Parenting Quote by James Salter
““Either that,” he said, “or it comes true later. I’ll tell you another story. There was a father who gave his son a shotgun. It was very small. It was a luparetta. So the son went to school, and he met another boy with a wrist watch. It was a beautiful wrist watch, he fell in love with it. He wanted it, so he traded; he gave his luparetta to the boy and he got the watch.” “Is this a true story?” “Who knows? When the son came home that afternoon, his father said, ‘Where’s your luparetta—Dov’è la luparetta?’ And the son said, ‘I traded it.’ ‘You traded it!’ ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I traded it for this watch.’ ‘Fantástico,’ the father said, ‘meraviglioso, you traded it for a watch. Now when someone calls your sister a whore, what are you going to do, tell them the time?’ ””
About This Quote
Source Short story: Unknown collection, possibly oral anecdote
A father uses a metaphor about trading a small shotgun for a watch to illustrate that responding to insults with clever timing can defuse conflict.
In simple terms: Use wit, not aggression, when faced with provocation.
Key Takeaway
Choose clever retorts over violence.
Themes
communication
conflict resolution
humor
wit
Mood
playful
reflective
strategic
Type
advice
anecdotal
philosophical
When to use this quote
- family dispute
- online trolling
- workplace criticism
- street argument
Key Concepts
metaphor
social dynamics
deflection
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you apply timing in a heated exchange?
- When is humor inappropriate?
A Different Perspective
The analogy may be culturally specific and not universally effective.
