--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What for?\" I said. \"What for, Tante Lou?…" description: "\"What for?\" I said. \"What for, Tante Lou? He treated me the same way he treated her. He wants me to feel guilty, just as he wants her to feel guilty. We..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/ernest-gaines-15825_dying_what-for-i-said-what-for-tante-lou-he-tr_327131.jpg" --- # What for?" I said. "What for, Tante Lou? He treated me the… ![“What for?" I said. "What for, Tante Lou? He treated me the same way he treated her. He wants me to feel guilty, just as he wants her to feel guilty. Well, I'm not feeling guilty, Tante Lou. I didn't put him there. I do everything I know how to do to keep people like him from going there. He's not…” quote by Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/ernest-gaines-15825_dying_what-for-i-said-what-for-tante-lou-he-tr_327131.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/ernest-gaines-15825_dying_what-for-i-said-what-for-tante-lou-he-tr_327131.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/ernest-gaines-15825_dying_what-for-i-said-what-for-tante-lou-he-tr_327131.jpg) > “What for?" I said. "What for, Tante Lou? He treated me the same way he treated her. He wants me to feel guilty, just as he wants her to feel guilty. Well, I'm not feeling guilty, Tante Lou. I didn't put him there. I do everything I know how to do to keep people like him from going there. He's not going to make me feel guilty.” [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character resists being manipulated into guilt by acknowledging personal agency and refusing to be blamed for another's actions. **In simple terms:** Refuse guilt when others try to make you feel responsible. Key Takeaway Own your choices, reject imposed blame. Themes guilt agency family dynamics power self‑responsibility psychology Mood defensive determined reflective Type advice personal narrative psychological When to use this quote - family conflict - personal boundaries - mental health - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts personal accountability emotional manipulation Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when guilt is imposed versus self‑generated? - What boundaries help you maintain emotional autonomy? A Different Perspective The speaker may still be influenced by internalized guilt despite outward denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feeling guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-guilty/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [What I object to in Mother is that she wants me to think her thoughts. Apart from the question of hypocrisy, I prefer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/what-i-object-to-in-mother-is-that-she-wants-me-to-think-her-thoughts/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [My wife has been my closest friend, my closest advisor. 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I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [The interviewer should just tell me the words he wants me to say and I’ll repeat them after him. I think that would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/the-interviewer-should-just-tell-me-the-words-he-wants-me-to-say-and/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [God told me to smite Osama bin Laden, so I invaded Afghanistan. Then He told me to smite Saddam Hussein, so I invaded Iraq.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-told-me-to-smite-osama-bin-laden-so-i-invaded-afghanistan-then-he/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Jordan doesn't really care about the blood," Simon said now. "His whole thing is about me being comfortable with what I am. Get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/jordan-doesn-t-really-care-about-the-blood-simon-said-now-his-whole/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Ernest Gaines > [I try to write something that would interest anybody and keep them turning the page. You must have a plot and good storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/i-try-to-write-something-that-would-interest-anybody-and-keep-them/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [Words mean nothing. Action is the only thing. Doing. That's the only thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/words-mean-nothing-action-is-the-only-thing-doing-that-s-the-only/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [In all my stories and novels, no one ever escapes Louisiana. 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Everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/question-everything-every-stripe-every-star-every-word-spoken/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [Now, about that mulatto teacher and me. There was no love there for each other. There was not even respect. We were enemies if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/now-about-that-mulatto-teacher-and-me-there-was-no-love-there-for/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [Without love for my fellow man and respect for nature, to me, life is an obscenity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/without-love-for-my-fellow-man-and-respect-for-nature-to-me-life-is/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [I knew I wanted to be a writer and I knew if I had a wife and family, I would neglect something, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-and-i-knew-if-i-had-a-wife-and-family/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [What I miss today more than anything else - I don't go to church as much anymore - but that old-time religion, that old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/what-i-miss-today-more-than-anything-else-i-don-t-go-to-church-as/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) [Explore all 41 Ernest Gaines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) ## More Dying quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Just living my life till I die...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-mixer/just-living-my-life-till-i-die/) Willie Mixer > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. 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Been there, done that, and now that I think about it, Artemis forgot to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/got-to-say-dying-would-really-wreck-my-best-day-been-there-done-that/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“There is more to living than not dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-is-more-to-living-than-not-dying/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I want people to think they can't die until they see me play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-want-people-to-think-they-can-t-die-until-they-see-me-play/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [... there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/there-are-far-far-worse-things-in-the-living-world-than-dying/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Life has no guarantees, though. What good is living if all you think about is dying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-garvis-graves/life-has-no-guarantees-though-what-good-is-living-if-all-you-think/) [Tracey Garvis-Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-garvis-graves/) > [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) Jon Ellis > [If you feel like you want to die, it's time to sit down and make a list of all the things you haven't done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deacon-jones/if-you-feel-like-you-want-to-die-it-s-time-to-sit-down-and-make-a/) [Deacon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deacon-jones/) > [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) Browse all 6,374 Dying quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What for?\" I said. \"What for, Tante Lou? He treated me the same way he treated her. He wants me to feel guilty, just as he wants her to feel guilty. Well, I'm not feeling guilty, Tante Lou. I didn't put him there. I do everything I know how to do to keep people like him from going there. 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