---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney…"
description: "\"I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney in Australia. My father was English-born and a graduate of Oxford; my mother, born Hilda Eipper, was descended..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg"
---

#  I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney in Australia. My…

![“I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney in Australia. My father was English-born and a graduate of Oxford; my mother, born Hilda Eipper, was descended from a German minister of religion who settled in New South Wales in 1832. I was the second of four children.” quote by John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg)

> “I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney in Australia. My father was English-born and a graduate of Oxford; my mother, born Hilda Eipper, was descended from a German minister of religion who settled in New South Wales in 1832. I was the second of four children.”

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He recounts his birth details and family background, highlighting multicultural heritage and lineage.

**In simple terms:** He describes his birth and family roots.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how ancestry shapes identity.

Themes

family heritage identity

Mood

reflective informative

Type

biographical historical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- cultural studies
- genealogical research

Key Concepts

multiculturalism genealogy historical context

Questions to Reflect On

- How does knowing your ancestry affect your sense of self?
- What role does cultural heritage play in personal identity?

A Different Perspective

Limited to factual data, no deeper philosophical insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Australia Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia-father-416685/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Graduate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-graduate-1092296/) [Born Hilda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-hilda-2163868/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [English Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-born-648895/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Jamaica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jamaica/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-born-776239/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [“Syrian-born graduate student in Wisconsin who became biological father of Jobs and Mona Simpson, later a food and beverage manager at the Boomtown casino…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/syrian-born-graduate-student-in-wisconsin-who-became-biological/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [I was brought up in a Christian home in Australia with a father who was very bold about his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/i-was-brought-up-in-a-christian-home-in-australia-with-a-father-who/)

[Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/)

> [My parents were drawn to the idea that there was space and opportunity in Australia. For the meagre sum of £10, you could sail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/my-parents-were-drawn-to-the-idea-that-there-was-space-and/)

[Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/)

> [My mother was born in Switzerland, my stepfather in Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-straight/my-mother-was-born-in-switzerland-my-stepfather-in-canada/)

[Susan Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-straight/)

> [My mother born in Mexico, but was Lebanese in origin. She born 1902 the same year my father arrived to Mexico when he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-slim/my-mother-born-in-mexico-but-was-lebanese-in-origin-she-born-1902-the/)

[Carlos Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-slim/)

> [My mother was born in Ghana, but she moved to the U.K. when my sisters and I were born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philomena-kwao/my-mother-was-born-in-ghana-but-she-moved-to-the-u-k-when-my-sisters/)

[Philomena Kwao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philomena-kwao/)

> [My father was born in Newark, New Jersey, and my mother was born in Philadelphia. They both went to Stanford for grad school and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/my-father-was-born-in-newark-new-jersey-and-my-mother-was-born-in/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [My mother was born in Sinaloa, and she moved to Los Angeles when she was three years old. My father was born in San…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanna-ubach/my-mother-was-born-in-sinaloa-and-she-moved-to-los-angeles-when-she/)

[Alanna Ubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanna-ubach/)

> [My family come from Antigua, my mother was born in Saint Kitts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-oliver/my-family-come-from-antigua-my-mother-was-born-in-saint-kitts/)

[Andi Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-oliver/)

> [Being English, being born in England, this is our home and we should be supporting our home country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moeen-ali/being-english-being-born-in-england-this-is-our-home-and-we-should-be/)

[Moeen Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moeen-ali/)

> [Both my parents are English and I was born in West Africa, and I moved around as a kid, lived in Bristol, lived in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-weaving/both-my-parents-are-english-and-i-was-born-in-west-africa-and-i-moved/)

[Hugo Weaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-weaving/)

> [“I was born in 1927, the only child of middle-class parents, both English, and themselves born in the grotesquely elongated shadow, which they never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/i-was-born-in-1927-the-only-child-of-middle-class-parents-both/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [I'm English, without a doubt. I will never ever say I'm not English. English born and bred. I'm Turkish, though](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-kazim-richards/i-m-english-without-a-doubt-i-will-never-ever-say-i-m-not-english/)

[Colin Kazim-Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-kazim-richards/)

> [I'm a third-culture child. It's an interesting concept. Having an American father, a South American mother, born in England, grew up in Hong Kong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-chantal-claire/i-m-a-third-culture-child-it-s-an-interesting-concept-having-an/)

[Marie-Chantal Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-chantal-claire/)

> [The moment a child is born, The mother is also born. She never existed before. The women existed, But the mother, Never. A mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-moment-a-child-is-born-the-mother-is-also-born-she-never-existed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by John Cornforth

> [By combining chemical, biochemical and physical techniques, it has thus become possible to investigate the nature of enzymic catalysis in a novel manner, complementary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/by-combining-chemical-biochemical-and-physical-techniques-it-has-thus/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [Throughout my scientific career, my wife has been my most constant collaborator. Her experimental skill made major contributions to the work; she has eased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/throughout-my-scientific-career-my-wife-has-been-my-most-constant/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [After a year of post-graduate research, I won an 1851 Exhibition scholarship to work at Oxford with Robert Robinson. Two such scholarships were awarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/after-a-year-of-post-graduate-research-i-won-an-1851-exhibition/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [In 1962, Popjak and I left the service of the Medical Research Council and became co-directors of the Milstead Laboratory of Chemical Enzymology set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/in-1962-popjak-and-i-left-the-service-of-the-medical-research-council/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [I started doing experiments - mostly in organic chemistry, because it was so much more interesting - in my mother's laundry at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/i-started-doing-experiments-mostly-in-organic-chemistry-because-it/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [In a world where it is so easy to neglect, deny, corrupt and suppress the truth, the scientist may find his discipline severe. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/in-a-world-where-it-is-so-easy-to-neglect-deny-corrupt-and-suppress/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [In 1967, I had formed a collaboration with Hermann Eggerer, then of Muenchen, and together, we solved the problem of the 'asymmetric methyl group'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/in-1967-i-had-formed-a-collaboration-with-hermann-eggerer-then-of/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [The essential principles of the three-dimensional structure of organic molecules had been correctly formulated by the first Nobel laureate in Chemistry, Jacobus van't Hoff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/the-essential-principles-of-the-three-dimensional-structure-of/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [At the National Institute for Medical Research, I came into contact with biological scientists and formed collaborative projects with several of them. In particular,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/at-the-national-institute-for-medical-research-i-came-into-contact/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [My old friend Vlado Prelog has asked me to offer, from both of us, our thanks to the Royal Academy of Sciences and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/my-old-friend-vlado-prelog-has-asked-me-to-offer-from-both-of-us-our/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [Life does depend on accurate replication of molecules, and its complexity often requires that an enzyme shall accept one molecular species or type and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/life-does-depend-on-accurate-replication-of-molecules-and-its/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [Part of my childhood was spent in Sydney and part in rural New South Wales, at Armidale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/part-of-my-childhood-was-spent-in-sydney-and-part-in-rural-new-south/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

> [The total loss of hearing was a process that lasted more than a decade, but it was sufficiently gradual for me to attend Sydney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/the-total-loss-of-hearing-was-a-process-that-lasted-more-than-a/)

[John Cornforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

[Explore all 14 John Cornforth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/)

## More Born 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/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

[Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney in Australia. My father was English-born and a graduate of Oxford; my mother, born Hilda Eipper, was descended from a German minister of religion who settled in New South Wales in 1832. I was the second of four children.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Cornforth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney-in-australia-my-father-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney-in-australia-my-father-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/060/john-cornforth-34642_born_i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney_2627895.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was born on 7 September 1917 at Sydney in Australia. My father was English-born and a graduate of Oxford…” — John Cornforth",
                "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": "John Cornforth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornforth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was born on 7 September...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney-in-australia-my-father-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornforth/i-was-born-on-7-september-1917-at-sydney-in-australia-my-father-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
