---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When your own father never, ever laughs…"
description: "\"“When your own father never, ever laughs at you, not even when your little twisted movements are unbearably cute, when there's never a little hidden sn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg"
---

#  When your own father never, ever laughs at you, not even…

![“When your own father never, ever laughs at you, not even when your little twisted movements are unbearably cute, when there's never a little hidden snicker at the edge of his lips after you risk a question that exposes the very marrow of your soul, then perhaps certain spiritual muscles within you…” quote by P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg)

> ““When your own father never, ever laughs at you, not even when your little twisted movements are unbearably cute, when there's never a little hidden snicker at the edge of his lips after you risk a question that exposes the very marrow of your soul, then perhaps certain spiritual muscles within you are given a chance to develop, and sometimes to a point where no one can overpower them.””

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that lacking parental approval forces inner strength and resilience to grow, eventually becoming unbreakable.

**In simple terms:** Without dad's approval, you build inner strength.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner resilience.

Themes

self‑esteem resilience spiritual growth

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- overcoming criticism
- personal development
- building confidence
- self‑reliance

Key Concepts

psychology self‑actualization inner strength

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you nurture inner strength without external validation?
- What risks arise from over‑reliance on self‑reliance?

A Different Perspective

May ignore emotional support be harmful if not balanced with self‑compassion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father Laughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-laughs-4450707/) [Given a chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-a-chance/) [Laughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughs/) [Laughs Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughs-little-4439215/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Spiritual Muscles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-muscles-928556/)

## Related quotes

> [“I have never met anyone who laughs so much with so little reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-n-harvey/i-have-never-met-anyone-who-laughs-so-much-with-so-little-reason/)

[Sarah N. Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-n-harvey/)

> [The response you get when you're young like "oh you're just getting laughs because you're a little kid and you're cute". They weren't trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/the-response-you-get-when-you-re-young-like-oh-you-re-just-getting/)

[Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/)

> [A key to strengthening spiritual muscles and enduring hardship is finding strength in the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/a-key-to-strengthening-spiritual-muscles-and-enduring-hardship-is/)

[Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/)

> [Disappointment often focuses on the failure of our own agenda rather than on God's long-term purposes for us, which may use stress and struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-shaw/disappointment-often-focuses-on-the-failure-of-our-own-agenda-rather/)

[Luci Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-shaw/)

> [And when we go to church, read our Bibles, have our quiet times, and go to Christian conferences, we too can build some impressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stearns/and-when-we-go-to-church-read-our-bibles-have-our-quiet-times-and-go/)

[Richard Stearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stearns/)

> [Problems are God's resistance to create spiritual muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/problems-are-god-s-resistance-to-create-spiritual-muscles/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [“We can only become MORE by dealing with, and overcoming MORE. Therefore, let's consider challenges and obstacles as the gyms of life that help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-jacinta-mpalyenkana-ph-d-mba/we-can-only-become-more-by-dealing-with-and-overcoming-more-therefore/)

[Dr. Jacinta Mpalyenkana, Ph.D, MBA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-jacinta-mpalyenkana-ph-d-mba/)

> [“Keep it small. Keep it simple. Give it time. An exercise program such as yoga is a slow process. It is slow by design.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-h-pearce/keep-it-small-keep-it-simple-give-it-time-an-exercise-program-such-as/)

[Virginia H. Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-h-pearce/)

> [I didnt and I dont have any hesitation in playing mother on screen. If given a chance, I can even play a father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/i-didnt-and-i-dont-have-any-hesitation-in-playing-mother-on-screen-if/)

[Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/)

> [Most people should be given a chance to compete in the Olympic Games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-the-eagle/most-people-should-be-given-a-chance-to-compete-in-the-olympic-games/)

[Eddie the Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-the-eagle/)

> [I'm really into sci-fi. The reason I'm an actor is because of 'Star Wars' - I saw that and I knew that's what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-schroder/i-m-really-into-sci-fi-the-reason-i-m-an-actor-is-because-of-star/)

[Ricky Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-schroder/)

> [There are so many people, deaf or otherwise abled, who are so talented but overlooked or not given a chance to even get their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/there-are-so-many-people-deaf-or-otherwise-abled-who-are-so-talented/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [It is a hidden fear that somehow, if they are only given a chance, women will suddenly do as they have been done by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-figes/it-is-a-hidden-fear-that-somehow-if-they-are-only-given-a-chance/)

[Eva Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-figes/)

> [“I don't approve of women driving, mind you. And now they get to vote!" He grumbled to himself. "Remember that play we saw ("The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-don-t-approve-of-women-driving-mind-you-and-now-they-get-to-vote-he/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [I'm looking forward to go bald for a film but nothing has been offered to me yet. Given a chance I'd take a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshara-haasan/i-m-looking-forward-to-go-bald-for-a-film-but-nothing-has-been/)

[Akshara Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshara-haasan/)

## More by P. Carey Reid

> [“I think as I often have that my mission is to layer her world with richness-not facts, but other hearts, desires, stories, a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/i-think-as-i-often-have-that-my-mission-is-to-layer-her-world-with/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [“I push the interest, because I can't stop getting hopeful that she'll latch onto something that will so consume her that she can forget,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/i-push-the-interest-because-i-can-t-stop-getting-hopeful-that-she-ll/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [“She seems very calm, but that bothers me all the more. I'm horrified that she might be accepting of a life that relegates her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/she-seems-very-calm-but-that-bothers-me-all-the-more-i-m-horrified/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [“But I hear that tone in his voice, that calming tone that doctors put on because, after all, they are still part witch, part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/but-i-hear-that-tone-in-his-voice-that-calming-tone-that-doctors-put/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [“She lies there, deflating like a stuck balloon because she knew there would be pain and sometimes, as she's learning so quickly and much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/she-lies-there-deflating-like-a-stuck-balloon-because-she-knew-there/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [“But our discussion has soured too much by this point; he will not be persuaded, so he has become insulted. I can see he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/but-our-discussion-has-soured-too-much-by-this-point-he-will-not-be/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [ “But beyond these joys, the look and action of numbers, is what they represent. \[...\] Numbers are an invention of the human mind, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/but-beyond-these-joys-the-look-and-action-of-numbers-is-what-they/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

> [“I am angry at this moment, angry at both of them for electing to walk about hurt and silent rather than having it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/i-am-angry-at-this-moment-angry-at-both-of-them-for-electing-to-walk/)

[P. Carey Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

[Explore all 9 P. Carey Reid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/)

## More Father quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/)

[Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

> [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/)

[Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/)

> [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/)

[Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/)

> [“I don’t know. We all have to bear things, Ari. All of us. Your father has to bear the war and what it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-we-all-have-to-bear-things-ari-all-of-us-your-father-has/)

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

> [“This was, I sometimes thought, the last gift my father gave me. And the best: His death stood out as the supreme-o excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-was-i-sometimes-thought-the-last-gift-my-father-gave-me-and-the/)

[Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/)

> [My father was very encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/my-father-was-very-encouraging/)

[Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/)

[Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/)

> [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

[Browse all 19,784 Father quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When your own father never, ever laughs at you, not even when your little twisted movements are unbearably cute, when there's never a little hidden snicker at the edge of his lips after you risk a question that exposes the very marrow of your soul, then perhaps certain spiritual muscles within you are given a chance to develop, and sometimes to a point where no one can overpower them.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "P. Carey Reid"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-at-you-not-even-when-your/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Father"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-at-you-not-even-when-your/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/p-carey-reid-44436_father_when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-a_529452.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When your own father never, ever laughs at you, not even when your little twisted movements are unbearably…” — P. Carey Reid",
                "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": "P. Carey Reid",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-carey-reid/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When your own father never, ever...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-at-you-not-even-when-your/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-carey-reid/when-your-own-father-never-ever-laughs-at-you-not-even-when-your/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
