--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I finished college because I thought…" description: "\"And I finished college because I thought how much it would upset my parents if I didnt.\" — Harry Mathews" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg" --- # And I finished college because I thought how much it would… ![“And I finished college because I thought how much it would upset my parents if I didnt.” quote by Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg) > “And I finished college because I thought how much it would upset my parents if I didnt.” [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often make choices to avoid disappointing others, even when those choices conflict with their own desires, leading to resentment. **In simple terms:** Choosing to please others can cause personal resentment. Key Takeaway Align actions with personal values, not just others’ expectations. Themes family expectations personal autonomy conflict resentment Mood thoughtful conflicted Type advice reflective When to use this quote - family gatherings - career moves - social obligations Key Concepts sociology psychology ethical decision‑making Questions to Reflect On - Why did you feel obligated? - What would happen if you pursued your own path? A Different Perspective Choosing to others’ approval may sacrifice authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [College Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-thought-853999/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-college-340507/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents Didnt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-didnt-439934/) [Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset/) [Upset Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset-parents-2231130/) ## Related quotes > [And I finished college because I thought how much it would upset my parents if I didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought-how-much-it-would-upset-my-2/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I remember learning new words, trying to figure out what common things like cider, finding myself upset that my parents couldn't help me understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/i-remember-learning-new-words-trying-to-figure-out-what-common-things/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [I once ran away from home because I was upset with my parents! I didn't get farther than a few feet into the woods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-schneider/i-once-ran-away-from-home-because-i-was-upset-with-my-parents-i-didn/) [Max Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-schneider/) > [I used to get so upset when my parents took away my phone and then I realized it's because they wanted the best for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mccaffrey/i-used-to-get-so-upset-when-my-parents-took-away-my-phone-and-then-i/) [Christian McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mccaffrey/) > [Do you know that simple phone call can make them happy. Parents, they didnt leave you when you were young, so dont leave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/do-you-know-that-simple-phone-call-can-make-them-happy-parents-they/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [My parents were the traditional Filipino parents who didnt talk about money around the dinner table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/my-parents-were-the-traditional-filipino-parents-who-didnt-talk-about/) [Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/) > [My childhood was very difficult. I had every childhood disease and then some, but my parents didnt mollycoddle me. They left me to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/my-childhood-was-very-difficult-i-had-every-childhood-disease-and-2/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [There was not a lot of rock n roll in the house. Our parents didnt think it was very groovy, and I tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/there-was-not-a-lot-of-rock-n-roll-in-the-house-our-parents-didnt/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [The blessing that I got from my parents, even if they didnt really teach me about money, was their simple lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/the-blessing-that-i-got-from-my-parents-even-if-they-didnt-really/) [Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/) > [ I was never really lead by \[my parents\] and didnt sense any leading from the Lord to go into writing. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-was-never-really-lead-by-my-parents-and-didnt-sense-any-leading/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [That mind-blowing moment when you realize chores were really the crap your parents didnt want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-mind-blowing-moment-when-you-realize-chores-were-really-the-crap/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The difference between these people and me is that they finished college and I didn't; as a consequence, they have smart jobs and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-difference-between-these-people-and-me-is-that-they-finished/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [My sister was brilliant: she was in the 25 top math students in the country. When she finished college, I said, 'Spend a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-sister-was-brilliant-she-was-in-the-25-top-math-students-in-the/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I feel so gratified about having finished college. I learned how to articulate myself. It gave me confidence more than anything. And also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gyllenhaal/i-feel-so-gratified-about-having-finished-college-i-learned-how-to/) [Maggie Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gyllenhaal/) > [I wanted to be a filmmaker, so my parents helped me by encouraging me to save my allowance. So I bought my first video…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zal-batmanglij/i-wanted-to-be-a-filmmaker-so-my-parents-helped-me-by-encouraging-me/) [Zal Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zal-batmanglij/) ## More by Harry Mathews > [My Life in CIA is the first time that I've ever written a story in my own name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/my-life-in-cia-is-the-first-time-that-i-ve-ever-written-a-story-in-my/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [My dream, I remember, when I went to boarding school, was to have a study all my own, a little nook someplace where nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/my-dream-i-remember-when-i-went-to-boarding-school-was-to-have-a/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [And then, when I left Princeton in the middle of my sophomore year, I went into the navy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/and-then-when-i-left-princeton-in-the-middle-of-my-sophomore-year-i/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [There are many things I’ve written that I didn’t really understand until a long time later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/there-are-many-things-i-ve-written-that-i-didn-t-really-understand/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [My mother could never understand why I didn't write a thriller, which I've finally done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/my-mother-could-never-understand-why-i-didn-t-write-a-thriller-which/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I'd been brought up on the Upper East Side in a WASP society, which was death on crutches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/i-d-been-brought-up-on-the-upper-east-side-in-a-wasp-society-which/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [My idea was to go to Vienna to study conducting and perhaps play in an orchestra first, so I thought before I got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/my-idea-was-to-go-to-vienna-to-study-conducting-and-perhaps-play-in/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [Well, the great thing for me about poetry is that in good poems the dislocation of words, that is to say, the distance between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/well-the-great-thing-for-me-about-poetry-is-that-in-good-poems-the/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [Well, I had this little notion - I started writing when I was eleven, writing poetry. I was passionately addicted to it; it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/well-i-had-this-little-notion-i-started-writing-when-i-was-eleven/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [“She was disgusted with herself...and the disgust permanently cured her of suicide. Her piddling life did not deserve dramatic remedies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/she-was-disgusted-with-herself-and-the-disgust-permanently-cured-her/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I also had this mistaken dream, fantasy really - perhaps because I'm good at languages - of being able in both Italy and France…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/i-also-had-this-mistaken-dream-fantasy-really-perhaps-because-i-m/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I graduated in 1952 and went to Europe, with Niki and our first child Laura, who was then a year old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/i-graduated-in-1952-and-went-to-europe-with-niki-and-our-first-child/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [What I said about John was that he liberated me from my anxieties about writing in a correct, acceptable way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/what-i-said-about-john-was-that-he-liberated-me-from-my-anxieties/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [“Lewis, anything but dull, suffered from an excess of misguided cleverness: he could disparage himself brilliantly in a matter of seconds. He knew literature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/lewis-anything-but-dull-suffered-from-an-excess-of-misguided/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I thought Cheever was magnificent and that if I could write like him that would be the best I could do. And then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/i-thought-cheever-was-magnificent-and-that-if-i-could-write-like-him/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) [Explore all 33 Harry Mathews quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) ## More College quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. 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Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [My son going to college is a big milestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gore/my-son-going-to-college-is-a-big-milestone/) [Frank Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gore/) > [The reason I got into acting was not to explore myself. I was a reader, I didn't care about acting. I got into it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/the-reason-i-got-into-acting-was-not-to-explore-myself-i-was-a-reader/) [Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/) [Browse all 7,391 College quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And I finished college because I thought how much it would upset my parents if I didnt.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harry Mathews" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought-how-much-it-would-upset-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "College" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought-how-much-it-would-upset-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/harry-mathews-19208_college_and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought_2128078.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And I finished college because I thought how much it would upset my parents if I didnt.” — Harry Mathews", "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": "Harry Mathews", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And I finished college because I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought-how-much-it-would-upset-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/and-i-finished-college-because-i-thought-how-much-it-would-upset-my/#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 } } ] } ```