--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm married. I have three children. I…" description: "\"I'm married. I have three children. I have a mortgage to pay. The plumbing breaks and the yard needs trimming. However, what my wife and children need ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg" --- # I'm married. I have three children. I have a mortgage to… ![“I'm married. I have three children. I have a mortgage to pay. The plumbing breaks and the yard needs trimming. However, what my wife and children need most from me is my passion for them.” quote by John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg) > “I'm married. I have three children. I have a mortgage to pay. The plumbing breaks and the yard needs trimming. However, what my wife and children need most from me is my passion for them.” [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing responsibilities with emotional presence; true value lies in showing love and enthusiasm for family despite daily chores. **In simple terms:** Family needs love more than tasks. Key Takeaway Prioritize passion for loved ones. Themes family responsibility emotional presence Mood warm reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career - home maintenance - parenting - spending time together Key Concepts parenting marriage work-life balance Questions to Reflect On - How can you show passion while managing obligations? - What small gestures reinforce love daily? A Different Perspective Passion alone may not solve practical problems like finances or repairs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [A friend sang karaoke she said how' did I do I said The last time I heard that sound I was trimming my wife's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/a-friend-sang-karaoke-she-said-how-did-i-do-i-said-the-last-time-i/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [Colour is a creative element, not a trimming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-zwart/colour-is-a-creative-element-not-a-trimming/) Piet Zwart > [The hard part of writing at all is sitting your ass down in a chair and writing it. There's always something better to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/the-hard-part-of-writing-at-all-is-sitting-your-ass-down-in-a-chair/) [Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/) > [Lent is the time for trimming the soul and scrapping the sludge off a life turned slipshod. Lent is about taking stock of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/lent-is-the-time-for-trimming-the-soul-and-scrapping-the-sludge-off-a/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Trimming consists of clipping off little bits here and there from those observations which differ most in excess from the mean, and in sticking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/trimming-consists-of-clipping-off-little-bits-here-and-there-from/) [Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/) > [There's no doubt I was a bit of a misfit in the Hollywood of the forties. The race for glamour left me far behind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-lake/there-s-no-doubt-i-was-a-bit-of-a-misfit-in-the-hollywood-of-the/) [Veronica Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-lake/) > [A beautiful eyelash is an important adjunct to the eye. The lashes may be lengthened by trimming them occasionally in childhood. Care should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-bisbee-duffey/a-beautiful-eyelash-is-an-important-adjunct-to-the-eye-the-lashes-may/) Eliza Bisbee Duffey > [Learning isn't acquiring knowledge so much as it is trimming information that has already been acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/learning-isn-t-acquiring-knowledge-so-much-as-it-is-trimming/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“The prevarication and white lies which a mind that keeps itself ambitiously pure is as uneasy under as a great artist under the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-prevarication-and-white-lies-which-a-mind-that-keeps-itself/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [All red meat contains saturated fat. There is no such thing as truly lean meat. Trimming away the edge ring of fat around a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-klaper/all-red-meat-contains-saturated-fat-there-is-no-such-thing-as-truly/) [Michael Klaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-klaper/) > [Democrats believe, plausibly, that middle-class entitlements are instantly addictive and, because there is no known detoxification, that class, when facing future choices between trimming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/democrats-believe-plausibly-that-middle-class-entitlements-are/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Man's deliberate destruction of his own habitat -- planet Earth -- could serve as a mighty theme for a mighty book worthy of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/man-s-deliberate-destruction-of-his-own-habitat-planet-earth-could/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [For most singers the first half of the career involves extending one's repertoire, the second half trimming it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-mordden/for-most-singers-the-first-half-of-the-career-involves-extending-one/) [Ethan Mordden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-mordden/) > [The hands of every clock are shears, trimming us away scrap by scrap, and every time piece with a digital readout blinks us towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-hands-of-every-clock-are-shears-trimming-us-away-scrap-by-scrap/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [A straight dark-green Manchu gown, with black trimmings, is my favorite. For it just about takes off those fifteen pounds I don't need and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buwei-yang-chao/a-straight-dark-green-manchu-gown-with-black-trimmings-is-my-favorite/) Buwei Yang Chao ## More by John Eldredge > [To find God, you must look with all your heart. To remain present to God, you must remain present to your heart. To hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/to-find-god-you-must-look-with-all-your-heart-to-remain-present-to/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [ “There is a satisfaction we don't want to come to until we come to it in God…\[Disappointments\] serve to remind us every day that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/there-is-a-satisfaction-we-don-t-want-to-come-to-until-we-come-to-it/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [The early Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit 'the wild goose.' And the reason why is they knew that you cannot tame him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-early-celtic-christians-called-the-holy-spirit-the-wild-goose-and/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [The real you is on the side of God against the false self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-real-you-is-on-the-side-of-god-against-the-false-self/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [“The authors challenge that the marriage in which one cannot express disappointment has become an idol – The Thing that Cannot Be Questioned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-authors-challenge-that-the-marriage-in-which-one-cannot-express/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [A man's calling is written on his true heart, and he discovers it when he enters the frontier of his deep desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/a-man-s-calling-is-written-on-his-true-heart-and-he-discovers-it-when/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [In the end, it doesn’t matter how well we have performed or what we have accomplished—a life without heart is not worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/in-the-end-it-doesn-t-matter-how-well-we-have-performed-or-what-we/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [Whatever their age, most men have never received true fathering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/whatever-their-age-most-men-have-never-received-true-fathering/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [“He is on a mission to rescue a people who are so utterly deceived most of them don’t even want to be rescued.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/he-is-on-a-mission-to-rescue-a-people-who-are-so-utterly-deceived/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [“Something has gone wrong in us, very wrong indeed. So wrong that we have to be told that joy is found not in having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/something-has-gone-wrong-in-us-very-wrong-indeed-so-wrong-that-we/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [“We don’t need accountability groups; we need fellow warriors, someone to fight alongside, someone to watch our back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/we-don-t-need-accountability-groups-we-need-fellow-warriors-someone/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [We don't see clearly because we don't see with the eyes of our heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/we-don-t-see-clearly-because-we-don-t-see-with-the-eyes-of-our-heart/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-story-of-your-life-is-the-story-of-the-long-and-brutal-assault-on/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [I have a call to speak, to write, to do sort of deep-heart surgery in people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/i-have-a-call-to-speak-to-write-to-do-sort-of-deep-heart-surgery-in/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [Does the Bible teach that Christians are nothing but sinners, that there is nothing good in us? The answer is no! You have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/does-the-bible-teach-that-christians-are-nothing-but-sinners-that/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) [Explore all 233 John Eldredge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [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 hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) Peter Dunne > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm married. I have three children. I have a mortgage to pay. The plumbing breaks and the yard needs trimming. However, what my wife and children need most from me is my passion for them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Eldredge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have-a-mortgage-to-pay-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Break" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have-a-mortgage-to-pay-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/411/john-eldredge-1487_break_i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have_187836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm married. I have three children. I have a mortgage to pay. The plumbing breaks and the yard needs…” — John Eldredge", "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 Eldredge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm married. I have three children....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have-a-mortgage-to-pay-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/i-m-married-i-have-three-children-i-have-a-mortgage-to-pay-the/#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 } } ] } ```