forget the things you try to remember, and remember the things you try to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syoung/you-can-easily-forget-the-things-you-try-to-remember-and-remember-the/) Syoung > [I try to remember the things that keep me peaceful, happy, and compassionate. I constantly write notes on my phone about little discoveries I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brancatisano/i-try-to-remember-the-things-that-keep-me-peaceful-happy-and/) [Richard Brancatisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brancatisano/) > [Forget about everything that happened in the past. We don't need to try to remember the things that we don't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forget-about-everything-that-happened-in-the-past-we-don-t-need-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forget about the evil that happened in the past. Concentrate on what is now, making this chapter the best part of your journey. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammi-post/forget-about-the-evil-that-happened-in-the-past-concentrate-on-what/) [Tammi Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammi-post/) > [I have a big appetite, and staying on top of that is about knowing myself and saying, 'I can eat that today, but tomorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/i-have-a-big-appetite-and-staying-on-top-of-that-is-about-knowing/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [“The Japanese have a saying, “Eat until you are 80 percent full.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-lustig/the-japanese-have-a-saying-eat-until-you-are-80-percent-full/) [Robert H. Lustig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-lustig/) > [“I could hear my watch whenever the car stopped, but not often they were already eating Who would play a Eating the business of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-sound-and-the-fury-william-faulkner/i-could-hear-my-watch-whenever-the-car-stopped-but-not-often-they/) The Sound And The Fury William Faulkner > [I meditate.' That's like saying 'I eat.' Think of all the food there is! And there are almost as many varieties of mediation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devendra-banhart/i-meditate-that-s-like-saying-i-eat-think-of-all-the-food-there-is/) [Devendra Banhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devendra-banhart/) > [When I eat alone I feel like a seminarian being punished. I tried it for one week and I was not comfortable. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-xxiii/when-i-eat-alone-i-feel-like-a-seminarian-being-punished-i-tried-it/) [Pope John XXIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-xxiii/) > [“Just get to lunch,” I muttered to myself. It was the only way I could control my anxiety. In 1998, I’d made it through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-owen/just-get-to-lunch-i-muttered-to-myself-it-was-the-only-way-i-could/) [Mark Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-owen/) > [“The old saying that, "you are what you eat" extends beyond the body, and includes experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-old-saying-that-you-are-what-you-eat-extends-beyond-the-body-and/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [F\*CK ( o Y o ) CANCER!! My mother gave me life & never once asked for anything in return. That is her secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jme/f-ck-o-y-o-cancer-my-mother-gave-me-life-never-once-asked-for/) [JMe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jme/) > [I was a daughterless mother. I had nowhere to put the things a mother places on her daughter. The nail polish I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/i-was-a-daughterless-mother-i-had-nowhere-to-put-the-things-a-mother/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) ## 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 there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/) [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/) [Explore all 350 Elizabeth Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## More Awful quotes > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/) [Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/) > [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/) [Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/) > [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes I try to remember things my mother told me about the awful way he was raised. But why does he have to keep on going? Why would you take something bad out of your mouth and hand it to another, saying, Here, eat this?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Berg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mother-told-me-about-the-awful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mother-told-me-about-the-awful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c37/elizabeth-berg-853_awful_sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mo_2443357.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes I try to remember things my mother told me about the awful way he was raised. But why does he have…” — 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": "Sometimes I try to remember things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mother-told-me-about-the-awful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-i-try-to-remember-things-my-mother-told-me-about-the-awful/#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 } } ] } ```