--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We lived in a real rough place but my…" description: "\"We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.\" — Evander Holyfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg" --- # We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me… ![“We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.” quote by Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg) > “We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.” [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despite a harsh environment, the speaker's mother provided moral guidance and stability. **In simple terms:** Mother kept me on the right path in a tough place. Key Takeaway Value steadfast guidance. Themes family resilience upbringing Mood grateful reflective Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - adversity coping - parental influence - community building - mental health Key Concepts psychology social support Questions to Reflect On - How did your mother’s guidance shape your choices? - What support can you offer others in rough environments? A Different Perspective Mother’s role may be idealized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Real, rough and rugged, shine like a gold nugget, Every time I pick up the microphone, I drug it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeru-the-damaja/real-rough-and-rugged-shine-like-a-gold-nugget-every-time-i-pick-up/) [Jeru the Damaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeru-the-damaja/) > [Sports has kept me on the straight and narrow path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lasorda/sports-has-kept-me-on-the-straight-and-narrow-path/) [Tommy Lasorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lasorda/) > [We were on fire. Somehow that fire cooled off, burnt out. I kept straight, but I wonder how you turned out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/we-were-on-fire-somehow-that-fire-cooled-off-burnt-out-i-kept/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [My mother kept all my awards on the sideboard of her front room, and she polished them. She polished everything religiously. And it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/my-mother-kept-all-my-awards-on-the-sideboard-of-her-front-room-and/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [My mother has always kept the entire family together - my dad, due to his business, has always been travelling, and hence, she at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-patel/my-mother-has-always-kept-the-entire-family-together-my-dad-due-to/) [Karan Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-patel/) > [I saw how, when my brother smoked reefer, it made my mother cry. He was 16 at the time. And I saw that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-saw-how-when-my-brother-smoked-reefer-it-made-my-mother-cry-he-was/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [When my daughter went to school, her last name was mine. The school insisted that her father's name be added to hers, not her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-manjrekar/when-my-daughter-went-to-school-her-last-name-was-mine-the-school/) [Mahesh Manjrekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-manjrekar/) > [From the time I can remember my mother kept me in church. 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My mother kept waiting for him until the day she died, just as she waited to return home, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-abulhawa/baba-was-gone-forever-my-mother-kept-waiting-for-him-until-the-day/) [Susan Abulhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-abulhawa/) > [My mother always kept us involved in various types of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-basco/my-mother-always-kept-us-involved-in-various-types-of-art/) [Dante Basco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-basco/) > [My mother was kept very busy with her sewing; sometimes she would have another woman helping her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/my-mother-was-kept-very-busy-with-her-sewing-sometimes-she-would-have/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [My sense of the family history is somewhat sketchy, because my mother kept a great deal to herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/my-sense-of-the-family-history-is-somewhat-sketchy-because-my-mother/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [My mother kept the house clean and we ate good. I didn't know we were poor until I started giving interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-king/my-mother-kept-the-house-clean-and-we-ate-good-i-didn-t-know-we-were/) [Alan King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-king/) ## More by Evander Holyfield > [The most important thing about being a father is being able to forgive yourself. If you don't forgive yourself, you're not going to forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/the-most-important-thing-about-being-a-father-is-being-able-to/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [I'm just one woman away, my mother, from being the same as Mike Tyson. I would've ended up like him if my mama had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/i-m-just-one-woman-away-my-mother-from-being-the-same-as-mike-tyson-i/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [“It's not the size of the man, but the size of his heart that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/it-s-not-the-size-of-the-man-but-the-size-of-his-heart-that-matters/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [Well, number one I like dancing. Number two I knew it would be challenging because I had never done this type of dance before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/well-number-one-i-like-dancing-number-two-i-knew-it-would-be/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [When at a young age you learn to face your fears, that makes the difference between people being champions and people not being champions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/when-at-a-young-age-you-learn-to-face-your-fears-that-makes-the/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [The cat and mouse game is smart, but people want to see fighters who come to win, or do not wait to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/the-cat-and-mouse-game-is-smart-but-people-want-to-see-fighters-who/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [A sight game is that I am hurt, but I aim to make you believe I am not even hurt, and with this confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/a-sight-game-is-that-i-am-hurt-but-i-aim-to-make-you-believe-i-am-not/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [Sugar leaves you stranded; I make sure I have the proper amount of protein before I work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/sugar-leaves-you-stranded-i-make-sure-i-have-the-proper-amount-of/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [A boxing match is hard because boxing isn't set for you to do good. 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I found that going to a chiropractor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/i-have-to-have-an-adjustment-before-i-go-into-the-ring-i-do-believe/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [I've had a great life following my faith and my instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/i-ve-had-a-great-life-following-my-faith-and-my-instincts/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [That's the biggest problem with boxing in the United States. They do not promote it like they used to, when it used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/that-s-the-biggest-problem-with-boxing-in-the-united-states-they-do/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) > [Odds are just the people opinion. Respect your own opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/odds-are-just-the-people-opinion-respect-your-own-opinion/) [Evander Holyfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) [Explore all 55 Evander Holyfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/) ## More Lived quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. 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This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [To me, beauty is a lived thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lotic/to-me-beauty-is-a-lived-thing/) [Lotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lotic/) > [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [One of the first houses we lived in was like out of a fairy story. We had a stream that ran through our garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-clarke/one-of-the-first-houses-we-lived-in-was-like-out-of-a-fairy-story-we/) [Emilia Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-clarke/) > [For so long, for my whole life I didn't have to but I lived in the closet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-evans/for-so-long-for-my-whole-life-i-didn-t-have-to-but-i-lived-in-the/) [Scott Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-evans/) > [I have said it somewhere - our literary lived lives are as important as our literally lived lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-have-said-it-somewhere-our-literary-lived-lives-are-as-important-as/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [It was only in the theatre that I lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-only-in-the-theatre-that-i-lived/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [As a child, we lived in flats, and I was never allowed pets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/as-a-child-we-lived-in-flats-and-i-was-never-allowed-pets/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [I feel like I've lived four or five lifetimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pellegrino/i-feel-like-i-ve-lived-four-or-five-lifetimes/) [Mark Pellegrino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pellegrino/) Browse all 2,038 Lived quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evander Holyfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mother-kept-me-straight/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lived" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mother-kept-me-straight/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/evander-holyfield-12330_lived_we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mo_1038416.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.” — Evander Holyfield", "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": "Evander Holyfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evander-holyfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We lived in a real rough...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mother-kept-me-straight/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evander-holyfield/we-lived-in-a-real-rough-place-but-my-mother-kept-me-straight/#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 } } ] } ```