---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wherever you have come from,” she…"
description: "\"“Wherever you have come from,” she continued, “whatever you did, whoever you were . . . forget. Kill your past and bury it deep in the earth of your he..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg"
---

#  Wherever you have come from,” she continued, “whatever you…

![“Wherever you have come from,” she continued, “whatever you did, whoever you were . . . forget. Kill your past and bury it deep in the earth of your heart. It will not help you here. It will only shackle you. This place is a sisterhood. These girls are your family. The Lady Achillea, the lanista of…” quote by Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg)

> ““Wherever you have come from,” she continued, “whatever you did, whoever you were . . . forget. Kill your past and bury it deep in the earth of your heart. It will not help you here. It will only shackle you. This place is a sisterhood. These girls are your family. The Lady Achillea, the lanista of this place, is your goddess. And I am your new mother.” “Couldn’t be any worse than my old mother,” Elka shrugged. Thalestris shot her a look that plainly said, Don’t be too sure of that.””

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

## About This Quote

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

Letting go of past identities and traumas is essential to belong and thrive in a new community.

**In simple terms:** Release the past to join a new family.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the present, release old burdens.

Themes

identity belonging healing community sisterhood

Mood

reflective determined

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- starting a new school
- joining a support group
- recovering from trauma
- building trust

Key Concepts

psychology ritual transformation

Questions to Reflect On

- What parts of your past still hold you back?
- How can you honor your history while moving forward?

A Different Perspective

Past experiences may still influence behavior despite conscious denial.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [New mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [So, yeah. Our cat was a goddess. What else is new?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/so-yeah-our-cat-was-a-goddess-what-else-is-new/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [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/)

> [As a new mother, you're so vulnerable and make mistakes all the time. I guess there's more pressure when you're in the public eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-marais/as-a-new-mother-you-re-so-vulnerable-and-make-mistakes-all-the-time-i/)

[Jessica Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-marais/)

> [However, when given the chance, many people choose cocaine over love. I wouldn’t say that’s a bad choice. The endorphins released during infatuation are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/however-when-given-the-chance-many-people-choose-cocaine-over-love-i/)

[Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/)

> [“ A TWIST OF LIGHT-prologue Reissue date; 6-16-14 The new mother mover the sacking away from the tiny red face, marveling at the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-mandeville/a-twist-of-light-prologue-reissue-date-6-16-14-the-new-mother-mover/)

Joyce Mandeville

> [I've learned a lot since I was a new mother. My approach to struggle and shame now is to talk to yourself like you'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-ve-learned-a-lot-since-i-was-a-new-mother-my-approach-to-struggle/)

[Brene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [And she, the new mother of a daughter, felt a fierceness come over her that seized at her heart, that made her feel as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/and-she-the-new-mother-of-a-daughter-felt-a-fierceness-come-over-her/)

[Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/)

> [“Bea did not want a new mother. She'd hardly even seen the one she once had, except for glimpses out the window when her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-mccabe/bea-did-not-want-a-new-mother-she-d-hardly-even-seen-the-one-she-once/)

[Amanda McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-mccabe/)

> [For me, the most powerful way to write about something is through the absence of it. Rather than writing about what it was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/for-me-the-most-powerful-way-to-write-about-something-is-through-the/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

> [I finished 'Heartsick' with my daughter asleep in her bassinet by my desk, a feat that any new mother will tell you cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-finished-heartsick-with-my-daughter-asleep-in-her-bassinet-by-my/)

[Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/)

> [What advice can we give to new mothers? Their children need to work at an interesting occupation: they should not be helped unnecessarily, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/what-advice-can-we-give-to-new-mothers-their-children-need-to-work-at/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [For plain and fancy worrying, give me a new mother every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/for-plain-and-fancy-worrying-give-me-a-new-mother-every-time/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [Every new mother wonders, 'what will I pass on to my child'? Hunger is one inheritance no mother wants to give her child, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/every-new-mother-wonders-what-will-i-pass-on-to-my-child-hunger-is/)

[Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/)

> [“And what will you call her, then?” Nancy asked the new mother. “Abigail,” Naomi said. “We will call her Abigail.” “Ah,” Nancy said with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-schmidt/and-what-will-you-call-her-then-nancy-asked-the-new-mother-abigail/)

Melanie Schmidt

> [“You won't spoil your newborn if you hold them as much as you want to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/you-won-t-spoil-your-newborn-if-you-hold-them-as-much-as-you-want-to/)

[Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/)

## More by Lesley Livingston

> [“That doesn’'t happeneverytime you kiss someone, does it? ”" Maddox said to Chloe, gasping through the pain of his double injuries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/that-doesn-t-happeneverytime-you-kiss-someone-does-it-maddox-said-to/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“But as I looked up at him, I saw genuine worry in his eyes. I realized he really had thought I was hurt. “Mael,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/but-as-i-looked-up-at-him-i-saw-genuine-worry-in-his-eyes-i-realized/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“Then she began to mutter to herself and gesture to the empty air. oh. Sonny sighed. Just another central park crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/then-she-began-to-mutter-to-herself-and-gesture-to-the-empty-air-oh/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“I thought you said you dislocated Selene’'s shoulder!”" Sonny called to Cait, who’'d tumbled for safety into the black water behind the stern of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/i-thought-you-said-you-dislocated-selene-s-shoulder-sonny-called-to/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“She drew herself up and took in a breath, concentrating on her inflection so that she could indulge him in his game. Then she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/she-drew-herself-up-and-took-in-a-breath-concentrating-on-her/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“Evil really needs to step up its game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/evil-really-needs-to-step-up-its-game/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“What about the whiskey?" Jack said as they ran. "Won't it keep them out?" The Green Maidens don't drink anything but blood." Bob's disembodied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/what-about-the-whiskey-jack-said-as-they-ran-won-t-it-keep-them-out/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“Sonny pulled Lucky up short and swung around to face Fennrys. "I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to die surprised. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/sonny-pulled-lucky-up-short-and-swung-around-to-face-fennrys-i-m-not/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“You are what you are, no matter what you once were.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/you-are-what-you-are-no-matter-what-you-once-were/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“I would be the master of my own fate. Me and the goddess Morrigan. No one else—and certainly no man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/i-would-be-the-master-of-my-own-fate-me-and-the-goddess-morrigan-no/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“Some things you just have to take on faith and believe in at the risk of getting hurt. It's one of the things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/some-things-you-just-have-to-take-on-faith-and-believe-in-at-the-risk/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“But then my attention was ripped away from him as, with another blast of the war horn, she appeared: the Lady Achillea, lit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/but-then-my-attention-was-ripped-away-from-him-as-with-another-blast/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“As the sun sank over the far purple hills, I imagined how he would welcome me into his war band with silver words praising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/as-the-sun-sank-over-the-far-purple-hills-i-imagined-how-he-would/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“Well then, what’s the problem?” “It’s not honorable!” “Oh.” Elka snorted. “Is that all?” “All?” I gaped at her. “It’s everything!” She rolled her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/well-then-what-s-the-problem-it-s-not-honorable-oh-elka-snorted-is/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

> [“He looked taken aback, but I didn’t care if I’d offended him. I was about to be sold. And if it amused this pampered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/he-looked-taken-aback-but-i-didn-t-care-if-i-d-offended-him-i-was/)

[Lesley Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

[Explore all 130 Lesley Livingston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/)

## 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": "“Wherever you have come from,” she continued, “whatever you did, whoever you were . . . forget. Kill your past and bury it deep in the earth of your heart. It will not help you here. It will only shackle you. This place is a sisterhood. These girls are your family. The Lady Achillea, the lanista of this place, is your goddess. And I am your new mother.” “Couldn’t be any worse than my old mother,” Elka shrugged. Thalestris shot her a look that plainly said, Don’t be too sure of that.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lesley Livingston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continued-whatever-you-did-whoever/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continued-whatever-you-did-whoever/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/970/lesley-livingston-3307_parenting_wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continue_1032270.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Wherever you have come from,” she continued, “whatever you did, whoever you were . . . forget. Kill your…” — Lesley Livingston",
                "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": "Lesley Livingston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-livingston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Wherever you have come from,” she...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continued-whatever-you-did-whoever/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-livingston/wherever-you-have-come-from-she-continued-whatever-you-did-whoever/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
