--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One reason you are stricken when your…" description: "\"One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that the audience you've been aiming at all your life - shocking it, pleasing it - has suddenly le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png" --- # One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that… ![“One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that the audience you've been aiming at all your life - shocking it, pleasing it - has suddenly left the theater.” quote by Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png) > “One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that the audience you've been aiming at all your life - shocking it, pleasing it - has suddenly left the theater.” [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grieves loss of parental approval, feeling the audience that gave life purpose has vanished. **In simple terms:** Losing parents feels like losing your lifelong audience. Key Takeaway Find new purpose beyond parental expectations. Themes grief identity family Mood somber introspective Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - career transitions - creative projects - personal growth - therapy Key Concepts existentialism psychology attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - What new audiences can you cultivate? - How does this loss reshape your self‑definition? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize; not all parental relationships are central. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) ## Related quotes > [I am suddenly left alone again on the sunny path, with a memory of the rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-am-suddenly-left-alone-again-on-the-sunny-path-with-a-memory-of-the/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [I was suddenly left with nothing in my hands but a handful of crazy stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-was-suddenly-left-with-nothing-in-my-hands-but-a-handful-of-crazy/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The drama may be called that part of theatrical art which lends itself most readily to intellectual discussion: what is left is theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-drama-may-be-called-that-part-of-theatrical-art-which-lends/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I've sort of left the theater just for little shoots here and there - little one-off series or small roles in films or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/i-ve-sort-of-left-the-theater-just-for-little-shoots-here-and-there/) [Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/) > [My favorite thing to hear from people is, 'I left the theater and couldn't stop thinking about it.' You want your work to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marin-ireland/my-favorite-thing-to-hear-from-people-is-i-left-the-theater-and/) [Marin Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marin-ireland/) > [I left the theater; I literally left to begin a new life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-left-the-theater-i-literally-left-to-begin-a-new-life/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [Unless an entire row of people got up in the middle of a performance and left the theater in disgust, I felt as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/unless-an-entire-row-of-people-got-up-in-the-middle-of-a-performance/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [“In the famine children saw their parents die and then went to live with the people on the other side. In their minds they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/in-the-famine-children-saw-their-parents-die-and-then-went-to-live/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“When your parents die, Alessandro, you feel that you have betrayed them." "Why?" Luciana asked. "Because you come to love your children more. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/when-your-parents-die-alessandro-you-feel-that-you-have-betrayed-them/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [...she knew in her heart that nature has a preference for a particular order: parents die, then children die. But it was a harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-frazier/she-knew-in-her-heart-that-nature-has-a-preference-for-a-particular/) [Charles Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-frazier/) > [When parents die, all of the partings of the past are reevoked with the realization that this time they will not return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/when-parents-die-all-of-the-partings-of-the-past-are-reevoked-with/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [“It was not their first choice, and they did not know if they would ever feel at home there, but they could afford, finally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-e-bender/it-was-not-their-first-choice-and-they-did-not-know-if-they-would/) Karen E. Bender > [I suppose if your parents die in their 50s and you are approaching 50, you see that you are definitely not in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/i-suppose-if-your-parents-die-in-their-50s-and-you-are-approaching-50/) [Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/) > [“Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really know how long ago that was now though. It’s hard to keep counting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-birch/did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-don-t-really-know-how-long-ago/) Stephen Birch > [“and that's the thing when your parents die, you feel like instead of going into every fight with backup, you are going into every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/and-that-s-the-thing-when-your-parents-die-you-feel-like-instead-of/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More by Katharine Whitehorn > [It's a pity more men are not bastards by birth instead of vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/it-s-a-pity-more-men-are-not-bastards-by-birth-instead-of-vocation/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [Why do born-again people so often make you wish they'd never been born the first time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/why-do-born-again-people-so-often-make-you-wish-they-d-never-been/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [Filing is concerned with the past; anything you actually need to see again has to do with the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/filing-is-concerned-with-the-past-anything-you-actually-need-to-see/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [Things a mother should know: how to comfort a son without exactly saying Daddy was wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/things-a-mother-should-know-how-to-comfort-a-son-without-exactly/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [The wind of change, whatever it is, blows most freely through an open mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/the-wind-of-change-whatever-it-is-blows-most-freely-through-an-open/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [In my next life I want to be a pessimist. Then other people could spend all their time cheering me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/in-my-next-life-i-want-to-be-a-pessimist-then-other-people-could/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [Hats divide generally into three classes: offensive hats, defensive hats, and shrapnel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/hats-divide-generally-into-three-classes-offensive-hats-defensive/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [No nice men are good at getting taxis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/no-nice-men-are-good-at-getting-taxis/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [I used to think the only use for sport was to give small boys something else to kick besides me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/i-used-to-think-the-only-use-for-sport-was-to-give-small-boys/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [People get a bad impression of it by continually trying to treat it as if it was a bank clerk, who ought to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/people-get-a-bad-impression-of-it-by-continually-trying-to-treat-it/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [The great rule is not to talk about money with people who have much more or much less than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/the-great-rule-is-not-to-talk-about-money-with-people-who-have-much/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/find-out-what-you-like-doing-best-and-get-someone-to-pay-you-for-it/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [I blame Rousseau, myself. "Man is born free", indeed. Man is not born free, he is born attached to his mother by a cord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/i-blame-rousseau-myself-man-is-born-free-indeed-man-is-not-born-free/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [I yield to no one in my admiration for the office as a social center, but it's no place actually to get any work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/i-yield-to-no-one-in-my-admiration-for-the-office-as-a-social-center/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [ People get a bad impression of it \[the English climate\] by continually trying to treat it as if it was a bank clerk, who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/people-get-a-bad-impression-of-it-the-english-climate-by-continually/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) [Explore all 55 Katharine Whitehorn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that the audience you've been aiming at all your life - shocking it, pleasing it - has suddenly left the theater.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katharine Whitehorn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-parents-die-is-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-parents-die-is-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84a/katharine-whitehorn-12429_audience_one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-pa_636991.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that the audience you've been aiming at all your life…” — Katharine Whitehorn", "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": "Katharine Whitehorn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One reason you are stricken when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-parents-die-is-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-parents-die-is-that-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 } } ] } ```