--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're divorced from my father because he…" description: "\"We're divorced from my father because he did some mean and scary things to us.\" — Mattie Stepanek" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg" --- # We're divorced from my father because he did some mean and… ![“We're divorced from my father because he did some mean and scary things to us.” quote by Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg) > “We're divorced from my father because he did some mean and scary things to us.” [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on estranged familial ties caused by abusive behavior, expressing emotional pain. **In simple terms:** He is separated from his father due to abuse. Key Takeaway Seek healing and boundaries after familial trauma. Themes family abuse healing loss Mood somber reflective Type emotional therapeutic When to use this quote - therapy - support groups - personal journaling - reconciliation attempts Key Concepts Trauma recovery emotional resilience generational patterns Questions to Reflect On - What steps can foster forgiveness? - How to protect oneself while seeking closure? A Different Perspective Healing may be limited without mutual willingness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divorced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorced/) [Divorced Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorced-father-240006/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-did/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Scary things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary-things/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [We had to make ends meet. My parents were divorced, so my father wasn't really in my life. We grew up like most kids,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-donovan/we-had-to-make-ends-meet-my-parents-were-divorced-so-my-father-wasn-t/) [Jeffrey Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-donovan/) > [I lived in Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon when I was very young, until my mother divorced my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cox/i-lived-in-nigeria-chad-and-cameroon-when-i-was-very-young-until-my/) [Patrick Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cox/) > [Reality is the scary thing. Not my work, not comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/reality-is-the-scary-thing-not-my-work-not-comedy/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [One day I was 17 years old and I ended up trying to commit suicide and I ended up in the hospital. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattie-mallette/one-day-i-was-17-years-old-and-i-ended-up-trying-to-commit-suicide/) [Pattie Mallette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattie-mallette/) > [The world is scary, and things are overwhelming, and there's a lot at stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/the-world-is-scary-and-things-are-overwhelming-and-there-s-a-lot-at/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [She's letting out her feelings. The scary thing is not being able to do that. When your feelings build up and harden and die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/she-s-letting-out-her-feelings-the-scary-thing-is-not-being-able-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I'm a good communicator, and I'm a good translator. I can talk to engineers; I can talk to people for whom technology is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-baker/i-m-a-good-communicator-and-i-m-a-good-translator-i-can-talk-to/) [Mitchell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-baker/) > [Scary things are good, aren't they?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sturridge/scary-things-are-good-aren-t-they/) [Tom Sturridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sturridge/) > [“Light our fire and protect us from the dark, blah blah, light our way and keep us toasty warm, the night is dark and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/light-our-fire-and-protect-us-from-the-dark-blah-blah-light-our-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Marriage is a really scary thing. I'm excited about it. I know it's not a mistake, it's the absolute right thing to do. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rzeznik/marriage-is-a-really-scary-thing-i-m-excited-about-it-i-know-it-s-not/) [John Rzeznik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rzeznik/) > [The scary thing is that sometimes you are wrapping up animation on a sequence and you don't know how the movie ends or begins.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-scanlon/the-scary-thing-is-that-sometimes-you-are-wrapping-up-animation-on-a/) [Dan Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-scanlon/) > [Religion is a very scary thing, because a pastor is in a position of power. And if you use that power badly, you ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/religion-is-a-very-scary-thing-because-a-pastor-is-in-a-position-of/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [My father did lots of things. He had an orange-juice factory. He did real estate. He did commercial selling. He was always up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-torode/my-father-did-lots-of-things-he-had-an-orange-juice-factory-he-did/) [John Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-torode/) > [Things where looking grim until your father did this !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vegeta/things-where-looking-grim-until-your-father-did-this/) [Vegeta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vegeta/) ## More by Mattie Stepanek > [I would not have lasted a minute, literally a minute, on this Earth without God and angels by my side, because I was born.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-would-not-have-lasted-a-minute-literally-a-minute-on-this-earth/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [I choose to live until death, not spend the time dying until death occurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-choose-to-live-until-death-not-spend-the-time-dying-until-death/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [I feel that God has given me a very special opportunity that I should not let go to waste. I use the gift he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-feel-that-god-has-given-me-a-very-special-opportunity-that-i-should/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/sunset-is-still-my-favorite-color-and-rainbow-is-second/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [My life mission is to spread peace to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/my-life-mission-is-to-spread-peace-to-the-world/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Expressing my feelings and then the opportunity to share it with others is just such a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/expressing-my-feelings-and-then-the-opportunity-to-share-it-with/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/unity-is-strength-when-there-is-teamwork-and-collaboration-wonderful/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [God gives me hope that there is something greater than us, something better and bigger than the here and now, that can help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/god-gives-me-hope-that-there-is-something-greater-than-us-something/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [I have a song deep in my heart, And only I can hear it. If I close my eyes and sit very still ...It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-have-a-song-deep-in-my-heart-and-only-i-can-hear-it-if-i-close-my/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Sometimes my body wakes me up and says 'Hey, you haven't had pain in a while. How about pain?' And sometimes I can't breathe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/sometimes-my-body-wakes-me-up-and-says-hey-you-haven-t-had-pain-in-a/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [I write to express my thoughts, my feelings. I want people to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-write-to-express-my-thoughts-my-feelings-i-want-people-to-think/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [It's the song in your heart that wants you to help make yourself a better person, and to help other people do the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/it-s-the-song-in-your-heart-that-wants-you-to-help-make-yourself-a/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [I think I may have to grow up without growing old. I think we're going to have to define differently what I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-think-i-may-have-to-grow-up-without-growing-old-i-think-we-re-going/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Every year, once a year, in Maryland, I go for a week and overnight camp with about 50 to 60 kids with muscular dystrophy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/every-year-once-a-year-in-maryland-i-go-for-a-week-and-overnight-camp/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [Remember to look at your glass half full and not half empty. A lot of my strength comes from God. God has given me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/remember-to-look-at-your-glass-half-full-and-not-half-empty-a-lot-of/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) [Explore all 43 Mattie Stepanek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) ## More Divorced quotes > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [Nobody wants to get divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-miller/nobody-wants-to-get-divorced/) [Ben Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-miller/) > [The psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-psychological-condition-of-fear-is-divorced-from-any-concrete-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [My parents are divorced, and that was the last thing I wanted for myself. I waited until I was 36 to propose, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-duhamel/my-parents-are-divorced-and-that-was-the-last-thing-i-wanted-for/) [Josh Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-duhamel/) > [We're all divorced from reality; the only question is whether you're paying alimony or receiving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/we-re-all-divorced-from-reality-the-only-question-is-whether-you-re/) [John Alejandro King Aka The Covert Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/) > [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I have a son, and I was married for twenty years, and I got divorced, and there's a new woman in my life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kraftsow/i-have-a-son-and-i-was-married-for-twenty-years-and-i-got-divorced/) [Gary Kraftsow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kraftsow/) > [Characterization is not divorced from plot, not a coat of paint you slap on after the structure of events is already built. Rather characterization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-kress/characterization-is-not-divorced-from-plot-not-a-coat-of-paint-you/) [Nancy Kress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-kress/) > [I always worry that people are going to be very confused; sometimes timelines get confused with how movies get made. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/i-often-say-that-if-you-want-to-really-want-to-understand-the/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [The hardest thing about being at Sony was not the travel; it was being divorced from the public and private life I had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/the-hardest-thing-about-being-at-sony-was-not-the-travel-it-was-being/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [People don't get married to get divorced. Maybe people weren't meant to be together forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-valli/people-don-t-get-married-to-get-divorced-maybe-people-weren-t-meant/) [Frankie Valli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-valli/) > [I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago, divorced myself from it emotionally. It gives me an artistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-sort-of-gave-up-on-this-whole-human-adventure-a-long-time-ago/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) [Browse all 651 Divorced quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorced/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We're divorced from my father because he did some mean and scary things to us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mattie Stepanek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he-did-some-mean-and-scary/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Divorced" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he-did-some-mean-and-scary/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/354/mattie-stepanek-15384_divorced_we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he_809676.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We're divorced from my father because he did some mean and scary things to us.” — Mattie Stepanek", "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": "Mattie Stepanek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We're divorced from my father because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he-did-some-mean-and-scary/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/we-re-divorced-from-my-father-because-he-did-some-mean-and-scary/#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 } } ] } ```