--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember my father, who was 'somebody'…" description: "\"I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue, bringing home with him one of the poor men who waited outside to be chosen to share the Pass..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg" --- # I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue… ![“I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue, bringing home with him one of the poor men who waited outside to be chosen to share the Passover meal. These patriarchal manners I remember well, although there was about them an air of bourgeois benevolence which was somewhat comic.” quote by Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg) > “I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue, bringing home with him one of the poor men who waited outside to be chosen to share the Passover meal. These patriarchal manners I remember well, although there was about them an air of bourgeois benevolence which was somewhat comic.” [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He recalls a synagogue scene where a wealthy man brings a poor man to share Passover, highlighting a mix of charity and patronizing kindness. **In simple terms:** Charitable acts can be tinged with condescension. Key Takeaway Recognize genuine empathy versus patronage. Themes charity class religion Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - religious gatherings - community meals - social critique Key Concepts social hierarchy human dignity Questions to Reflect On - What does true generosity look like? - How can we avoid patronizing the needy? A Different Perspective The humor may mask deeper inequities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benevolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benevolence/) [Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bourgeois/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Passover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passover/) [Synagogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/synagogue/) ## Related quotes > [Holy Thursday, The disciples prepare the passover meal, They meet in the upper room, Jesus washes the disciples feet, and they head to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/holy-thursday-the-disciples-prepare-the-passover-meal-they-meet-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My kids love old Hollywood movies and look forward to watching the Charlton Heston classic, 'The Ten Commandments,' every year. The retro special effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/my-kids-love-old-hollywood-movies-and-look-forward-to-watching-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [When I die, remember that what you knew of me is with you always. What is buried is only the shell of what was.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/when-i-die-remember-that-what-you-knew-of-me-is-with-you-always-what/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Michael could never remember his father ever having uttered a word about death, as if the Don respected death too much to philosophize about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/michael-could-never-remember-his-father-ever-having-uttered-a-word/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) > [On this special day of love, remember that your Father loves you more than you could ever imagine...no matter what you’ve done or haven’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/on-this-special-day-of-love-remember-that-your-father-loves-you-more/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [No one could be the way I remember my father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/no-one-could-be-the-way-i-remember-my-father/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I remember my father explaining, "A capitalist system is a dog-eat-dog system."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-fox-piven/i-remember-my-father-explaining-a-capitalist-system-is-a-dog-eat-dog/) [Frances Fox Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-fox-piven/) > [“I could just remember how my father used to say that the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-could-just-remember-how-my-father-used-to-say-that-the-reason-for/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I seldom remember my father, but I sneeze and rub my nose the way he did. I also love my son with grief and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/i-seldom-remember-my-father-but-i-sneeze-and-rub-my-nose-the-way-he/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [And you've got to remember that I'm also the father of nine children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-neeleman/and-you-ve-got-to-remember-that-i-m-also-the-father-of-nine-children/) [David Neeleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-neeleman/) > [I remember my father's last race very clearly when he drove at Hockenheim in front of 100,000 people and I was sitting next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-remember-my-father-s-last-race-very-clearly-when-he-drove-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember so well my father's complete concentration when he went to the studio. Everything he did, every movement he made, he did with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-picasso/i-remember-so-well-my-father-s-complete-concentration-when-he-went-to/) [Claude Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-picasso/) > [Roger speaking to Brianna: It's too important. You don't forget having a dad." You do remember your father?" No. I remember yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/roger-speaking-to-brianna-it-s-too-important-you-don-t-forget-having/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [It's kind of hard in politics to forget that you're a Democrat or a Republican and remember that you're a father and a grandfather...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-hall/it-s-kind-of-hard-in-politics-to-forget-that-you-re-a-democrat-or-a/) [Ralph Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-hall/) > [When I was about 15 - that would be some 60 years ago - I remember my father, a secondary school teacher, was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosen/when-i-was-about-15-that-would-be-some-60-years-ago-i-remember-my/) [Michael Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosen/) ## More by Jacob Epstein > [When I was doing Professor Albert Einstein's bust he had many a jibe at the Nazi professors, one hundred of whom had condemned his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/when-i-was-doing-professor-albert-einstein-s-bust-he-had-many-a-jibe/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [A wife, a lover, can perhaps never see what the artist sees They rarely ever do. Perhaps a really mediocre artist has more chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-wife-a-lover-can-perhaps-never-see-what-the-artist-sees-they-rarely/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [My earliest recollections are of the teeming East Side where I was born. This Hester Street and its surrounding streets were the most densely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/my-earliest-recollections-are-of-the-teeming-east-side-where-i-was/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [Early on I saw the plastic quality in colored people and had friends among them; and later was to work from colored models and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/early-on-i-saw-the-plastic-quality-in-colored-people-and-had-friends/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [My reading and drawing drew me away from the ordinary interests, and I lived a great deal in the world of imagination, feeding upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/my-reading-and-drawing-drew-me-away-from-the-ordinary-interests-and-i/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [Why dont they stick to murder and leave art to us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/why-dont-they-stick-to-murder-and-leave-art-to-us/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [A sculptor is supposed to be a dull dog anyway, so why should he not break out in colour sometimes, and in my case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/a-sculptor-is-supposed-to-be-a-dull-dog-anyway-so-why-should-he-not/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [The artist is the world's scapegoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/the-artist-is-the-world-s-scapegoat/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [My parents did not discourage me but could not understand how I could make a living by art. Their idea of an artist was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/my-parents-did-not-discourage-me-but-could-not-understand-how-i-could/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [The artist who imagines that he puts his best into a portrait in order to produce something good, which will be a pleasure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/the-artist-who-imagines-that-he-puts-his-best-into-a-portrait-in/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [To accuse me of making sensations is the easiest way of attacking me, and in reality leaves the question of sculpture untouched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/to-accuse-me-of-making-sensations-is-the-easiest-way-of-attacking-me/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [There are infinite modes of expression in the world of art, and to insist that only by one road can the artist attain his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/there-are-infinite-modes-of-expression-in-the-world-of-art-and-to/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [To think of abstraction as an end in itself is undoubtedly letting oneself be led into a cul-de-sac and can only lead to exhaustion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/to-think-of-abstraction-as-an-end-in-itself-is-undoubtedly-letting/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [I have never found out that there was in my family an artist or anyone interested in the arts or sciences, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-have-never-found-out-that-there-was-in-my-family-an-artist-or/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) > [I cannot recall a period when I did not draw; and at school, the studies that were distasteful to me, mathematics and grammar, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-cannot-recall-a-period-when-i-did-not-draw-and-at-school-the/) [Jacob Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) [Explore all 17 Jacob Epstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue, bringing home with him one of the poor men who waited outside to be chosen to share the Passover meal. These patriarchal manners I remember well, although there was about them an air of bourgeois benevolence which was somewhat comic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacob Epstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in-the-synagogue-bringing-home/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in-the-synagogue-bringing-home/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/jacob-epstein-30772_about_i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in_2548946.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I remember my father, who was 'somebody' in the synagogue, bringing home with him one of the poor men who…” — Jacob Epstein", "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": "Jacob Epstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-epstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I remember my father, who was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in-the-synagogue-bringing-home/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-epstein/i-remember-my-father-who-was-somebody-in-the-synagogue-bringing-home/#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 } } ] } ```