--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His wives had discovered early on what a…" description: "\"“His wives had discovered early on what a poor or frightening prospect of a father he presented and they had protected themselves and got out.”\" — Ian ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png" --- # His wives had discovered early on what a poor or… ![“His wives had discovered early on what a poor or frightening prospect of a father he presented and they had protected themselves and got out.” quote by Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png) > ““His wives had discovered early on what a poor or frightening prospect of a father he presented and they had protected themselves and got out.”” [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wives realized the father was dangerous and left to protect themselves. **In simple terms:** They left a harmful partner. Key Takeaway Prioritize safety over loyalty. Themes family danger self‑preservation relationships Mood cautious empathetic Type literary cautionary When to use this quote - marriage - parenting - personal safety Key Concepts toxic relationships protective instincts Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a relationship is unsafe? - How can you support someone leaving a toxic partner? A Different Perspective Leaving can cause emotional pain and social stigma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Do I look like a sex-symbol or a pin-up boy? 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Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. 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And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More Parenting quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. 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Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. 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Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) [Browse all 55,672 Parenting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“His wives had discovered early on what a poor or frightening prospect of a father he presented and they had protected themselves and got out.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian McEwan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a-poor-or-frightening-prospect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Parenting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a-poor-or-frightening-prospect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c66/ian-mcewan-494_parenting_his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a_1002378.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His wives had discovered early on what a poor or frightening prospect of a father he presented and they had…” — Ian McEwan", "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": "Ian McEwan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His wives had discovered early on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a-poor-or-frightening-prospect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/his-wives-had-discovered-early-on-what-a-poor-or-frightening-prospect/#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 } } ] } ```