---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father was a San Francisco…"
description: "\"My father was a San Francisco firefighter. He also was an amateur artist. Art ran deep on his side of the family, which originated in Spain. He painted..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg"
---

#  My father was a San Francisco firefighter. He also was an…

![“My father was a San Francisco firefighter. He also was an amateur artist. Art ran deep on his side of the family, which originated in Spain. He painted our portraits. My mom, Jacqueline, was Scots-Irish. They met in 1947 when dad played for the Houston Buffalos, a minor league baseball team…” quote by Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg)

> “My father was a San Francisco firefighter. He also was an amateur artist. Art ran deep on his side of the family, which originated in Spain. He painted our portraits. My mom, Jacqueline, was Scots-Irish. They met in 1947 when dad played for the Houston Buffalos, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.”

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

## About This Quote

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

Family heritage blends diverse cultures, influencing identity and creativity.

**In simple terms:** Family roots shape who we are.

Key Takeaway

Embrace your mixed background.

Themes

heritage identity creativity

Mood

nostalgic proud

Type

biographical cultural

When to use this quote

- Genealogy research
- cultural festivals
- family storytelling

Key Concepts

Cultural hybridity family legacy artistic influence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your ancestry affect your passions?
- What traditions do you carry forward?

A Different Perspective

Stereotypes may oversimplify complex backgrounds.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Baseball team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-team/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/) [Scots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scots/)

## Related quotes

> [You ask people what their ethnicity is, and a lot of Scots-Irish people either don't know or if they know it they just don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/you-ask-people-what-their-ethnicity-is-and-a-lot-of-scots-irish/)

[John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/)

> [For generations comedians have made jokes about Scots-Irish in the South inter-breeding. "I am my own grandpa" and all that stuff; you know, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/for-generations-comedians-have-made-jokes-about-scots-irish-in-the/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [The Scots (originally Irish, but by now Scotch) were at this time inhabiting Ireland, having driven the Irish (Picts) out of Scotland; while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-scots-originally-irish-but-by-now-scotch-were-at-this-time/)

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

> [“Until they became the British Empire’s greatest voyagers, indeed its greatest export, settling in odd places all around the world. And for that splinter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-webb/until-they-became-the-british-empire-s-greatest-voyagers-indeed-its/)

[James Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-webb/)

> [“As one observer noted, “In traveling across America, the Scots-Irish have consistently blown my mind as far and away the most persistent and unchanging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-one-observer-noted-in-traveling-across-america-the-scots-irish/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“Most of the first voluntary Irish immigrants came from Ulster in the north of Ireland. These immigrants were generally, although not exclusively, Protestants. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-hackney/most-of-the-first-voluntary-irish-immigrants-came-from-ulster-in-the/)

[Ryan Hackney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-hackney/)

> [I was born in Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, and I'm Scots-Irish, therefore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-bell-burnell/i-was-born-in-northern-ireland-also-known-as-ulster-and-i-m-scots/)

[Jocelyn Bell Burnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-bell-burnell/)

> [“The blood feuds of today’s Ulster— and their legacy in the journey of America’s Scots-Irish— have their roots in a decision made in 1610…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-webb/the-blood-feuds-of-today-s-ulster-and-their-legacy-in-the-journey-of/)

[James Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-webb/)

> [My dad played in the National Soccer League in Australia and also played football in Malaysia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montaigne/my-dad-played-in-the-national-soccer-league-in-australia-and-also/)

[Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montaigne/)

> [My dad played in Iceland and I think went over to Sweden for a couple of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gylfi-sigurdsson/my-dad-played-in-iceland-and-i-think-went-over-to-sweden-for-a-couple/)

[Gylfi Sigurdsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gylfi-sigurdsson/)

> [My dad played drums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/my-dad-played-drums/)

[Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/)

> [Was I right to pick 'A Fish Called Wanda' as my 'funniest film' in 2017 on the grounds of how many times my dad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivo-graham/was-i-right-to-pick-a-fish-called-wanda-as-my-funniest-film-in-2017/)

[Ivo Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivo-graham/)

> [I'll tell you, my dad played and sang, and it didn't take me long to figure out that playing a guitar was a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-campbell/i-ll-tell-you-my-dad-played-and-sang-and-it-didn-t-take-me-long-to/)

[Glen Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-campbell/)

> [When I was around eight or nine I drove up to Byron Bay from Sydney with my Dad. We each played songs to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruel/when-i-was-around-eight-or-nine-i-drove-up-to-byron-bay-from-sydney/)

Ruel

> [I was born with football - my brothers, my dad. I played football when I was a kid. I mean, you know, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-mckee/i-was-born-with-football-my-brothers-my-dad-i-played-football-when-i/)

[Ann McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-mckee/)

## More by Keith Hernandez

> [You never know what's going to happen the rest of the way. You can't predict. You don't know what Montreal is going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-the-rest-of-the-way-you-can-t/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [They can't have Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling lose a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/they-can-t-have-randy-johnson-and-curt-schilling-lose-a-game/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [Baseball began early for me. When I was 5, my father took two Little League bats and put them on a lathe. He whittled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/baseball-began-early-for-me-when-i-was-5-my-father-took-two-little/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [Who cares how many miles per hour the ball traveled once it left the bat, or how high the ball traveled in degrees, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/who-cares-how-many-miles-per-hour-the-ball-traveled-once-it-left-the/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [I love to read, and I've always loved to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/i-love-to-read-and-i-ve-always-loved-to-write/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [I love baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/i-love-baseball/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [The Yankees have better starting pitchers than Arizona. Arizona just has two... the Yanks have four.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/the-yankees-have-better-starting-pitchers-than-arizona-arizona-just/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [You need to be locally relevant, globally consistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/you-need-to-be-locally-relevant-globally-consistent/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [I always performed out of fear of failure - and that's a tough way to play. It was as if my back was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/i-always-performed-out-of-fear-of-failure-and-that-s-a-tough-way-to/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [The best class I ever took in high school was typing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/the-best-class-i-ever-took-in-high-school-was-typing/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [I have a natural tendency to resist conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/i-have-a-natural-tendency-to-resist-conformity/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [I've been to Gettysburg probably more than half a dozen times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/i-ve-been-to-gettysburg-probably-more-than-half-a-dozen-times/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [My high school coach was a bit of a jerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/my-high-school-coach-was-a-bit-of-a-jerk/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [I played football in the fall when I was in high school. Then basketball, a different conditioning - you're running up and down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/i-played-football-in-the-fall-when-i-was-in-high-school-then/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

> [Everyone has someone they looked up to. Mine was Mickey Mantle. For Alex Rodriguez to idolize me coming up, that makes me feel very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/everyone-has-someone-they-looked-up-to-mine-was-mickey-mantle-for/)

[Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

[Explore all 34 Keith Hernandez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My father was a San Francisco firefighter. He also was an amateur artist. Art ran deep on his side of the family, which originated in Spain. He painted our portraits. My mom, Jacqueline, was Scots-Irish. They met in 1947 when dad played for the Houston Buffalos, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Keith Hernandez"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighter-he-also-was-an-amateur/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighter-he-also-was-an-amateur/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/keith-hernandez-18865_art_my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighte_1536566.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My father was a San Francisco firefighter. He also was an amateur artist. Art ran deep on his side of the…” — Keith Hernandez",
                "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": "Keith Hernandez",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My father was a San Francisco...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighter-he-also-was-an-amateur/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/my-father-was-a-san-francisco-firefighter-he-also-was-an-amateur/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
