--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When my father left us, my mother went…" description: "\"When my father left us, my mother went back to school immediately. She went to school in the day while we were at school, and she worked at night. She ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ginni-rometty-4640_day_when-my-father-left-us-my-mother-went-ba_1333458.png" --- # When my father left us, my mother went back to school… ![“When my father left us, my mother went back to school immediately. She went to school in the day while we were at school, and she worked at night. She worked very hard to never let someone define her as a victim or a failure.” quote by Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ginni-rometty-4640_day_when-my-father-left-us-my-mother-went-ba_1333458.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ginni-rometty-4640_day_when-my-father-left-us-my-mother-went-ba_1333458.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ginni-rometty-4640_day_when-my-father-left-us-my-mother-went-ba_1333458.png) > “When my father left us, my mother went back to school immediately. She went to school in the day while we were at school, and she worked at night. She worked very hard to never let someone define her as a victim or a failure.” [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. After loss, a mother pursued education and work tirelessly to reject victimhood and achieve success. **In simple terms:** Mother’s resilience defies victim label. Key Takeaway Embrace education and hard work after setbacks. Themes resilience education empowerment Mood inspiring respectful Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - single parenting - self‑improvement Key Concepts sociology gender studies Questions to Reflect On - What support systems helped her? - How can you honor her determination? A Different Perspective Balancing work and study can cause burnout without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Father Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-left/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-went-687547/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [School Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-worked-712671/) [Went School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-school/) ## Related quotes > [The day after his father left, Franz and his mother went into town together, and as they left home Franz noticed that her shoes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-day-after-his-father-left-franz-and-his-mother-went-into-town/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I love acting since I was little girl. I went to school for it; that's all I worked on. That's all I prepared for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-joy-winans/i-love-acting-since-i-was-little-girl-i-went-to-school-for-it-that-s/) [Deborah Joy Winans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-joy-winans/) > [In April 1981, at my request, my mother went to a detective agency. She hired them to follow me, to report my daily activities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-calle/in-april-1981-at-my-request-my-mother-went-to-a-detective-agency-she/) [Sophie Calle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-calle/) > [My mother went into the Peace Corps when she was sixty-eight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-carter/my-mother-went-into-the-peace-corps-when-she-was-sixty-eight/) [Billy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-carter/) > [Actually, my mother and Alfie came for three weeks' Christmas vacation and stayed for 21 years. I guess my mother never went back because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/actually-my-mother-and-alfie-came-for-three-weeks-christmas-vacation/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Marriage is something women do when they forget what their mother went through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/marriage-is-something-women-do-when-they-forget-what-their-mother/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Each time my mother went psychotic, I hoped it would be the last time. Afterward she would tell me, 'I think that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/each-time-my-mother-went-psychotic-i-hoped-it-would-be-the-last-time/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [My mother went to demonstrations. 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She was gone from our home in Rochester, New York, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/when-i-was-five-and-sarah-seven-my-mother-went-on-a-trip-she-was-gone/) [Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/) > [Dad himself used to tell a story about one time when Mother went off to fill a lecture engagement and left him in charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-gilbreth-jr/dad-himself-used-to-tell-a-story-about-one-time-when-mother-went-off/) [Frank B. Gilbreth Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-gilbreth-jr/) > [It's hard and sometimes it's scary. It still amazes my mother. I went home for Christmas one year and there were fans all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-perry/it-s-hard-and-sometimes-it-s-scary-it-still-amazes-my-mother-i-went/) [Luke Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-perry/) ## More by Ginni Rometty > [I make time to exercise. It's not being indulgent. I think it's got a lot to do with your ability to manage properly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/i-make-time-to-exercise-it-s-not-being-indulgent-i-think-it-s-got-a/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [You need to have a great support around you, people that empathise, understand and yet support, because these CEO jobs are all-consuming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/you-need-to-have-a-great-support-around-you-people-that-empathise/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [I was always surrounded by people that wanted to mentor you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/i-was-always-surrounded-by-people-that-wanted-to-mentor-you/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [Never love something so much that you can't let go of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/never-love-something-so-much-that-you-can-t-let-go-of-it/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [It will not be a world of man versus machine. It will be a world of man plus machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/it-will-not-be-a-world-of-man-versus-machine-it-will-be-a-world-of/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [Clients say, 'What's your strategy,' and I say, 'Ask me what I believe first.' That's a far more enduring answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/clients-say-what-s-your-strategy-and-i-say-ask-me-what-i-believe/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [I'm the ninth CEO of IBM. Every one of my predecessors has steered through a technological shift, and every one left the company in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/i-m-the-ninth-ceo-of-ibm-every-one-of-my-predecessors-has-steered/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [Every part of your business will change based on what I consider predictive analytics of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/every-part-of-your-business-will-change-based-on-what-i-consider/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [If you ask me, 'So what is your business model?' Our business model's always about shifting to higher value opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/if-you-ask-me-so-what-is-your-business-model-our-business-model-s/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [And so when I moved to IBM, I moved because I thought I could apply technology. I didn't actually have to do my engineer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/and-so-when-i-moved-to-ibm-i-moved-because-i-thought-i-could-apply/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [You can engineer change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/you-can-engineer-change/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [This century, the 21st century, will be the Indian century - and I really believe that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/this-century-the-21st-century-will-be-the-indian-century-and-i-really/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [So what it means is when you don't believe in the inevitable, it means you don't expect that that's how things have to turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/so-what-it-means-is-when-you-don-t-believe-in-the-inevitable-it-means/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [Growth and comfort do not coexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/growth-and-comfort-do-not-coexist/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [Artificial intelligence is one of 50 things that Watson does. There is also machine learning, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and different analytical engines - they're like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/artificial-intelligence-is-one-of-50-things-that-watson-does-there-is/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) [Explore all 108 Ginni Rometty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) ## More Day quotes > [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/) [Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/) > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [I had developed a relationship with one of the anti-abortion sidewalk counselors who stood in front of my facility. We talked regularly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/i-had-developed-a-relationship-with-one-of-the-anti-abortion-sidewalk/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-clemente/i-loved-the-game-so-much-that-even-though-our-playing-field-was-muddy/) [Roberto Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-clemente/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [Valentine's Day: Rubbing singles' noses in their lack of a mate and the noses of couples in their lack of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/valentine-s-day-rubbing-singles-noses-in-their-lack-of-a-mate-and-the/) [Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/) > [One day I woke up and Juventus wanted me, another Manchester United and what I know is that there were approaches made. 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