--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah, well...\" I started to say, and then…" description: "\"“Ah, well...\" I started to say, and then stopped. So that was where he was going; I'd heard it before. Richard had told me that I'd not been standing i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/john-irving-337_intolerance_ah-well-i-started-to-say-and-then-stoppe_1824054.png" --- # Ah, well..." I started to say, and then stopped. So that… ![“Ah, well..." I started to say, and then stopped. So that was where he was going; I'd heard it before. Richard had told me that I'd not been standing in my mother's shoes in 1942, when I was born; he'd said I couldn't, or shouldn't, judge her. It was my not forgiving her that irked him-it was my…” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/john-irving-337_intolerance_ah-well-i-started-to-say-and-then-stoppe_1824054.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/john-irving-337_intolerance_ah-well-i-started-to-say-and-then-stoppe_1824054.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/john-irving-337_intolerance_ah-well-i-started-to-say-and-then-stoppe_1824054.png) > ““Ah, well..." I started to say, and then stopped. So that was where he was going; I'd heard it before. Richard had told me that I'd not been standing in my mother's shoes in 1942, when I was born; he'd said I couldn't, or shouldn't, judge her. It was my not forgiving her that irked him-it was my intolerance of her intolerance that bugged him.”” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on a moral dilemma about judging his mother, highlighting intolerance and forgiveness. **In simple terms:** He struggles with judging his mother, feeling conflicted about forgiveness. Key Takeaway Consider the limits of judging others. Themes family morality forgiveness intolerance generational conflict Mood thoughtful reflective serious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - personal reflections - intergenerational discussions Key Concepts ethical dilemma psychological conflict historical context Questions to Reflect On - Why is it hard to forgive a parent? - How does intolerance perpetuate conflict? A Different Perspective Judgment can be hindered by personal bias and lack of empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerance/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“Never trust a man with a lunatic wife in an attic," Richard told me. "And anyone named Heathcliff should make you suspicious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/never-trust-a-man-with-a-lunatic-wife-in-an-attic-richard-told-me-and/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ Maybe the greatness we heard in \[Richard Manuel\]'s voice, that catch in it, came from all that pain. 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Richard had been told to fuck off and die with more warmth and good humor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/can-i-help-you-said-the-footman-richard-had-been-told-to-fuck-off-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Richard told me I was the most beautiful girl that had ever been born, that one glance from me set him on fire with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/richard-told-me-i-was-the-most-beautiful-girl-that-had-ever-been-born/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“Of course, everyone is intolerant of something or someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/of-course-everyone-is-intolerant-of-something-or-someone/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Pat Buchanan... was fired by MSNBC for doing nothing more than voicing his rock-solid conservative thoughts on the otherwise failing network... 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But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [the Republicans love to say that the Democratic Party is ruled by 'special interests.' But when pressed to name these 'special interests,' the usual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/the-republicans-love-to-say-that-the-democratic-party-is-ruled-by/) [Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/) > [I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. There is no excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-resolutely-believe-that-respect-for-diversity-is-a-fundamental/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/dialogue-and-education-for-peace-can-help-free-our-hearts-from-the/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) ## More by John Irving > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. 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The real message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/pat-buchanan-was-fired-by-msnbc-for-doing-nothing-more-than-voicing/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I believe in a wall between church and state so high that no one can climb over it. When religion controls government, political liberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ervin/i-believe-in-a-wall-between-church-and-state-so-high-that-no-one-can/) [Sam Ervin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ervin/) > [Profiling any segment of society and viewing them as a threat is a sign of intolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/profiling-any-segment-of-society-and-viewing-them-as-a-threat-is-a/) [Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/) > [I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. 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