--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I won't start quite at the beginning…" description: "\"I won't start quite at the beginning... but the emigration of my parents from Nazi Germany and their new life in the U.S.A. A one sentence summary of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/michael-rosbash-30056_beginning_i-won-t-start-quite-at-the-beginning-but_2959973.jpg" --- # I won't start quite at the beginning... but the emigration… ![“I won't start quite at the beginning... but the emigration of my parents from Nazi Germany and their new life in the U.S.A. A one sentence summary of these events is that after some years of trouble and considerable hard work, my parents established a satisfactory if not comfortable life for…” quote by Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/michael-rosbash-30056_beginning_i-won-t-start-quite-at-the-beginning-but_2959973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/michael-rosbash-30056_beginning_i-won-t-start-quite-at-the-beginning-but_2959973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/michael-rosbash-30056_beginning_i-won-t-start-quite-at-the-beginning-but_2959973.jpg) > “I won't start quite at the beginning... but the emigration of my parents from Nazi Germany and their new life in the U.S.A. A one sentence summary of these events is that after some years of trouble and considerable hard work, my parents established a satisfactory if not comfortable life for themselves and their two children.” [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) ## 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 their parents' immigration from Nazi Germany, their hardships, and eventual comfortable life for the family. **In simple terms:** Parents overcame hardship to build a stable life. Key Takeaway Recognize resilience in family history. Themes immigration hardship family resilience American Dream perseverance Mood reflective proud nostalgic Type personal historical inspirational When to use this quote - family storytelling - genealogy research - cultural heritage projects - educational essays Key Concepts socio‑historical context generational trauma adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How did your parents' experiences shape your values? - What lessons can be drawn for future generations? A Different Perspective The narrative may simplify complex historical trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Beginning Emigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-emigration-4502129/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Comfortable life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfortable-life/) [Emigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emigration/) [Emigration Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emigration-parents-4502128/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nazi germany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi-germany/) [New life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-life/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents Established](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-established-3889781/) [Parents Nazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-nazi-4502130/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Some children act as if they thought their parents had nothing to do, but to see them established in the world and then quit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/some-children-act-as-if-they-thought-their-parents-had-nothing-to-do/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [I can't deny that there's a great privilege in having parents who are established in the field that I'm pursuing. I try to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-perry/i-can-t-deny-that-there-s-a-great-privilege-in-having-parents-who-are/) [Zoe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-perry/) > [The young nobles, of whom there were many, were volunteers, who had paid their own expenses in expectation of a golden harvest, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parkman/the-young-nobles-of-whom-there-were-many-were-volunteers-who-had-paid/) [Francis Parkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parkman/) > [Let us depart! the universal sun Confines not to one land his blessed beams; Nor is man rooted, like a tree, whose seed, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/let-us-depart-the-universal-sun-confines-not-to-one-land-his-blessed/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [Thus we behold Kentucky, lately an howling wilderness, the habitation of savages and wild beasts, become a fruitful field; this region, so favourably distinguished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/thus-we-behold-kentucky-lately-an-howling-wilderness-the-habitation/) [Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/) > [How emigration is actually lived - well, this depends on many factors: education, economic station, language, where one lands, and what support network is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/how-emigration-is-actually-lived-well-this-depends-on-many-factors/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“I managed to convince myself that I’d left Bulgaria behind for good. I chose to see emigration and globe-trotting as an escape, not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/i-managed-to-convince-myself-that-i-d-left-bulgaria-behind-for-good-i/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [The emigrant's way o'er the western desert is mark'd by Camp-fires long consum'd and bones that bleach in the sunshine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-emigrant-s-way-o-er-the-western-desert-is-mark-d-by-camp-fires/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [A great emigration necessarily implies unhappiness of some kind or other in the country that is deserted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/a-great-emigration-necessarily-implies-unhappiness-of-some-kind-or/) [Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/) > [On the subject of emigration, it is not my intention to dwell at any length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sturt/on-the-subject-of-emigration-it-is-not-my-intention-to-dwell-at-any/) [Charles Sturt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sturt/) > [“Because we were not in our country, we could not use our own languages, and so when we spoke our voices came out bruised.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/because-we-were-not-in-our-country-we-could-not-use-our-own-languages/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [“Takes a special kind to go another kind to stay here … Nowhere do such patriots so embrace the leaving of the place”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-tough/takes-a-special-kind-to-go-another-kind-to-stay-here-nowhere-do-such/) [Kate Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-tough/) > [Many people who are forced into emigration suffer and often die tragically; many of their rights are violated, they are obliged to separate from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/many-people-who-are-forced-into-emigration-suffer-and-often-die/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I am not facing the problem of emigration. I want my music to be acknowledged here first of all, in this country: after that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-schnittke/i-am-not-facing-the-problem-of-emigration-i-want-my-music-to-be/) [Alfred Schnittke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-schnittke/) > [In Russia there is an emigration of intelligence: émigrés cross the frontier in order to read and to write good books. But in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-russia-there-is-an-emigration-of-intelligence-migr-s-cross-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Michael Rosbash > [It's been overlooked for a long time as a real public health problem. All of western society is a little bit sleep-deprived, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/it-s-been-overlooked-for-a-long-time-as-a-real-public-health-problem/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I don't drink alcohol too late in the evening; I read a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-don-t-drink-alcohol-too-late-in-the-evening-i-read-a-good-book/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I am grateful to my colleagues at Brandeis and to the unusual environment here that allows researchers to explore without boundaries while also engaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-am-grateful-to-my-colleagues-at-brandeis-and-to-the-unusual/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I was a difficult kid and a somewhat indifferent student but realized somehow that a new start at a good place, and far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-was-a-difficult-kid-and-a-somewhat-indifferent-student-but-realized/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Most important for the circadian field was the pioneering work of Ron Konopka in Seymour's lab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/most-important-for-the-circadian-field-was-the-pioneering-work-of-ron/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I try not to take sleep medication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-try-not-to-take-sleep-medication/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Scientific careers rely on inheritance, environment, and random events, like all biological phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/scientific-careers-rely-on-inheritance-environment-and-random-events/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [You've got to go for what you love and not look back 30 years, 40 years later and say, 'I never tried.' You got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/you-ve-got-to-go-for-what-you-love-and-not-look-back-30-years-40/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [The same biological clock ticks away in humans and fruit flies, which underscores the importance of circadian timing to life on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/the-same-biological-clock-ticks-away-in-humans-and-fruit-flies-which/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Immigrants and foreigners have always been an indispensable part of our country, including its great record in scientific research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/immigrants-and-foreigners-have-always-been-an-indispensable-part-of/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [It was always intriguing that flies had two peaks of activity, in the morning and evening, with a siesta during the day and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/it-was-always-intriguing-that-flies-had-two-peaks-of-activity-in-the/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I stand on the shoulders of giants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [We benefited from an enlightened post-war period in the United States: Our National Institutes of Health have enthusiastically and generously supported basic research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/we-benefited-from-an-enlightened-post-war-period-in-the-united-states/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [This is the western world; if somebody can make a buck, they're going to try to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/this-is-the-western-world-if-somebody-can-make-a-buck-they-re-going/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Shift work, where the body clock is continuously changed, is really deleterious on many levels - from psychology to physiology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/shift-work-where-the-body-clock-is-continuously-changed-is-really/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) [Explore all 17 Michael Rosbash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) [Manae Poet Of Carisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manae-poet-of-carisis/) > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) [Jacklyn H Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacklyn-h-lucas/) [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I won't start quite at the beginning... but the emigration of my parents from Nazi Germany and their new life in the U.S.A. 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