--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It occurred to me that I had never seen…" description: "\"“It occurred to me that I had never seen my mother defeated, even when life presented difficulties and disappointments.”\" — Piper Kerman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png" --- # It occurred to me that I had never seen my mother… ![“It occurred to me that I had never seen my mother defeated, even when life presented difficulties and disappointments.” quote by Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png) > ““It occurred to me that I had never seen my mother defeated, even when life presented difficulties and disappointments.”” [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) ## 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 observes that their mother never appears defeated, regardless of hardships, highlighting resilience as a model. **In simple terms:** Mother never gives up despite hardships. Key Takeaway Embrace resilience like your mother. Themes resilience family role models Mood admiring reflective Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - personal challenges - family crises - career setbacks - health issues Key Concepts psychology strength coping Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate similar resilience? - What signs of hidden defeat do you notice? A Different Perspective Resilience may mask hidden struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeated/) [Defeated Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeated-life-511814/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-present/) [Life Presented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-presented-2074432/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-defeated-5530720/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Seen Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen-mother-1195763/) ## Related quotes > [With confidence, he open the door of life presented to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/with-confidence-he-open-the-door-of-life-presented-to-him/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You can be defeated by life's unavoidable disappointments, or you can become stronger because of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/you-can-be-defeated-by-life-s-unavoidable-disappointments-or-you-can/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [I alone, as the sharer of their way of life, presented a replica of childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-cassady/i-alone-as-the-sharer-of-their-way-of-life-presented-a-replica-of/) [Neal Cassady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-cassady/) > [“It's important to accept a happy life when it's presented to you. The only time you can go wrong is when you make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/it-s-important-to-accept-a-happy-life-when-it-s-presented-to-you-the/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [“A perfect life is a contradiction in terms. Life itself is a state of continuous struggle between ourselves and everything outside. Every moment we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-perfect-life-is-a-contradiction-in-terms-life-itself-is-a-state-of-2/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [We can never be defeated in life unless we give up on God. So Trust, Believe, and Live with Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aja96/we-can-never-be-defeated-in-life-unless-we-give-up-on-god-so-trust/) [Aja96](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aja96/) > [LIFE CAN BE LIVED IN TWO WAYS. One is that of the soldier, and the other, that of the sannyasin. Either you can fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/life-can-be-lived-in-two-ways-one-is-that-of-the-soldier-and-the/) [OSHO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“It was a feeling which he had seen before in his mother; but no chord within vibrated to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-was-a-feeling-which-he-had-seen-before-in-his-mother-but-no-chord/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [Life hasn't always been fair, sometimes it has been very mean. I fell down along the way, I got wounds that couldn't be seen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-pheona/life-hasn-t-always-been-fair-sometimes-it-has-been-very-mean-i-fell/) [Mercy Pheona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-pheona/) > [I know end might be near as this is only day of my adulthood I’ve seen my mother and she hasn’t asked, ‘Why that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/i-know-end-might-be-near-as-this-is-only-day-of-my-adulthood-i-ve/) [Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/) > [“I'd never actually seen my mother sleep. As far as I knew, she simply shut herself in her room once night fell and lowered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrianne-brooks/i-d-never-actually-seen-my-mother-sleep-as-far-as-i-knew-she-simply/) [Adrianne Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrianne-brooks/) > [“i've seen you in my mother's eyes when she tells me to marry the type of man i'd want to raise my son to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/i-ve-seen-you-in-my-mother-s-eyes-when-she-tells-me-to-marry-the-type/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“I knew by then that I would never have my mother back, not in the way I had known her all my life. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayari-jones/i-knew-by-then-that-i-would-never-have-my-mother-back-not-in-the-way/) [Tayari Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayari-jones/) > [“no it won’t be love at first sight when we meet it’ll be love at first remembrance cause i’ve seen you in my mother’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/no-it-won-t-be-love-at-first-sight-when-we-meet-it-ll-be-love-at/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [As her sons have seen her: the mother in patriarchy: controlling, erotic, castrating, heart-suffering, guilt-ridden, and guilt-provoking; a marble brow, a huge breast, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/as-her-sons-have-seen-her-the-mother-in-patriarchy-controlling-erotic/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## More by Piper Kerman > [“I looked down at the doors of the forbidden Dorms and studiously examined the bulletin boards covered with incomprehensible information about events and rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-looked-down-at-the-doors-of-the-forbidden-dorms-and-studiously/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“Stoicism sure comes in handy when they take away your underpants. But how to reconcile it with one's insatiable need for other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/stoicism-sure-comes-in-handy-when-they-take-away-your-underpants-but/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“Some of the mothers looked overwhelmed - they were no longer accustomed to supervising their own kids in a normal, day-to-day way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/some-of-the-mothers-looked-overwhelmed-they-were-no-longer-accustomed/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“The female guard in R&D explained that they had no women's street clothes, so she gave me the smallest pair of men's jeans they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-female-guard-in-r-d-explained-that-they-had-no-women-s-street/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“I had forgotten about the pleasures of college radio, the exquisite randomness of what got played, the twenty-minute between-songs banter of nineteen-year-olds, the smack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-had-forgotten-about-the-pleasures-of-college-radio-the-exquisite/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“I had long recognized that faith helped people understand their relationship to their community. In the best cases it helped women in Danbury focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-had-long-recognized-that-faith-helped-people-understand-their/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“We have a racially based justice system that overpunishes, fails to rehabilitate, and doesn't make us safer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/we-have-a-racially-based-justice-system-that-overpunishes-fails-to/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“If he is a half-decent human being, he will find himself the object of crushes. If he is a cocky bastard, even more so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-he-is-a-half-decent-human-being-he-will-find-himself-the-object-of/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“If you had the misfortune of having the government intimately involved with your life, whether via public housing or Medicaid or food stamps, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-you-had-the-misfortune-of-having-the-government-intimately/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“Prison is quite literally a ghetto in the most classic sense of the world, a place where the U.S. government now puts not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/prison-is-quite-literally-a-ghetto-in-the-most-classic-sense-of-the/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“He told us that it was important to eat right, exercise, and treat your body as a temple. But he didn't tell us how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/he-told-us-that-it-was-important-to-eat-right-exercise-and-treat-your/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“According to the CDC, cigarettes kill over 435,000 people a year in the United States. Most of us in Danbury were locked away for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/according-to-the-cdc-cigarettes-kill-over-435-000-people-a-year-in/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“The public expects sentences to be punitive but also rehabilitative; however, what we expect and what we get from our prisons are very different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-public-expects-sentences-to-be-punitive-but-also-rehabilitative/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“Nothing about the daily workings of the prison system focuses its inhabitants’ attention on what life back on the outside, as a free citizen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/nothing-about-the-daily-workings-of-the-prison-system-focuses-its/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“According to Bertrand Russell, the virtuous stoic was one whose will was in agreement with the natural order. He described the basic idea like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/according-to-bertrand-russell-the-virtuous-stoic-was-one-whose-will/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) [Explore all 78 Piper Kerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) ## More Defeated quotes > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The devil has been defeated, stop trying to defeat him. What we have left is the fight of faith, and it's a good fight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/the-devil-has-been-defeated-stop-trying-to-defeat-him-what-we-have/) [Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/) > [I am sorry to upset my colleagues by saying we wasted four years in opposition, but if you do get so badly defeated as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/i-am-sorry-to-upset-my-colleagues-by-saying-we-wasted-four-years-in/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/) [Flower A. Newhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flower-a-newhouse/) > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) > [You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/you-were-never-created-to-live-depressed-defeated-guilty-condemned/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [One's dream is defeated not by unsolvable problems, but by all the more-or-less satisfactory solutions that kill it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/one-s-dream-is-defeated-not-by-unsolvable-problems-but-by-all-the/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [For there is hardly a state or nation in existence which has not once had the misfortune, even if it was in the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/for-there-is-hardly-a-state-or-nation-in-existence-which-has-not-once/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all conquerors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/faith-is-always-at-a-disadvantage-it-is-a-perpetually-defeated-thing/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Historically, art has always had a market. When one medieval fiefdom defeated another they would drag back its jewels, gold, tapestries and art objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-glimcher/historically-art-has-always-had-a-market-when-one-medieval-fiefdom/) [Arne Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-glimcher/) > [Scotland's political identity was destroyed, and a huge Scottish emigration to North America followed the brutal Highland clearances. These included every layer of Scottish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/scotland-s-political-identity-was-destroyed-and-a-huge-scottish/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [Intent is what can make a man succeed when his thoughts tell him that he is defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/intent-is-what-can-make-a-man-succeed-when-his-thoughts-tell-him-that/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“He is not a challenge, he is not a conquest. You were once that for him, back when he used to call you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vee-hoffman/he-is-not-a-challenge-he-is-not-a-conquest-you-were-once-that-for-him/) [Vee Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vee-hoffman/) > [My love for you is strong enough to be defeated over by my selfish desires..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mysticalistic/my-love-for-you-is-strong-enough-to-be-defeated-over-by-my-selfish/) [MYSTICALISTIC](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mysticalistic/) > [All battles have some use, including those in which we were defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/all-battles-have-some-use-including-those-in-which-we-were-defeated/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Browse all 866 Defeated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It occurred to me that I had never seen my mother defeated, even when life presented difficulties and disappointments.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Piper Kerman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen-my-mother-defeated-even-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defeated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen-my-mother-defeated-even-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fca/piper-kerman-8613_defeated_it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen_1505649.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It occurred to me that I had never seen my mother defeated, even when life presented difficulties and…” — Piper Kerman", "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": "Piper Kerman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It occurred to me that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen-my-mother-defeated-even-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/it-occurred-to-me-that-i-had-never-seen-my-mother-defeated-even-when/#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 } } ] } ```