--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started writing letters home to my…" description: "\"I started writing letters home to my mother, saying that I wanted to come home, grandma won't let me sing.\" — Mavis Staples" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png" --- # I started writing letters home to my mother, saying that I… ![“I started writing letters home to my mother, saying that I wanted to come home, grandma won't let me sing.” quote by Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png) > “I started writing letters home to my mother, saying that I wanted to come home, grandma won't let me sing.” [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) ## 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 expresses longing for home and frustration with obstacles preventing personal expression. **In simple terms:** I miss home and can't sing because of restrictions. Key Takeaway Seek freedom and reconnect with roots. Themes family longing restriction expression Mood nostalgic frustrated Type personal reflective When to use this quote - family gatherings - creative pursuits - conflict with authority - seeking support Key Concepts identity agency cultural heritage Questions to Reflect On - What barriers stop you from expressing yourself? - How can you reclaim your voice? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize hardship without addressing systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-letters/) ## Related quotes > [We either learn to accept or we end up writing letters home with crayons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/we-either-learn-to-accept-or-we-end-up-writing-letters-home-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You learned to accept, or you ended up in a small room writing letters home with Crayolas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/you-learned-to-accept-or-you-ended-up-in-a-small-room-writing-letters/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Write this letter or we'll put you in a home, grandma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/write-this-letter-or-we-ll-put-you-in-a-home-grandma/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [“COME HOME, TENAR! COME HOME!” In the deep valley, in the twilight, the apple trees were on the eve of blossoming; here and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/come-home-tenar-come-home-in-the-deep-valley-in-the-twilight-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Scriptures are Letters from Home. Can you imagine getting a letter from home and not even bothering to open it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardeth-kapp/scriptures-are-letters-from-home-can-you-imagine-getting-a-letter/) [Ardeth Kapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardeth-kapp/) > ['Letters From Home' is a story inspired by my grandparents' epistolary courtship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-mcmorris/letters-from-home-is-a-story-inspired-by-my-grandparents-epistolary/) [Kristina McMorris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-mcmorris/) > ['Letters From Home' is a 90,000-word WWII love story with a twist, aptly summarized as 'The Notebook' meets 'Saving Private Ryan.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-mcmorris/letters-from-home-is-a-90-000-word-wwii-love-story-with-a-twist-aptly/) [Kristina McMorris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-mcmorris/) > [“Draconian censorship was soon imposed, with correspondents advised that no dispatches would be allowed that made people at home feel unhappy. Equally rigorous censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/draconian-censorship-was-soon-imposed-with-correspondents-advised/) [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) > [“We showed up. We stood up. We stepped forward. We raised our right hands. We mailed our letters home. We shuffled, then stood in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/we-showed-up-we-stood-up-we-stepped-forward-we-raised-our-right-hands/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-holy-scriptures-are-our-letters-from-home/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“that old Mrs. Bishop was lacking in the qualities that make a good mother. And saying it that way makes her sound a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-hunt/that-old-mrs-bishop-was-lacking-in-the-qualities-that-make-a-good/) [Irene Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-hunt/) > [“He remembered another one of his mother's saying. It was back when she'd birthed Fanny, her tenth. Someone had siad it was about time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alexander-thom/he-remembered-another-one-of-his-mother-s-saying-it-was-back-when-she/) [James Alexander Thom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alexander-thom/) > [“I think about all the people I need to forgive. My mother for not saying she loves me? We're too often guilty of thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rowley/i-think-about-all-the-people-i-need-to-forgive-my-mother-for-not/) [Steven Rowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rowley/) > [My mother had a saying: 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/my-mother-had-a-saying-kamala-you-may-be-the-first-to-do-many-things/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [Despite my mother saying I have been destined to be an actress my whole life, I remember being the kid who grew up not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantel-vansanten/despite-my-mother-saying-i-have-been-destined-to-be-an-actress-my/) [Shantel VanSanten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantel-vansanten/) ## More by Mavis Staples > [I can't just turn over and sing disco or rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-can-t-just-turn-over-and-sing-disco-or-rock/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [One day, when I was about eight years old, some kids pushed me on stage at school during a talent show because they knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/one-day-when-i-was-about-eight-years-old-some-kids-pushed-me-on-stage/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [The devil ain't got no music. All music is God's music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/the-devil-ain-t-got-no-music-all-music-is-god-s-music/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [I was not fortunate enough to run into Obama. We were at the same church per se, but I would never be there when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-was-not-fortunate-enough-to-run-into-obama-we-were-at-the-same/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [My high-school a cappella teacher would embarrass me in front of the choir. 'Mavis, you're in the basement. Mavis, you're singing with the boys.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/my-high-school-a-cappella-teacher-would-embarrass-me-in-front-of-the/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [We enjoyed the fact that we were called to the folk festivals and we got to know Joan Baez, Dylan. We were singing strictly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/we-enjoyed-the-fact-that-we-were-called-to-the-folk-festivals-and-we/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [If you don't get out among the people, how are you going to know what they need to hear about?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/if-you-don-t-get-out-among-the-people-how-are-you-going-to-know-what/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [I'm just singing what I feel in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-m-just-singing-what-i-feel-in-my-heart/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [I have fun just about everywhere I go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-have-fun-just-about-everywhere-i-go/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [My purpose: to lift your spirit and to motivate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/my-purpose-to-lift-your-spirit-and-to-motivate-you/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [It's been an amazing life. It's really just been the most magical thing for me - and I have these musical friends from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/it-s-been-an-amazing-life-it-s-really-just-been-the-most-magical/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [There are songs that I have to play!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/there-are-songs-that-i-have-to-play/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [I feel so good singing songs that I sang with my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-feel-so-good-singing-songs-that-i-sang-with-my-father/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [I've got to sing for Pops; I've got to keep my father's legacy alive because he started all of this. So I started calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-ve-got-to-sing-for-pops-i-ve-got-to-keep-my-father-s-legacy-alive/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) > [I won't wear rings and jewelry on the stage because I don't want you looking at my hands. I want you hearing what I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-won-t-wear-rings-and-jewelry-on-the-stage-because-i-don-t-want-you/) [Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) [Explore all 42 Mavis Staples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/) ## More Come home quotes > [“Your salvation would be hollow if you don't help each other come home. Remember we are family, and families leave no one behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stewart/your-salvation-would-be-hollow-if-you-don-t-help-each-other-come-home/) [Chris Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stewart/) > [“I think you should come home with me tonight and we can talk about it," she said "Ready when you are”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaci-burton/i-think-you-should-come-home-with-me-tonight-and-we-can-talk-about-it/) [Jaci Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaci-burton/) > [It all begins and ends in the same place, doesn't it? Conor and me in Ballyutogue. We all come home eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/it-all-begins-and-ends-in-the-same-place-doesn-t-it-conor-and-me-in/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [You do your job, you come home, and then like try and drown out the rest. I think it's a really important mindset to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-corrin/you-do-your-job-you-come-home-and-then-like-try-and-drown-out-the/) [Emma Corrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-corrin/) > [The chickens have come home to roast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-ace/the-chickens-have-come-home-to-roast/) [Jane Ace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-ace/) > [ It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existance, \[but\] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/it-s-sad-if-people-think-that-s-homemaking-a-dull-existance-but-you/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [No matter what I do, I always come home to my blog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/no-matter-what-i-do-i-always-come-home-to-my-blog/) [Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/) > [We are the only animals that let our kids come back home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/we-are-the-only-animals-that-let-our-kids-come-back-home/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [I'd like to keep work work and life life. It means you've got your life to come back to, somewhere to come home to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcavoy/i-d-like-to-keep-work-work-and-life-life-it-means-you-ve-got-your/) [James McAvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcavoy/) > [“Some men still haven’t come home from this war. And some men never will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-medeiros/some-men-still-haven-t-come-home-from-this-war-and-some-men-never-will/) [Teresa Medeiros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-medeiros/) > [I miss you Mom. Come home, please...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-you-mom-come-home-please/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's nice to have someone to come home to and get the honest truth about all aspects of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-smith/it-s-nice-to-have-someone-to-come-home-to-and-get-the-honest-truth/) [Steve Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-smith/) > [Today, I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/today-i-can-report-that-as-promised-the-rest-of-our-troops-in-iraq/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“How could I have guessed that I would never really be able to come home?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-poser/how-could-i-have-guessed-that-i-would-never-really-be-able-to-come/) [Claudia Poser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-poser/) > [“Come home with me, Karissa. "My breath hitches. "That's not a question." "Doesn't matter," he says. "Come home with me, anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/come-home-with-me-karissa-my-breath-hitches-that-s-not-a-question/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) Browse all 353 Come home quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started writing letters home to my mother, saying that I wanted to come home, grandma won't let me sing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mavis Staples" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mother-saying-that-i-wanted-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Come home" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mother-saying-that-i-wanted-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/mavis-staples-15566_come-home_i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mot_304229.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I started writing letters home to my mother, saying that I wanted to come home, grandma won't let me sing.” — Mavis Staples", "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": "Mavis Staples", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I started writing letters home to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mother-saying-that-i-wanted-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/i-started-writing-letters-home-to-my-mother-saying-that-i-wanted-to/#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 } } ] } ```