---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father was a farm boy who never…"
description: "\"My father was a farm boy who never learned to be holding and supportive.\" — Mariette Hartley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png"
---

#  My father was a farm boy who never learned to be holding…

![“My father was a farm boy who never learned to be holding and supportive.” quote by Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png)

> “My father was a farm boy who never learned to be holding and supportive.”

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker reflects on a father's lack of emotional support, highlighting generational gaps in nurturing.

**In simple terms:** A father who didn't learn to be supportive.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge and address emotional gaps.

Themes

family dynamics emotional neglect generational trauma

Mood

reflective somber

Type

personal psychological

When to use this quote

- parent‑child relationships
- therapy
- personal growth
- communication skills

Key Concepts

emotional intelligence attachment theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you heal from this lack?
- What steps can you take to foster supportive relationships?

A Different Perspective

It may generalize a single experience to all fathers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [And my father had a farm in Africa. Have you ever taken the insides out of a stag?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-michael-of-kent/and-my-father-had-a-farm-in-africa-have-you-ever-taken-the-insides/)

[Princess Michael of Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-michael-of-kent/)

> [I'm a farm boy. I would rather live in that time when you had to provide for your family. I don't know. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-m-a-farm-boy-i-would-rather-live-in-that-time-when-you-had-to/)

[Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/)

> [I was a typical farm boy. I liked the farm. I enjoyed the things that you do on a farm, go down to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/i-was-a-typical-farm-boy-i-liked-the-farm-i-enjoyed-the-things-that/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [I'm a farm boy from Connecticut, and I adopted urban life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-atherton/i-m-a-farm-boy-from-connecticut-and-i-adopted-urban-life/)

William Atherton

> [Once upon a time, there was a boy who learned to read at the age of 5. This changed his life. Owing to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-boy-who-learned-to-read-at-the-age-of-5/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [“What did you learn in school today, Dear little boy of mine? What did you learn in school today, Dear little boy of mine?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-paxton/what-did-you-learn-in-school-today-dear-little-boy-of-mine-what-did/)

[Tom Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-paxton/)

> [I was like a mutant when I was a boy. I learned to read when I was four years old; it was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-was-like-a-mutant-when-i-was-a-boy-i-learned-to-read-when-i-was/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they've always made me glad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/being-an-old-farm-boy-myself-chickens-coming-home-to-roost-never-did/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [I was blessed to grow up on a farm, and when you're a farm boy, exercise is part of your lifestyle. Like it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/i-was-blessed-to-grow-up-on-a-farm-and-when-you-re-a-farm-boy/)

[Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/)

> [Don't you want me to kiss you goodbye, sweetie?" "Kiss a cow farm boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/don-t-you-want-me-to-kiss-you-goodbye-sweetie-kiss-a-cow-farm-boy/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [A cowboy is a farm boy in leather britches and a comical hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-cowboy-is-a-farm-boy-in-leather-britches-and-a-comical-hat/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [He comes on with his big, innocent farm boy routine, but I could see through that in a Peloponnesian minute. -Meg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/disney-princess/he-comes-on-with-his-big-innocent-farm-boy-routine-but-i-could-see/)

Disney Princess

> [I've been saying it so long to you, you just wouldn't listen. Every time you said 'Farm Boy do this' you thought I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/i-ve-been-saying-it-so-long-to-you-you-just-wouldn-t-listen-every/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

> [“What’s your name, Farm Boy?” “Charlie Heggensford, ma’am.” He stuck out his hand and she smiled as she shook it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-edwards/what-s-your-name-farm-boy-charlie-heggensford-ma-am-he-stuck-out-his/)

[Hank Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-edwards/)

> [I'm a farm boy who just wants to have a good laugh in life, with no regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/i-m-a-farm-boy-who-just-wants-to-have-a-good-laugh-in-life-with-no/)

[Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/)

## More by Mariette Hartley

> [I'm at my best when I'm thrown, even though I don't like to be thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-m-at-my-best-when-i-m-thrown-even-though-i-don-t-like-to-be-thrown/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [My father was a very strong male figure to me as a child. He was very dashing, had a wonderful sense of humor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/my-father-was-a-very-strong-male-figure-to-me-as-a-child-he-was-very/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [One of the wonderful things about Shakespeare is that he trusted an audience to move quickly with him. One moment tragedy, the next comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-shakespeare-is-that-he-trusted-an/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I think my strength as a performer is my ability to straddle the fence between comedy and tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-think-my-strength-as-a-performer-is-my-ability-to-straddle-the/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I enjoy live television a lot, but I'm not crazy about the hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-enjoy-live-television-a-lot-but-i-m-not-crazy-about-the-hours/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [What took some time for me to figure out was how to have a life outside my career, to find a way to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/what-took-some-time-for-me-to-figure-out-was-how-to-have-a-life/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [When you are shooting a movie in a week, there's not much time to travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/when-you-are-shooting-a-movie-in-a-week-there-s-not-much-time-to/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I talk only about my journey because that's all I know. That's what the audience always pulls me back to. There's a hunger out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-talk-only-about-my-journey-because-that-s-all-i-know-that-s-what/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I think I know what middle America enjoys seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-think-i-know-what-middle-america-enjoys-seeing/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [There wasn't exactly a plethora of physical affection in our family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/there-wasn-t-exactly-a-plethora-of-physical-affection-in-our-family/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I got used to certain things that normal kids don't get used to, like, when my mother went into the kitchen for things other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-got-used-to-certain-things-that-normal-kids-don-t-get-used-to-like/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [But I will say that TV was a great education for me. It allowed me to develop techniques for getting the job done. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/but-i-will-say-that-tv-was-a-great-education-for-me-it-allowed-me-to/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I'm not a compulsive worker, and I've never been a workaholic, so if I have a three-week vacation, I don't want to do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-m-not-a-compulsive-worker-and-i-ve-never-been-a-workaholic-so-if-i/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [I love comedy. That's what I really look forward to doing. Enough of this heavy drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/i-love-comedy-that-s-what-i-really-look-forward-to-doing-enough-of/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [It's hard to be a long-distance mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/it-s-hard-to-be-a-long-distance-mother/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

[Explore all 103 Mariette Hartley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

## More Farm quotes

> [“The Prince had fallen in love. She was only a farmer's daughter, but she was was beautiful, and also smart, as the daughters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/the-prince-had-fallen-in-love-she-was-only-a-farmer-s-daughter-but/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [Make the choice, if you can, to get milk direct from farms or farm drop services. We need the supermarkets, of course we do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whaite/make-the-choice-if-you-can-to-get-milk-direct-from-farms-or-farm-drop/)

[John Whaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whaite/)

> [“I'm growing as a person. I'm self-farming. That's the highest form of farming, even greater than being a duck farmer, which, as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-growing-as-a-person-i-m-self-farming-that-s-the-highest-form-of/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I know how to set an irrigation tube, and I helped with the harvest. I learned the law of the harvest without even knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-l-dew/i-know-how-to-set-an-irrigation-tube-and-i-helped-with-the-harvest-i/)

[Sheri L. Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-l-dew/)

> [There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/there-have-always-been-starkadders-at-cold-comfort-farm/)

[Stella Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/)

> [My father was trained as a saddler, but in fact as a young man worked in his father's business of rearing and selling cattle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-klug/my-father-was-trained-as-a-saddler-but-in-fact-as-a-young-man-worked/)

[Aaron Klug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-klug/)

> [“There were a lot of stressed out people in the company as we were discovering how dangerous the DeSoto Solar Farm was!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-were-a-lot-of-stressed-out-people-in-the-company-as-we-were/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [It's commonly said that if slaughterhouses had clear glass walls, nobody would eat meat. I think people go out of their way to remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-o/it-s-commonly-said-that-if-slaughterhouses-had-clear-glass-walls/)

[Steve-O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-o/)

> [“When President Obama showed up to launch the Desoto Solar Farm, we were in the middle of dealing with the engineering disaster it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/when-president-obama-showed-up-to-launch-the-desoto-solar-farm-we/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [What I learned growing up on the farm was a way of life that was centered on hard work, and on faith and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/what-i-learned-growing-up-on-the-farm-was-a-way-of-life-that-was/)

[Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/)

> [“Shortly before I was fired, the company at the Desoto Solar Farm emailed me the legally required OSHA signs to install in my office.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/shortly-before-i-was-fired-the-company-at-the-desoto-solar-farm/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I farm - there is something visceral about being attached to the land. I am a recording engineer. I do my own laundry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-lerner/i-farm-there-is-something-visceral-about-being-attached-to-the-land-i/)

[Sandra Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-lerner/)

> [I - I try to do as much as I can, wherever I am. So, at the farm, I'm always thinking of some new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/i-i-try-to-do-as-much-as-i-can-wherever-i-am-so-at-the-farm-i-m/)

[Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/)

> [There's not a lot to do in a small town, but i grew up on a cattle farm... some people would say there's nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-mcbryde/there-s-not-a-lot-to-do-in-a-small-town-but-i-grew-up-on-a-cattle/)

[Ashley McBryde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-mcbryde/)

> [I grew up on a farm, so I've always been keen on nature, animals and the simpler things in the life - that simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whaite/i-grew-up-on-a-farm-so-i-ve-always-been-keen-on-nature-animals-and/)

[John Whaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whaite/)

Browse all 639 Farm quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My father was a farm boy who never learned to be holding and supportive.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mariette Hartley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learned-to-be-holding-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Farm"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learned-to-be-holding-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/mariette-hartley-5052_farm_my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learn_588987.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My father was a farm boy who never learned to be holding and supportive.” — Mariette Hartley",
                "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": "Mariette Hartley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My father was a farm boy...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learned-to-be-holding-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/my-father-was-a-farm-boy-who-never-learned-to-be-holding-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
