--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it weren’t for her setting me free, I…" description: "\"“If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a caged bird today, holding my own daughter captive on a shit-laden perch.”\" — Raquel Cepeda" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png" --- # If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a… ![“If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a caged bird today, holding my own daughter captive on a shit-laden perch.” quote by Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png) > ““If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a caged bird today, holding my own daughter captive on a shit-laden perch.”” [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom from oppression can prevent self‑imprisonment and protect loved ones. **In simple terms:** Freedom stops self‑imprisonment. Key Takeaway Seek personal freedom to protect others. Themes freedom family self‑care Mood reflective empathetic Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - relationship counseling - personal healing - family dynamics Key Concepts psychological trauma generational cycles Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take toward personal freedom? - How does your freedom affect those you love? A Different Perspective Freedom may be hard to achieve and maintain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breaking free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-free/) [Breaking-cycles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-cycles-23892/) [Caged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caged/) [Caged Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caged-bird-344031/) [Caged-bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caged-bird-26477/) [Captive Shit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captive-shit-2372368/) [Cycles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cycles/) [Daughter Captive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter-captive-2372367/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Holding Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-daughter-2137298/) [Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) ## Related quotes > [“Holding his daughter close with one arm, he pointed toward the distant horizon. 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The bird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-sinks-foster/tell-me-why-the-caged-bird-nutters-against-its-prison-bars-and-i-will/) [Randolph Sinks Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-sinks-foster/) > [“But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams, his shadow shouts on a nighttime scream. —Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-warner/but-a-caged-bird-stands-on-the-grave-of-dreams-his-shadow-shouts-on-a-2/) [Colin Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-warner/) > [I know what the caged bird feels, alas!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laurence-dunbar/i-know-what-the-caged-bird-feels-alas/) [Paul Laurence Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laurence-dunbar/) > [“(And could love free me from the shadows? Can a caged bird sing only the song it knows or can it learn a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/and-could-love-free-me-from-the-shadows-can-a-caged-bird-sing-only/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, when his wing is bruised and his bosom sore; when he beats his bars and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laurence-dunbar/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-ah-me-when-his-wing-is-bruised-and/) [Paul Laurence Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laurence-dunbar/) > [“THE TAME BIRD WAS IN A CAGE THE tame bird was in a cage, the free bird was in the forest. They met when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-tame-bird-was-in-a-cage-the-tame-bird-was-in-a-cage-the-free-bird/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“ Caged Bird A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/caged-bird-a-free-bird-leaps-on-the-back-of-the-wind-and-floats/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Islam was like a mental cage. At first, when you open the door, the caged bird stays inside: it is frightened. It has internalized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/islam-was-like-a-mental-cage-at-first-when-you-open-the-door-the/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/but-a-caged-bird-stands-on-the-grave-of-dreams-his-shadow-shouts-on-a/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Raquel Cepeda > [Janet Mock's honest and sometimes searing journey is a rare and important look into la vida liminal, one that she manages to negotiate remarkably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/janet-mock-s-honest-and-sometimes-searing-journey-is-a-rare-and/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“She looks like an empty shell of a woman with her soul hovering above her. We believe in spiritual guías in Santo Domingo. 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I allow them to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/women-destroy-me-i-allow-them-to/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“The tension between people is palpable, and the ideal of what it means to be and look American becomes a preoccupation to folks around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-tension-between-people-is-palpable-and-the-ideal-of-what-it-means/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [The things that come to us easily, our propensities, are carried on a deep subconscious level into our next life. There are no coincidences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-things-that-come-to-us-easily-our-propensities-are-carried-on-a/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [The truth is usually left for us to hunt and gather independently, if we are so inclined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-truth-is-usually-left-for-us-to-hunt-and-gather-independently-if/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [The past is buried deep within the ground in Rabat, although the ancient walls in the old city are still standing, painted in electrifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-past-is-buried-deep-within-the-ground-in-rabat-although-the/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Nobody, she felt, understood her-not her mother, not her father, not her sister or brother, none of the girls or boys at school, nadie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/nobody-she-felt-understood-her-not-her-mother-not-her-father-not-her/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [When we illuminate the road back to our ancestors, they have a way of reaching out, of manifesting themselves...sometimes even physically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/when-we-illuminate-the-road-back-to-our-ancestors-they-have-a-way-of/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“The gaping hole in her heart is amplified when she catches a glimpse of the strands of silver hair framing her once young face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-gaping-hole-in-her-heart-is-amplified-when-she-catches-a-glimpse/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Come to think of it, maybe God is a He after all, because only a cruel force would create something this beautiful and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/come-to-think-of-it-maybe-god-is-a-he-after-all-because-only-a-cruel/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) [Explore all 52 Raquel Cepeda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) ## More Breaking-cycles quotes > [“… and the Baudelaire orphans climbed aboard, turning the tables of their lives and breaking their unfortunate cycle for the very first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/and-the-baudelaire-orphans-climbed-aboard-turning-the-tables-of-their/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [“So I decided I would do everything my Dad had not, everything I would need to have the perspective and point of view I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-johns/so-i-decided-i-would-do-everything-my-dad-had-not-everything-i-would/) [Jeff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-johns/) [Browse all 3 Breaking-cycles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-cycles-23892/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a caged bird today, holding my own daughter captive on a shit-laden perch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raquel Cepeda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i-may-still-be-a-caged-bird/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breaking-cycles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i-may-still-be-a-caged-bird/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/raquel-cepeda-13059_breaking-cycles_if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i_2653812.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If it weren’t for her setting me free, I may still be a caged bird today, holding my own daughter captive on…” — Raquel Cepeda", "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": "Raquel Cepeda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If it weren’t for her setting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i-may-still-be-a-caged-bird/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/if-it-weren-t-for-her-setting-me-free-i-may-still-be-a-caged-bird/#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 } } ] } ```