--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents were fairly laid-back, but…" description: "\"My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain things about which they were very strict. My brother and I were told never to turn away a pers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/hisham-matar-4118_brother_my-parents-were-fairly-laid-back-but-the_225626.jpg" --- # My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain… ![“My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain things about which they were very strict. My brother and I were told never to turn away a person in need. And it didn't matter what we thought of their motives, whether they were truly in need or not.” quote by Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/hisham-matar-4118_brother_my-parents-were-fairly-laid-back-but-the_225626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/hisham-matar-4118_brother_my-parents-were-fairly-laid-back-but-the_225626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/hisham-matar-4118_brother_my-parents-were-fairly-laid-back-but-the_225626.jpg) > “My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain things about which they were very strict. My brother and I were told never to turn away a person in need. And it didn't matter what we thought of their motives, whether they were truly in need or not.” [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Family upbringing emphasized unconditional aid regardless of personal judgments. **In simple terms:** Help others without judging their motives. Key Takeaway Offer assistance freely and promptly. Themes family compassion ethics Mood thoughtful empathetic Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - community service - emergency response - daily kindness Key Concepts altruism moral duty Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when to help? - What risks arise from unconditional aid? A Different Perspective May personal bias hinder true empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) ## Related quotes > [I lost my parents when I was fairly young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-t-nelson/i-lost-my-parents-when-i-was-fairly-young/) [Craig T. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-t-nelson/) > [I love the idea of things being strict and things being uniform. That's the reason why I surround each collection with humor or irony.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-browne/i-love-the-idea-of-things-being-strict-and-things-being-uniform-that/) [Thom Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-browne/) > [I used to believe everything my brother told me, because he was older and I figured he knew more about the world. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-used-to-believe-everything-my-brother-told-me-because-he-was-older/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My dad and my cousin and brother always told me try to get something from everyone. Don't get stuck in one player. Just learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-lindor/my-dad-and-my-cousin-and-brother-always-told-me-try-to-get-something/) [Francisco Lindor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-lindor/) > [My older brother told me, 'Stay away from women,' and I'm taking it to heart. I'm staying clear. It's kind of like a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-wood/my-older-brother-told-me-stay-away-from-women-and-i-m-taking-it-to/) [Elijah Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-wood/) > [At one time in my life, from the time I was seven until I was about 13, I didn't speak. I only spoke to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/at-one-time-in-my-life-from-the-time-i-was-seven-until-i-was-about-13/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“When I was younger, my brother told me that he had the power to shrink me to the size of an ant. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-i-was-younger-my-brother-told-me-that-he-had-the-power-to-shrink/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Churches in the outside world, my brother told me, were just the local stores that sold people lies made up in the distant factories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/churches-in-the-outside-world-my-brother-told-me-were-just-the-local/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I be speakin' to my brother He told me keep the pressure on these niggaz, never trust 'em They test you, muthafuck 'em](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-b/i-be-speakin-to-my-brother-he-told-me-keep-the-pressure-on-these/) [Max B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-b/) > [“Today, I slept in until 10, Cleaned every dish I own, Fought with the bank, Took care of paperwork. You and I might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kait-rokowski/today-i-slept-in-until-10-cleaned-every-dish-i-own-fought-with-the/) Kait Rokowski > [“Thank you for your offer, but I’m not interested.” “Come on,” Andrew said in a purposefully whiney voice. “My older brother told me you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-wallace-knight/thank-you-for-your-offer-but-i-m-not-interested-come-on-andrew-said/) Jane Wallace-Knight > [“I love you, Clary wanted to say. And, I would do it again. I would always ask for you. But those weren’t the words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-love-you-clary-wanted-to-say-and-i-would-do-it-again-i-would-always/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I don’t like this,” his brother told him as they walked down the stairs. “You don’t like anything. I’ve heard you complain about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-aiken/i-don-t-like-this-his-brother-told-him-as-they-walked-down-the-stairs/) [G.A. Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-a-aiken/) > [I was eight when I found out I was adopted. My step-brother told me. He'd overheard my mum and my stepdad at the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-mitte/i-was-eight-when-i-found-out-i-was-adopted-my-step-brother-told-me-he/) [RJ Mitte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-mitte/) > [“You see it is likely that, when my brother told the story, that night when we got home and my mother and sister sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/you-see-it-is-likely-that-when-my-brother-told-the-story-that-night/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) ## More by Hisham Matar > [There and then, sitting beside her and within the strength of my adoration, I felt invincible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/there-and-then-sitting-beside-her-and-within-the-strength-of-my/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [To be okay with not knowing is a sign of a mature person and a mature society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/to-be-okay-with-not-knowing-is-a-sign-of-a-mature-person-and-a-mature/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [“History remembers Mussolini as the buffoonish Fascist, the ineffective silly man of Italy who led a lame military campaign in the Second World War,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/history-remembers-mussolini-as-the-buffoonish-fascist-the-ineffective/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Grief loves the hollow; all it wants is to hear its own echo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/grief-loves-the-hollow-all-it-wants-is-to-hear-its-own-echo/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Dreams have consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/dreams-have-consequences/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Language is not just a code; you are writing into its history, into its tides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/language-is-not-just-a-code-you-are-writing-into-its-history-into-its/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [I am terribly interested in the paragraph: the paragraph as an object, the construction, and the possibilities of what a paragraph can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/i-am-terribly-interested-in-the-paragraph-the-paragraph-as-an-object/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [My parents left Libya in 1979, escaping political repression, and settled in Cairo. I was nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-parents-left-libya-in-1979-escaping-political-repression-and/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Libyans are deeply unsettled by Gaddafi and his regime's careless contempt for human life. The dictatorship is willing to employ any methods necessary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/libyans-are-deeply-unsettled-by-gaddafi-and-his-regime-s-careless/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [My best hope is that Libya turns into a peaceful, sensible country that has all the things my father and lots of others have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-best-hope-is-that-libya-turns-into-a-peaceful-sensible-country/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Season of Migration to the North, by Tayeb Salih, is an eloquent and restrained portrait of one man's exile. It is a rare narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/season-of-migration-to-the-north-by-tayeb-salih-is-an-eloquent-and/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Turgenev's achievement lies in how he succeeded, in spite of himself, his country, and his time, in exempting his work from public duty. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/turgenev-s-achievement-lies-in-how-he-succeeded-in-spite-of-himself/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Over the centuries, close-knit tribes have played an important part in the cohesion of Libyan society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/over-the-centuries-close-knit-tribes-have-played-an-important-part-in/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [My work is my shelter, particularly in these moments when things are happening fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-work-is-my-shelter-particularly-in-these-moments-when-things-are/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [The space where writing happens is a unique space that's hard to define, and when you're kicked out of it because you're travelling or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/the-space-where-writing-happens-is-a-unique-space-that-s-hard-to/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) [Explore all 116 Hisham Matar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) ## More Brother quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/) Spencer Moody > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) [Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain things about which they were very strict. 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