--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fathers and mothers are just people…" description: "\"Fathers and mothers are just people, which means they make mistakes. Don't hold that against them. Whatever flaws they may have, they created you in a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/ernest-borgnine-17006_failure_fathers-and-mothers-are-just-people-whic_1058334.jpg" --- # Fathers and mothers are just people, which means they make… ![“Fathers and mothers are just people, which means they make mistakes. Don't hold that against them. Whatever flaws they may have, they created you in a moment of love, and are among the few who knew you when. When they're gone, there won't be anyone to take their place.” quote by Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/ernest-borgnine-17006_failure_fathers-and-mothers-are-just-people-whic_1058334.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/ernest-borgnine-17006_failure_fathers-and-mothers-are-just-people-whic_1058334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/ernest-borgnine-17006_failure_fathers-and-mothers-are-just-people-whic_1058334.jpg) > “Fathers and mothers are just people, which means they make mistakes. Don't hold that against them. Whatever flaws they may have, they created you in a moment of love, and are among the few who knew you when. When they're gone, there won't be anyone to take their place.” [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parents are human and imperfect; their love creates us, but they are irreplaceable once gone. **In simple terms:** Parents make mistakes but love creates us; they’re unique. Key Takeaway Cherish parents while they’re here. Themes family imperfection loss Mood nostalgic somber Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - childhood - grief counseling - family gatherings Key Concepts parental love human fallibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor parents despite their mistakes? - What does it mean to be irreplaceable? A Different Perspective Idealizing parents ignores their flaws, causing disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Moments of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments-of-love/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I wonder if that's the difference between fathers and mothers. I'm friends with people who have kids that are like 5 and under, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-wonder-if-that-s-the-difference-between-fathers-and-mothers-i-m/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [Fathers. Mothers. With all their caring and attention. They will fuck you up, every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/fathers-mothers-with-all-their-caring-and-attention-they-will-fuck/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Fathers. Mothers. With all their caring and attention. They will f--- you up, every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/fathers-mothers-with-all-their-caring-and-attention-they-will-f-you/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Never The Same All FATHERS are Men but not all MEN are Fathers. All MOTHERS are Women but not all WOMEN are Mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amoh-nketiah-dennis/never-the-same-all-fathers-are-men-but-not-all-men-are-fathers-all/) Amoh Nketiah Dennis > [Babies don't need fathers, but mothers do. Someone who is taking care of a baby needs to be taken care of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-heckerling/babies-don-t-need-fathers-but-mothers-do-someone-who-is-taking-care/) [Amy Heckerling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-heckerling/) > [Fathers and mothers have lost the idea that the highest aspiration they might have for their children is for them to be wise... specialized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/fathers-and-mothers-have-lost-the-idea-that-the-highest-aspiration/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [I hope the fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say 'yes, women can.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilma-rousseff/i-hope-the-fathers-and-mothers-of-little-girls-will-look-at-them-and/) [Dilma Rousseff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilma-rousseff/) > [Whatever the era...one thing will never change: Fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/whatever-the-era-one-thing-will-never-change-fathers-and-mothers-if/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [I believe that bringing a life into this world is the single most important thing a person can undertake, and it can also be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/i-believe-that-bringing-a-life-into-this-world-is-the-single-most/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [I'm really enjoying playing mothers, it just feels a bit more grown-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-page/i-m-really-enjoying-playing-mothers-it-just-feels-a-bit-more-grown-up/) [Joanna Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-page/) > [There's something really empowering about going, 'Hell, I can do this! I can do this all!' That's the wonderful thing about mothers, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/there-s-something-really-empowering-about-going-hell-i-can-do-this-i/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [“But after years of teaching, we have decided that a lot of mothers just aren't reading textbooks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mccutcheon-rosegg/but-after-years-of-teaching-we-have-decided-that-a-lot-of-mothers/) Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg > [Women without children can help mothers, and we can just be all in this together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/women-without-children-can-help-mothers-and-we-can-just-be-all-in/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [You hear horror stories about scary mothers who just want their kids to be famous. I could be waitressing in a restaurant, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/you-hear-horror-stories-about-scary-mothers-who-just-want-their-kids/) [Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/) > [A mother isn't someone who does it on purpose; mothers are who they are, and just by existing, they affect the way other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/a-mother-isn-t-someone-who-does-it-on-purpose-mothers-are-who-they/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) ## More by Ernest Borgnine > [Three quarters of producers don't even know who I am. The other quarter think I am dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/three-quarters-of-producers-don-t-even-know-who-i-am-the-other/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [You get kicked around long enough, you become a professor of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/you-get-kicked-around-long-enough-you-become-a-professor-of-pain/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [I'm what you call a Depression sailor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/i-m-what-you-call-a-depression-sailor/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [Everything I do has a moral to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/everything-i-do-has-a-moral-to-it/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [I like to keep at my craft. I like to keep reading scripts, whether I'm in it or not because of the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/i-like-to-keep-at-my-craft-i-like-to-keep-reading-scripts-whether-i-m/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [I've been to a number of places and seen for myself the caliber of people who are in the Navy today - in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/i-ve-been-to-a-number-of-places-and-seen-for-myself-the-caliber-of/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [It's not your word that matters, it's who you give it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/it-s-not-your-word-that-matters-it-s-who-you-give-it-too/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [There's an awful lot to be desired. I've gone to places where people say to me, "What's your technique?" Technique? What the hell technique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/there-s-an-awful-lot-to-be-desired-i-ve-gone-to-places-where-people/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [I just want to do more work. Every time I step in front of a camera I feel young again. I really do. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/i-just-want-to-do-more-work-every-time-i-step-in-front-of-a-camera-i/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [I call myself a character actor all my life. I've done a certain amount as a leading man, but character actors in my estimation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/i-call-myself-a-character-actor-all-my-life-i-ve-done-a-certain/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [I wouldn't trade those 10 years for anything. The Navy taught me a lot of things. It molded me as a man, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/i-wouldn-t-trade-those-10-years-for-anything-the-navy-taught-me-a-lot/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [You got to keep your hand in your craft, otherwise you can rot at the roots and first thing you know, you got nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/you-got-to-keep-your-hand-in-your-craft-otherwise-you-can-rot-at-the/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [Gary Cooper - the greatest listener in the world! And he used to answer in kind, which is wonderful because you don't see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/gary-cooper-the-greatest-listener-in-the-world-and-he-used-to-answer/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [The trick is not to become somebody else. You become somebody else when you're in front of a camera or when you're on stage.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/the-trick-is-not-to-become-somebody-else-you-become-somebody-else/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [The Oscar made me a star, and I'm grateful. But I feel had I not won the Oscar I wouldn't have gotten into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/the-oscar-made-me-a-star-and-i-m-grateful-but-i-feel-had-i-not-won/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) [Explore all 37 Ernest Borgnine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [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/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fathers and mothers are just people, which means they make mistakes. 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