---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a…"
description: "\"“My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story goes. And one Sat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png"
---

#  My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her…

![“My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story goes. And one Saturday evening she became so absorbed in her book that when she looked up she found that it was half-past midnight and she had spun for half an hour…” quote by Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png)

> ““My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story goes. And one Saturday evening she became so absorbed in her book that when she looked up she found that it was half-past midnight and she had spun for half an hour on the Sabbath Day. Back then, that counted as a major sin.””

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

## About This Quote

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

Balancing work and leisure can lead to unintended neglect of obligations, highlighting the tension between personal fulfillment and societal expectations.

**In simple terms:** Personal passion vs duty

Key Takeaway

Passion can blur responsibility

Themes

work-life balance cultural norms personal fulfillment religious duty time perception

Mood

reflective nostalgic humorous

Type

anecdote cultural observation

When to use this quote

- quiet evenings
- household chores
- religious contexts
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

reading spinning Sabbath observance

Practical Applications

- encouraging mindful scheduling
- teaching time management

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prioritize personal interests against communal expectations?
- When does indulgence become neglect?

A Different Perspective

Some may argue that personal joy justifies occasional lapses in duty, especially when the activity is harmless.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) [Great grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-grandmother/) [Read Spinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-spinning-1074460/) [Rest Spinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-spinning-1074461/) [Sabbath day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabbath-day/) [Saturday evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday-evening/) [Spinning Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinning-story-1074462/) [Spinning Wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinning-wheel-404032/) [Wheel Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheel-read-1074459/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Saturday Evening Post went out of business giving people what they said they wanted.24”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lovett-weems/the-saturday-evening-post-went-out-of-business-giving-people-what/)

[Lovett Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lovett-weems/)

> [ It's impossible to represent a saint \[in Art\]. It becomes boring. Perhaps because he is, like the Saturday Evening Post people, inthe position of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/it-s-impossible-to-represent-a-saint-in-art-it-becomes-boring-perhaps/)

[W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/)

> [“I was in the fifth grade the first time I thought about turning thirty. My best friend Darcy and I came across a perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-was-in-the-fifth-grade-the-first-time-i-thought-about-turning/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [“I was walking down the street when I was approached by an eleven-or twelve-year-old boy. He introduced himself and said that he was selling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-walking-down-the-street-when-i-was-approached-by-an-eleven-or/)

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

> [My ideal Friday and Saturday evening would be... Friday to go out and have dinner with my girlfriends. Saturday night, I would stay in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-agdal/my-ideal-friday-and-saturday-evening-would-be-friday-to-go-out-and/)

[Nina Agdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-agdal/)

> [“She was around ten minutes late, as a matter of fact. I didn't give a damn, though. All that crap they have in cartoons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/she-was-around-ten-minutes-late-as-a-matter-of-fact-i-didn-t-give-a/)

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

> [I was once invited to attend a private dinner for Senator John F. Kennedy. But it was a Saturday evening, and I passed. Had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/i-was-once-invited-to-attend-a-private-dinner-for-senator-john-f/)

[Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/)

> [When I was a boy, I read a terrible article in a big weekly American magazine called the 'Saturday Evening Post.' In the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/when-i-was-a-boy-i-read-a-terrible-article-in-a-big-weekly-american/)

[Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/)

> [“He can be made to take a positive pleasure in the perception that the two sides of his life are inconsistent. This is done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-can-be-made-to-take-a-positive-pleasure-in-the-perception-that-the/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“So I've come up with a plan,' he said quickly, as if hoping to get his idea in before I could stop him. 'I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/so-i-ve-come-up-with-a-plan-he-said-quickly-as-if-hoping-to-get-his/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

> [“dramatically, but helium gas was 10 times as expensive. Under these conditions, Dr. Eckener, a pilot whose primary concern was safety and as Director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-provan/dramatically-but-helium-gas-was-10-times-as-expensive-under-these/)

[John Provan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-provan/)

> [Poetry died as a commercial form and then it died as a serious art form. No one serious touches it. It used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/poetry-died-as-a-commercial-form-and-then-it-died-as-a-serious-art/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [All the other kids in ninth grade were drawing hot rods and cocker spaniels and getting blue ribbons in art class. I was getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/all-the-other-kids-in-ninth-grade-were-drawing-hot-rods-and-cocker/)

[Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/)

> [“Do the poet and scientist not work analogously? Both are willing to waste effort. To be hard on himself is one ...of the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/do-the-poet-and-scientist-not-work-analogously-both-are-willing-to/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [There was a time in the 1930s when magazine writers could actually make a good living. 'The Saturday Evening Post' and 'Collier's' both had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/there-was-a-time-in-the-1930s-when-magazine-writers-could-actually/)

[Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/)

## More by Mary Lawson

> [“The lake hadn’t been frozen long and of all them had been expressly forbidden to go out on it, but Norman Pye, who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/the-lake-hadn-t-been-frozen-long-and-of-all-them-had-been-expressly/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [You'd have thought that after suffering such a loss nothing else would matter to her but that didn't seem to be how it worked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/you-d-have-thought-that-after-suffering-such-a-loss-nothing-else/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [“Most children suffer from a crippling lack of stimulation. The brain is like any other muscle; use it, and it develops. Ignore it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/most-children-suffer-from-a-crippling-lack-of-stimulation-the-brain/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [Tomorrow is forever, and years pass in no time at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/tomorrow-is-forever-and-years-pass-in-no-time-at-all/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [Suddenly he saw himself as others in the crowd must surely see him; a silent, solitary figure, standing apart from the rest. He looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/suddenly-he-saw-himself-as-others-in-the-crowd-must-surely-see-him-a/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [“It was so easy for women,their arms opened out instinctively and they gathered in whatever hurt there was and that was that, they didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/it-was-so-easy-for-women-their-arms-opened-out-instinctively-and-they/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [“I would like to be able to say that I threw myself into the spirit of it all, but the truth is, I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/i-would-like-to-be-able-to-say-that-i-threw-myself-into-the-spirit-of/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [“Arthur found himself staring down at the knife embedded in his foot. There was a surreal split second before the blood started to well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/arthur-found-himself-staring-down-at-the-knife-embedded-in-his-foot/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [“Matt had told me that cold was just the absence of heat, but it didn’t feel like that. It felt like a presence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/matt-had-told-me-that-cold-was-just-the-absence-of-heat-but-it-didn-t/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [He'd assumed that you went to school because you had to learn things, starting off with the easy stuff and moving on to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/he-d-assumed-that-you-went-to-school-because-you-had-to-learn-things/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [“You see the suffering of children all the time nowadays. Wars and famines are played out before us in our living rooms, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/you-see-the-suffering-of-children-all-the-time-nowadays-wars-and/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

> [We are all bumbling along,side by side, week in, week out, our paths similar in some ways and different in others, all apparently running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/we-are-all-bumbling-along-side-by-side-week-in-week-out-our-paths/)

[Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

[Explore all 13 Mary Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/)

## More Grandmother quotes

> [“Did he kill Grandmother?” I whispered. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Erra’s voice said in my ear. “She is already dead. Besides, your grandmother was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/did-he-kill-grandmother-i-whispered-don-t-be-ridiculous-erra-s-voice/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/)

[Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/)

> [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/)

[Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/)

> [“Because he doesn’t want me talking to my grandmother.” Barabas looked at Curran. Curran shrugged. “It’s a family thing. Sometimes your father puts your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/because-he-doesn-t-want-me-talking-to-my-grandmother-barabas-looked/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/)

[Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/)

> [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/)

[John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/)

> [Honestly, and seriously, I know I have to do a Telugu film. It was my grandmother's dream to see me in a Telugu film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swara-bhaskar/honestly-and-seriously-i-know-i-have-to-do-a-telugu-film-it-was-my/)

[Swara Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swara-bhaskar/)

> [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/)

[Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/)

> [I guessed my mother figured if my father got right down to the task of eating he wouldn’t be so inclined to jump up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-guessed-my-mother-figured-if-my-father-got-right-down-to-the-task/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [I'm a grandmother, and a mighty proud one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-m-a-grandmother-and-a-mighty-proud-one/)

[Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/)

> [I grew up in Harlem. My grandmother was one of the best cooks around, but the first thing she did on Sunday mornings when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/i-grew-up-in-harlem-my-grandmother-was-one-of-the-best-cooks-around/)

[Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/)

> [I have a role now that I think becomes me. I am a grandmother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-have-a-role-now-that-i-think-becomes-me-i-am-a-grandmother/)

[Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/)

> [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/)

[Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/)

> [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/)

[Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/)

> [I'm proud of my hands; they look like my grandma's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serinda-swan/i-m-proud-of-my-hands-they-look-like-my-grandma-s/)

[Serinda Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serinda-swan/)

[Browse all 1,839 Grandmother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story goes. And one Saturday evening she became so absorbed in her book that when she looked up she found that it was half-past midnight and she had spun for half an hour on the Sabbath Day. Back then, that counted as a major sin.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Lawson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-book-rest-to-her-spinning-wheel/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grandmother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-book-rest-to-her-spinning-wheel/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/mary-lawson-35759_grandmother_my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-bo_85459.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was…” — Mary Lawson",
                "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": "Mary Lawson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-book-rest-to-her-spinning-wheel/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-book-rest-to-her-spinning-wheel/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
