--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I felt sorry for Mary-Emma and all she…" description: "\"“I felt sorry for Mary-Emma and all she was going through, every day waking up to something new. Though maybe that was what childhood was. But I couldn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/lorrie-moore-870_children_i-felt-sorry-for-mary-emma-and-all-she-w_3223645.png" --- # I felt sorry for Mary-Emma and all she was going through… ![“I felt sorry for Mary-Emma and all she was going through, every day waking up to something new. Though maybe that was what childhood was. But I couldn't quite recall that being the case for me. And perhaps she would grow up with a sense that incompetence was all around here, and it was entirely…” quote by Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/lorrie-moore-870_children_i-felt-sorry-for-mary-emma-and-all-she-w_3223645.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/lorrie-moore-870_children_i-felt-sorry-for-mary-emma-and-all-she-w_3223645.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/lorrie-moore-870_children_i-felt-sorry-for-mary-emma-and-all-she-w_3223645.png) > ““I felt sorry for Mary-Emma and all she was going through, every day waking up to something new. Though maybe that was what childhood was. But I couldn't quite recall that being the case for me. And perhaps she would grow up with a sense that incompetence was all around here, and it was entirely possible I would be instrumental in that. She would grow up with love, but no sense that the people who loved her knew what they were doing - the opposite of my childhood - and so she would become suspicious of people, suspicious of love and the worth of it. Which in the end, well, would be a lot like me. So perhaps it didn't matter what happened to you as a girl: you ended up the same.”” [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator sees a child's developing distrust of love, mirroring her own, suggesting cycles of emotional trauma. **In simple terms:** Childhood trauma can repeat across generations. Key Takeaway Break the cycle by fostering healthy relationships. Themes family trauma trust generational patterns emotional development Mood empathetic somber Type narrative psychological When to use this quote - parenting - counseling - education - support groups Key Concepts attachment theory psychological inheritance Questions to Reflect On - What patterns from your childhood affect you now? - How can you model trust for others? A Different Perspective Healing requires conscious effort and safe environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childhood Couldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-couldn-6070384/) [Childhood Suspicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-suspicious-6070383/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Felt Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-sorry/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mary Emma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mary-emma-6070387/) [Maybe Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-childhood-6070386/) [Opposite Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-childhood-6070385/) ## Related quotes > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [As far as critics, I'm not a hip guy. 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