Mother Quote by Rhoda Broughton
““Kate stood by that low bed, looking down earnestly on its occupant—that occupant that was now a person, and soon would be—O, fearful metamorphosis!—but a thing,—why was it that the recollection of her own mother flashed so arrow-swift, so lightning-bright, across her? What possible resemblance could there be found between this poor plebeian, with the swollen, debased features, with the coarse, weather-stained, care-wrinkled skin, and her mother, with her patient, saintly face and spirit eyes? What resemblance indeed! Why this, just this one, which struck Kate through and through: she had seen on both the stamp of the valley of the shadow of death.[301] There is that much resemblance between us all. We acknowledge it in words; but we do not often feel it to our heart’s core; do not realise how near of kin that ineradicable stain of mortality makes us all. The””
About This Quote
Source Novel: A Summer Guest, 1865
Seeing a dying person triggers a sudden, vivid connection to one’s own mother, revealing shared mortality and deep kinship.
In simple terms: Death reminds us of our shared humanity and family ties.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge common humanity in suffering.
Themes
mortality
family
empathy
Mood
somber
introspective
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- hospital visits
- family reunions
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
existential reflection
psychological insight
Questions to Reflect On
- How does confronting death change our view of loved ones?
- What does this shared image teach us about empathy?
A Different Perspective
The comparison may romanticize suffering, overlooking individual differences.
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
![“Beauty is a fading flower;”[3] and, applied particularly to woman’s loveliness, there is none more favourite among that bundle of dull platitudes, of insipid, trite commonplaces which enrol themselves under the head of moral maxims. Of course it is true—tiresomely, provokingly, heart-breakingly…” quote by Rhoda Broughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/16a/rhoda-broughton-25508_beauty_beauty-is-a-fading-flower-3-and-applied_371805.jpg)
![“To how few people a premonition of what is going to happen to them, either of sweet or sour, is vouchsafed! Is it a blessing or a curse? A blessing, I suppose, on the principle of “whatever is, is right”[376]—-a blessing even apart from that doctrine, I think. Would the delight of gloating over…” quote by Rhoda Broughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d3/rhoda-broughton-25508_blessings_to-how-few-people-a-premonition-of-what_666590.jpg)
