--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds…" description: "\"My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there…\" — Phi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg" --- # My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds up each summer… ![“My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there…” quote by Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg) > “My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there…” [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s anxiety about storms makes her cling to the day, fearing hidden dangers in the sky. **In simple terms:** Mother worries about storms. Key Takeaway Acknowledge hidden fears. Themes family anxiety nature Mood contemplative melancholic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - parental advice - weather discussions - mental health coping Key Concepts psychology symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How do we confront unseen anxieties? - What does the storm symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Storms can be metaphorical, not literal threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark clouds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-clouds/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-days/) [Thunderstorm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thunderstorm/) [Thunderstorms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thunderstorms/) ## Related quotes > [I think I got him hooked on climbing when I gave a slide show at Darmouth. So there's probably another mother out there who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bridwell/i-think-i-got-him-hooked-on-climbing-when-i-gave-a-slide-show-at/) [Jim Bridwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bridwell/) > [“Emulate all the shit my mother hates, I can't help but demonstrate my freudian fate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/emulate-all-the-shit-my-mother-hates-i-can-t-help-but-demonstrate-my/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [Yes I cut my self whats you point. I'm not perfect and you aint either. so don't judge me until you know me because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fading-scars/yes-i-cut-my-self-whats-you-point-i-m-not-perfect-and-you-aint-either/) Fading\_scars > [“Are you going to redye it?" "No. My mother hates it, so I'm going to keep it," I said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-schumacher/are-you-going-to-redye-it-no-my-mother-hates-it-so-i-m-going-to-keep/) [Julie Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-schumacher/) > [In my early days of flying, if you flew on instruments, you were inevitably going to fly in thunderstorms. That was just a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/in-my-early-days-of-flying-if-you-flew-on-instruments-you-were/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [“When thunderstorms roll in, you make a choice to either succumb with tears to the gloomy downpour, or smile and look for rainbows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/when-thunderstorms-roll-in-you-make-a-choice-to-either-succumb-with/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Thunderstorms were rare in California, but when they came they were, like most things in California, larger than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccloy/thunderstorms-were-rare-in-california-but-when-they-came-they-were/) [Helen McCloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccloy/) > [“To quiet the storms in your life, say a word of prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/to-quiet-the-storms-in-your-life-say-a-word-of-prayer/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Our baby was two months old on that warm September evening when the skies turned a disturbing shade of pink. I knew the color…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/our-baby-was-two-months-old-on-that-warm-september-evening-when-the/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/i-ve-told-you-the-four-thunderstorms-disappointment-frustration/) [Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/) > [“The island of Hawaii appears to be developing a Florida climate: Hot and humid with thunderstorms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-island-of-hawaii-appears-to-be-developing-a-florida-climate-hot/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [A poet is a man who manages, in a lifetime of standing out in thunderstorms, to be struck by lightning five or six times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/a-poet-is-a-man-who-manages-in-a-lifetime-of-standing-out-in/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [“Thunderstorms were what death, and dramatic events, generally should be like, but usually were not; the idea that our life’s dramas rarely look as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/thunderstorms-were-what-death-and-dramatic-events-generally-should-be/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“A poet is a person who manages, in a lifetime of standing out in thunderstorms, to be struck by lightening five or six times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-poet-is-a-person-who-manages-in-a-lifetime-of-standing-out-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“books, teapots, thunderstorms, bridges, street musicians, coming attractions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-asher/books-teapots-thunderstorms-bridges-street-musicians-coming/) Marty Asher ## More by Philip Larkin > [Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/deprivation-is-for-me-what-daffodils-were-for-wordsworth/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [Only one ship is seeking us, a black-Sailed unfamiliar, towing at her backA huge and birdless silence. In her wakeNo waters breed or break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/only-one-ship-is-seeking-us-a-black-sailed-unfamiliar-towing-at-her/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [And immediately Rather than words comes the thought of high windows: The sun-comprehending glass, And beyond it, the deep blue air, that shows Nothing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/and-immediately-rather-than-words-comes-the-thought-of-high-windows/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“Living toys are something novel, But it soon wears off somehow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/living-toys-are-something-novel-but-it-soon-wears-off-somehow/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“Once I am sure there's nothing going on I step inside, letting the door thud shut. Another church: matting, seats, and stone, And little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/once-i-am-sure-there-s-nothing-going-on-i-step-inside-letting-the/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [Life is first boredom, then fear. Whether or not we use it, it goes, And leaves what something hidden from us chose, age, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/life-is-first-boredom-then-fear-whether-or-not-we-use-it-it-goes-and/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“It never worked for me. Something to do with violence A long way back, and wrong rewards, And arrogant eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/it-never-worked-for-me-something-to-do-with-violence-a-long-way-back/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [Seriously, I think it is a grave fault in life that so much time is wasted in social matters, because it not only takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/seriously-i-think-it-is-a-grave-fault-in-life-that-so-much-time-is/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [So many things I had thought forgotten Return to my mind with stranger pain: Like letters that arrive addressed to someone Who left the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/so-many-things-i-had-thought-forgotten-return-to-my-mind-with/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“One of the quainter quirks of life is that we shall never know who dies on the same day as we do ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/one-of-the-quainter-quirks-of-life-is-that-we-shall-never-know-who/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“I sit in my room like Miss Havisham, about whom I have been reading this week. Better the Dickens you know than the Dickens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-sit-in-my-room-like-miss-havisham-about-whom-i-have-been-reading/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“When I throw back my head and howl People (women mostly) say But you've always done what you want, You always get your way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/when-i-throw-back-my-head-and-howl-people-women-mostly-say-but-you-ve/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [I think a young poet, or an old poet, for that matter, should try to produce something that pleases himself personally, not only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/i-think-a-young-poet-or-an-old-poet-for-that-matter-should-try-to/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [But superstition, like belief, must die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/but-superstition-like-belief-must-die/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“Side by side, their faces blurred, The earl and countess lie in stone, Their proper habits vaguely shown As jointed armour, stiffened pleat, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/side-by-side-their-faces-blurred-the-earl-and-countess-lie-in-stone/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) [Explore all 206 Philip Larkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) ## More Clouds quotes > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It lies around us like a cloud- A world we do not see; Yet the sweet closing of an eye May bring us there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-lies-around-us-like-a-cloud-a-world-we-do-not-see-yet-the-sweet/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [No matter how strong the storm, how hard the rain and how vicious the wind there is always a gap in the clouds for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-greenhalgh/no-matter-how-strong-the-storm-how-hard-the-rain-and-how-vicious-the/) Ben Greenhalgh > [The sacred lamp of day Now dipt in Western clouds his parting day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-falconer/the-sacred-lamp-of-day-now-dipt-in-western-clouds-his-parting-day/) [William Falconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-falconer/) > [Just as the setting sun turned the clouds to liquid gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/just-as-the-setting-sun-turned-the-clouds-to-liquid-gold/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud-its-brilliance-but-it-cannot/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Max—you have a bigger mission than finding the flock's parents. Focus on helping the whole world, not just your friends. I held my wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/max-you-have-a-bigger-mission-than-finding-the-flock-s-parents-focus/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/) [Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [If you like I'll be furious flesh elemental, or- changing to tones that the sunset arouses- if you like- I'll be extraordinary gentle, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-like-i-ll-be-furious-flesh-elemental-or-changing-to-tones-that/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [Sometimes in life the clouds are too dark to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/sometimes-in-life-the-clouds-are-too-dark-to-see/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [We're thrilled that our partnership with Adobe has now grown to span our three clouds - Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-johnson/we-re-thrilled-that-our-partnership-with-adobe-has-now-grown-to-span/) [Peggy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-johnson/) Browse all 2,443 Clouds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there…", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Larkin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds-up-each-summer-day-and-shakes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clouds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds-up-each-summer-day-and-shakes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/philip-larkin-1822_clouds_my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds_1275577.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of…” — Philip Larkin", "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": "Philip Larkin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My mother, who hates thunderstorms, Holds...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds-up-each-summer-day-and-shakes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/my-mother-who-hates-thunderstorms-holds-up-each-summer-day-and-shakes/#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 } } ] } ```