--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That strong mother doesn't tell her cub…" description: "\"That strong mother doesn't tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is reality we are living in.\" — Lauryn Hill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg" --- # That strong mother doesn't tell her cub, Son, stay weak so… ![“That strong mother doesn't tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is reality we are living in.” quote by Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg) > “That strong mother doesn't tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is reality we are living in.” [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother urges her child to be resilient, rejecting weakness, emphasizing toughness as necessary for survival. **In simple terms:** Mother urges toughness over weakness. Key Takeaway Cultivate resilience in adversity. Themes family resilience strength survival Mood protective determined Type parental motivational When to use this quote - parental advice - personal challenges - self‑defense Key Concepts toughness mental fortitude life lessons Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance strength with vulnerability? - When is softness a strategic advantage? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on toughness may ignore emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-doesn-417429/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Stay Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-weak-1139086/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-mother/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Weak Wolves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-wolves-4237233/) [Wolves Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolves-says-4237232/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes You gonna stay strong so other's won't stay weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtneypaige/sometimes-you-gonna-stay-strong-so-other-s-won-t-stay-weak/) [CourtneyPaige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtneypaige/) > [Weaklings will stay weak forever. But weakness is not evil, since human beings are weak creatures to begin with. Alone you fell nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makarov-dreyar-fairy-tail/weaklings-will-stay-weak-forever-but-weakness-is-not-evil-since-human/) [Makarov Dreyar Fairy Tail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makarov-dreyar-fairy-tail/) > [We’re all imperfect and we all have needs. The weak usually do not ask for help, so they stay weak. If we recognize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/we-re-all-imperfect-and-we-all-have-needs-the-weak-usually-do-not-ask/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [“If I say, “I am weak,” I ensure that I stay weak. If I say, “I cannot,” “I’m not the type to,” “I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/if-i-say-i-am-weak-i-ensure-that-i-stay-weak-if-i-say-i-cannot-i-m/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [One of the main uses of a home is to stay in it, when one is too weak and spiritless for conforming, without effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/one-of-the-main-uses-of-a-home-is-to-stay-in-it-when-one-is-too-weak/) [Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/) > [I have a very strong mother. She entered me in the Teen Magazine model search when I was 16. I wasn't really that interested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ford/i-have-a-very-strong-mother-she-entered-me-in-the-teen-magazine-model/) [Faith Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ford/) > [ I heard the term "mamisma" when describing Speaker of the House \[Nancy\] Pelosi, how she was speaking from that place which is kind of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-heard-the-term-mamisma-when-describing-speaker-of-the-house-nancy/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [We are all anxious to be accepted. But if you have a strong mother and father who tell you that you don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/we-are-all-anxious-to-be-accepted-but-if-you-have-a-strong-mother-and/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Dad has cancer yet again. I am the one who has to stay strong for him, for my mother, for everyone. But once in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiana-webb/dad-has-cancer-yet-again-i-am-the-one-who-has-to-stay-strong-for-him/) [Tiana Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiana-webb/) > [My constant endeavour is to offer something new to the audience. Every movie I pick, including 'Loafer', which offers a strong mother sentiment, tries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-tej/my-constant-endeavour-is-to-offer-something-new-to-the-audience-every/) [Varun Tej](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-tej/) > [“Flora inherited, however, from her father a strong will and from her mother a slender ankle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/flora-inherited-however-from-her-father-a-strong-will-and-from-her/) [Stella Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/) > [I was raised by a strong mother who always taught me to speak up, I never had difficulty leaving an uncomfortable situation or cutting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-garrn/i-was-raised-by-a-strong-mother-who-always-taught-me-to-speak-up-i/) [Toni Garrn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-garrn/) > [My Mom teach me to cuss, fight &to be strong. She turn me into a leader. She is my biggest critic and my strongest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/my-mom-teach-me-to-cuss-fight-to-be-strong-she-turn-me-into-a-leader-2/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I'm fortunate to have an amazing, strong mother who is so supportive of everything me and my sisters did growing up - but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phelps/i-m-fortunate-to-have-an-amazing-strong-mother-who-is-so-supportive/) [Michael Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phelps/) > [My mom wasn't so much such a great cook. But I don't know, I think I have a very strong mother, and it's funny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-bloomfield/my-mom-wasn-t-so-much-such-a-great-cook-but-i-don-t-know-i-think-i/) [April Bloomfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-bloomfield/) ## More by Lauryn Hill > [Let me be patient, let me be kind, make me unselfish, without being blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/let-me-be-patient-let-me-be-kind-make-me-unselfish-without-being-blind/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [We call ourselves creators and we just copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/we-call-ourselves-creators-and-we-just-copy/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [I like a brother that cuts to the chase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/i-like-a-brother-that-cuts-to-the-chase/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [Since those who believe they need a hero/celebrity outnumber the actual heroes/celebrities, people feel safe and comfortably justified in numbers, committing egregious crimes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/since-those-who-believe-they-need-a-hero-celebrity-outnumber-the/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [When I have a creative insight, there is a high. I think back in the day, I made music as much as I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/when-i-have-a-creative-insight-there-is-a-high-i-think-back-in-the/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/don-t-be-a-hard-rock-when-you-really-are-a-gem/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [I wrote these words for everyone who struggles in their youth. Who won't accept deception instead of what is truth. It seems we lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/i-wrote-these-words-for-everyone-who-struggles-in-their-youth-who-won/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [See fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need. And I just retired from the fantasy part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/see-fantasy-is-what-people-want-but-reality-is-what-they-need-and-i/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [This life is a process of learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/this-life-is-a-process-of-learning/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [If I should fall asleep and death takes me away, Don't be surprised son, I wasn't put here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/if-i-should-fall-asleep-and-death-takes-me-away-don-t-be-surprised/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [A friend once said, and I found to be true,That everyday people, they lie to God too,So what makes you think, that they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/a-friend-once-said-and-i-found-to-be-true-that-everyday-people-they/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [In my family, there was not an abundance of wealth, but there was an abundance of love. So there was always humor, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/in-my-family-there-was-not-an-abundance-of-wealth-but-there-was-an/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [As artists, we have an opportunity to help the public evolve, raise consciousness and awareness, teach, heal, enlighten and inspire in ways the democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/as-artists-we-have-an-opportunity-to-help-the-public-evolve-raise/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [Never underestimate those who you scar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/never-underestimate-those-who-you-scar/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [It could all be so simple, but you'd rather make it hard, loving you is like a battle, and we both end up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/it-could-all-be-so-simple-but-you-d-rather-make-it-hard-loving-you-is/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) [Explore all 197 Lauryn Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) ## More Mother quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [My mother was strong-willed, demanding, and very supportive all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/my-mother-was-strong-willed-demanding-and-very-supportive-all-at-the/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [Named after my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/named-after-my-mother/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [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/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) [Browse all 24,507 Mother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That strong mother doesn't tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is reality we are living in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauryn Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub-son-stay-weak-so-the-wolves/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mother" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub-son-stay-weak-so-the-wolves/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55e/lauryn-hill-1933_mother_that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub_2107183.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That strong mother doesn't tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up…” — Lauryn Hill", "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": "Lauryn Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That strong mother doesn't tell her...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub-son-stay-weak-so-the-wolves/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/that-strong-mother-doesn-t-tell-her-cub-son-stay-weak-so-the-wolves/#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 } } ] } ```