--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's always an interesting question of…" description: "\"It's always an interesting question of what was it like as Norman Mailer's son because I could easily turn it back and say what's it like not to. I did..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/john-buffalo-mailer-14345_age_it-s-always-an-interesting-question-of-w_2092855.jpg" --- # It's always an interesting question of what was it like as… ![“It's always an interesting question of what was it like as Norman Mailer's son because I could easily turn it back and say what's it like not to. I didn't always realize my dad was Norman Mailer. I always knew he was Dad, and then I forget the exact age when it dawned on me that, you know, he is…” quote by John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/john-buffalo-mailer-14345_age_it-s-always-an-interesting-question-of-w_2092855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/john-buffalo-mailer-14345_age_it-s-always-an-interesting-question-of-w_2092855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/john-buffalo-mailer-14345_age_it-s-always-an-interesting-question-of-w_2092855.jpg) > “It's always an interesting question of what was it like as Norman Mailer's son because I could easily turn it back and say what's it like not to. I didn't always realize my dad was Norman Mailer. I always knew he was Dad, and then I forget the exact age when it dawned on me that, you know, he is actually someone who affects the public consciousness of the time. It was amazing. I mean he was a rock star and brilliant and kind and funny and generous and scary when he needed to be and, you know, hard as a father.” [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on realizing his famous father's public impact and the complex mix of admiration and fear that comes with that awareness **In simple terms:** He discovers his father's fame and the mix of pride and intimidation it brings Key Takeaway Recognize and reconcile personal feelings about a famous parent Themes family dynamics identity celebrity legacy self‑discovery Mood reflective nostalgic introspective Type personal memoir conversational When to use this quote - Family gatherings - media interviews - personal memoir writing - therapeutic reflection Key Concepts Fame public consciousness parental influence personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How does fame affect family relationships? - What aspects of your father's personality shaped your own identity? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize the experience, overlooking personal challenges of privacy and expectation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Rock star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-star/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) ## Related quotes > [Norman Mailer loved women so much. I mean probably more than anything in the world he loved women. He got put into a position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/norman-mailer-loved-women-so-much-i-mean-probably-more-than-anything/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [My father, Norman Mailer, expected a lot from us and he really pushed us and you know one of his favorite lines was, "If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/my-father-norman-mailer-expected-a-lot-from-us-and-he-really-pushed/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [“I knew Dad was concerned about my past associations. I was from the Trash Alley. It was my community. I hung out with thugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-phifer/i-knew-dad-was-concerned-about-my-past-associations-i-was-from-the/) [Harold Phifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-phifer/) > [Many a night I woke to the murmer of paper and knew (Dad) was up, sitting in the kitchen with frayed King James -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/many-a-night-i-woke-to-the-murmer-of-paper-and-knew-dad-was-up/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [I was eleven when my father left, so neither of us really knew our fathers. I’d met mine of course, but then I only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-jones/i-was-eleven-when-my-father-left-so-neither-of-us-really-knew-our/) [Lloyd Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-jones/) > [I do think that whatever ambition I may have had natively was amplified by my father's clear valuing of it. I knew that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/i-do-think-that-whatever-ambition-i-may-have-had-natively-was/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“My phone buzzed in the center console again. "What's happening with this thing?" Dad grabbed it. "Dad, really?" I didn't want him to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/my-phone-buzzed-in-the-center-console-again-what-s-happening-with/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [The one thing I always knew was Dad would always be there for me. 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But as a little girl, he's just Dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-biden/i-knew-dad-took-the-train-and-was-trying-to-solve-the-problems-of-the/) [Ashley Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-biden/) > [People who knew Dad used to say at times I was brought up as the son Dad never had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-rinehart/people-who-knew-dad-used-to-say-at-times-i-was-brought-up-as-the-son/) [Gina Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-rinehart/) > [Where I grew up, people obviously knew my dad because it's a small place and he was the top player for Swinton - they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-giggs/where-i-grew-up-people-obviously-knew-my-dad-because-it-s-a-small/) [Ryan Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-giggs/) > [The local dudes who knew that my dad owned a studio would say, 'Ahh, dude is spoiled,' and this and that. But we didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimebag-darrell/the-local-dudes-who-knew-that-my-dad-owned-a-studio-would-say-ahh/) [Dimebag Darrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimebag-darrell/) > [You know my father as governor, as president, but I knew him as dad. I was so proud to have the Reagan name and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reagan/you-know-my-father-as-governor-as-president-but-i-knew-him-as-dad-i/) [Michael Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reagan/) ## More by John Buffalo Mailer > [I think that if you look at places like Amsterdam and places where pot is very legal they do well with it. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/i-think-that-if-you-look-at-places-like-amsterdam-and-places-where/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [I just I love telling stories and as long as I can make my living doing that in all the different mediums that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/i-just-i-love-telling-stories-and-as-long-as-i-can-make-my-living/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [I think that you know you have experts in fields who spend their life studying one thing. 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You know, we're tweeting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/we-ve-been-duped-into-believing-we-don-t-have-25-minutes-to-have/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [My father, Norman Mailer, expected a lot from us and he really pushed us and you know one of his favorite lines was, "If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/my-father-norman-mailer-expected-a-lot-from-us-and-he-really-pushed/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [Whatever the reasons, 2008 it felt as though the combination of distribution models starting to tighten and the publishing and film and music industries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/whatever-the-reasons-2008-it-felt-as-though-the-combination-of/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [My hope is that the film Wall Street 2 will actually serve as a way for us to bridge that gap between Wall Street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/my-hope-is-that-the-film-wall-street-2-will-actually-serve-as-a-way/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [You're going to find the good people and bad all around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/you-re-going-to-find-the-good-people-and-bad-all-around/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [I think that one of the things that my dad was grappling with towards the end was how that shift had happened now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/i-think-that-one-of-the-things-that-my-dad-was-grappling-with-towards/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [I'm probably most proud of the plays that I've written just because as the playwright, you know, you're God. You get to do everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/i-m-probably-most-proud-of-the-plays-that-i-ve-written-just-because/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) > [I remember talking to my dad about legalization in a book we did together called "The Big Empty." He was saying like, "Oh, no,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buffalo-mailer/i-remember-talking-to-my-dad-about-legalization-in-a-book-we-did/) [John Buffalo Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) [Explore all 47 John Buffalo Mailer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buffalo-mailer/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's always an interesting question of what was it like as Norman Mailer's son because I could easily turn it back and say what's it like not to. I didn't always realize my dad was Norman Mailer. I always knew he was Dad, and then I forget the exact age when it dawned on me that, you know, he is actually someone who affects the public consciousness of the time. It was amazing. 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