--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better than anything else in our culture…" description: "\"Better than anything else in our culture, it enables fathers and sons to speak on a level playing field while building up from within a personal histor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png" --- # Better than anything else in our culture, it enables… ![“Better than anything else in our culture, it enables fathers and sons to speak on a level playing field while building up from within a personal history of shared experience - a group history - that may be tapped into at will in years to come.” quote by John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png) > “Better than anything else in our culture, it enables fathers and sons to speak on a level playing field while building up from within a personal history of shared experience - a group history - that may be tapped into at will in years to come.” [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights how baseball creates a shared cultural space where fathers and sons can connect through common experiences and traditions. **In simple terms:** Baseball lets dads and sons bond over shared history. Key Takeaway Use sports to build lasting family connections. Themes family tradition culture sports connection Type ational cultural When to use this quote - family gatherings - coach‑player relationships - community events - intergenerational mentorship Key Concepts shared experience generational bonding heritage Practical Applications - May not resonate with families uninterested in sports. Questions to Reflect On - nostalgic - reflective - warm A Different Perspective How can non‑sports activities foster similar bonds?;What traditions can families create together? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-culture-1889824/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Enables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-enables-795414/) [Enables Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enables-fathers-3972637/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father and son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-son/) [Fathers And Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers-and-sons/) [Fathers Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers-sons-1905886/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Level playing field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level-playing-field/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Personal history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-history/) [Shared experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shared-experiences/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Sons Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons-speak-3223532/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Fathers and sons are much more considerate of one another than mothers and daughters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/fathers-and-sons-are-much-more-considerate-of-one-another-than/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [If the relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/if-the-relationship-of-father-to-son-could-really-be-reduced-to/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [“Hmm. Relationships between fathers and sons can be notoriously difficult, especially for two men who are as different as you and your father are."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-austin/hmm-relationships-between-fathers-and-sons-can-be-notoriously/) [Lynn Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-austin/) > [“Fathers and Sons Arkaday watching Katya's face as she accepts his marriage proposal: Anyone who has never seen such tears in the eyes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-sergeevich-turgenev/fathers-and-sons-arkaday-watching-katya-s-face-as-she-accepts-his/) [Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-sergeevich-turgenev/) > [It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-schiller/it-is-not-flesh-and-blood-but-the-heart-which-makes-us-fathers-and/) [Johann Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-schiller/) > [Many fathers and sons never get to reconcile their differences or come to an understanding that fills the gap between love and expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/many-fathers-and-sons-never-get-to-reconcile-their-differences-or/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-flesh-and-blood-but-heart-which-makes-us-fathers-and-sons/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ten or twelve men, especially between brothers and between fathers and sons; but the offspring of these unions are counted as the children of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/ten-or-twelve-men-especially-between-brothers-and-between-fathers-and/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [It’s funny, though, speaking of fathers and sons, because me and John Goodman played father and son, like, five or six years ago in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/it-s-funny-though-speaking-of-fathers-and-sons-because-me-and-john/) [Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/) > [Baseball is fathers and sons. Football is brothers beating each other up in the backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/baseball-is-fathers-and-sons-football-is-brothers-beating-each-other/) [Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/) > [Anyone who reads my work will see that there are often difficult relationships between fathers and sons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/anyone-who-reads-my-work-will-see-that-there-are-often-difficult/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Some fathers and sons don't get along that well when they're younger because they can't find a way to reach each other, ... A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/braylon-edwards/some-fathers-and-sons-don-t-get-along-that-well-when-they-re-younger/) [Braylon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/braylon-edwards/) > [Fathers and sons are natural enemies. Look at any species. Shark, sees his father in the water, he's not thinking, Hey dad, wassup ?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/fathers-and-sons-are-natural-enemies-look-at-any-species-shark-sees/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [It is the responsibility of all of us to create a culture that encourages and enables fathers to spend more time with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/it-is-the-responsibility-of-all-of-us-to-create-a-culture-that/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [“What these organizations have in common is a high-trust culture that enables all departments to work together effectively, where all work is transparently prioritized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/what-these-organizations-have-in-common-is-a-high-trust-culture-that/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## More by John Thorn > [In over 160 years of recorded baseball history, no team had ever won a championship this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/in-over-160-years-of-recorded-baseball-history-no-team-had-ever-won-a/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [One of the first lessons he or she learns is that in baseball anything, absolutely anything, can happen. Just two days ago as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/one-of-the-first-lessons-he-or-she-learns-is-that-in-baseball/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Life is more about losing than winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/life-is-more-about-losing-than-winning/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Why we play as children is not because it is our work or because it is how we learn, though both statements are true;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/why-we-play-as-children-is-not-because-it-is-our-work-or-because-it/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [We are fans because the game also appeals to our local pride, our pleasure in thinking of ourselves as, yes, Americans but nonetheless different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/we-are-fans-because-the-game-also-appeals-to-our-local-pride-our/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Pursuing employment or climatic relief, we live in voluntary exile from our extended families and our longer past, but in an involuntary exile from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/pursuing-employment-or-climatic-relief-we-live-in-voluntary-exile/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [There was much woe and lamentation in the seventies that the game was dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/there-was-much-woe-and-lamentation-in-the-seventies-that-the-game-was/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [The heroes of our youth grow old - 'the boys of summer in their ruin,' in Dylan Thomas's verse - yet we seem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/the-heroes-of-our-youth-grow-old-the-boys-of-summer-in-their-ruin-in/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Finally, for all of us but a lucky few, the dream of playing big-time baseball is relinquished so we can get on with grown-up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/finally-for-all-of-us-but-a-lucky-few-the-dream-of-playing-big-time/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [If I haven't made myself clear, this worrisome chain of events describes the game of the nineteenth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/if-i-haven-t-made-myself-clear-this-worrisome-chain-of-events/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [My egotistical concern was less that I would fail to relate to my classmates than that they would know nothing of my uniquely tortured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/my-egotistical-concern-was-less-that-i-would-fail-to-relate-to-my/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [More fundamentally, it is a dream that does not die with the onset of manhood: the dream is to play endlessly, past the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/more-fundamentally-it-is-a-dream-that-does-not-die-with-the-onset-of/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Yes, we've seen it all before. And yes, those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it. But no, the sky is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/yes-we-ve-seen-it-all-before-and-yes-those-who-do-not-study-history/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [We know these men are professionals whose services are up for bid and whose bags are packed, and yet we call them our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/we-know-these-men-are-professionals-whose-services-are-up-for-bid-and/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [The National League was born the following year, as an attempt to exert the control of capital over labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/the-national-league-was-born-the-following-year-as-an-attempt-to/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) [Explore all 45 John Thorn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) [Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Better than anything else in our culture, it enables fathers and sons to speak on a level playing field while building up from within a personal history of shared experience - a group history - that may be tapped into at will in years to come.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Thorn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture-it-enables-fathers-and-sons/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Building" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture-it-enables-fathers-and-sons/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d33/john-thorn-14783_building_better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture_2179438.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Better than anything else in our culture, it enables fathers and sons to speak on a level playing field…” — John Thorn", "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 Thorn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Better than anything else in our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture-it-enables-fathers-and-sons/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/better-than-anything-else-in-our-culture-it-enables-fathers-and-sons/#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 } } ] } ```