---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From my mother came the idea that going…"
description: "\"From my mother came the idea that going down to the sea repaired the spirit. That is where she walked when she was sad or worried or lonely for my fath..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg"
---

#  From my mother came the idea that going down to the sea…

![“From my mother came the idea that going down to the sea repaired the spirit. That is where she walked when she was sad or worried or lonely for my father. If she had been crying, she came back composed; if she had left angry with us, she returned in good humor. So we naturally believed that there…” quote by Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg)

> “From my mother came the idea that going down to the sea repaired the spirit. That is where she walked when she was sad or worried or lonely for my father. If she had been crying, she came back composed; if she had left angry with us, she returned in good humor. So we naturally believed that there was a cleansing, purifying effect to be had; that letting the fresh wind blow through you mind and spirits as well as your hair and clothing purged black thoughts; that contemplating the ceaseless motion of the waves calmed a raging spirit.”

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

## About This Quote

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

The sea is portrayed as a therapeutic place where natural elements soothe emotional distress and restore mental balance.

**In simple terms:** The ocean calms and clears troubled thoughts.

Key Takeaway

Seek nature’s calm when upset.

Themes

healing nature emotion solitude

Mood

reflective soothing

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- grief
- anxiety
- stress relief
- creative inspiration

Key Concepts

psychology environmental therapy mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the sea affect your mood?
- Can you find similar calm in other settings?

A Different Perspective

Nature’s calm may not replace professional help for deep trauma.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Good humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-humor/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Hiking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiking/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Trekking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trekking/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/)

## Related quotes

> [“heart. As he looked around at the agency Indians, dependent, destitute, spiritless, it was clearer than ever that an agency offered no life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/win-blevins/heart-as-he-looked-around-at-the-agency-indians-dependent-destitute/)

[Win Blevins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/win-blevins/)

> [Solitude scares me. It makes me think about love, death, and war. I need distraction from anxious, black thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-bardot/solitude-scares-me-it-makes-me-think-about-love-death-and-war-i-need/)

[Brigitte Bardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-bardot/)

> [Black thoughts in my eyes got my hypnotized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/black-thoughts-in-my-eyes-got-my-hypnotized/)

[Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/)

> [There are not wings of dreams that have not previously dealt with the flight of black thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/there-are-not-wings-of-dreams-that-have-not-previously-dealt-with-the/)

[Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/)

> [“I tell you to think black thoughts and you come up with that?!" the lieutenant had screamed. "Is a guinea pig bad? Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-beddor/i-tell-you-to-think-black-thoughts-and-you-come-up-with-that-the/)

[Frank Beddor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-beddor/)

> [I crave white on white and black, but my thoughts race in glorious technicolour, prodding me awake, whipping away the warm blanket of invisibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kane/i-crave-white-on-white-and-black-but-my-thoughts-race-in-glorious/)

[Sarah Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kane/)

> [“Ah! but a man cannot be held to write down in cold blood the wild and black thoughts that storm his brain when an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hope/ah-but-a-man-cannot-be-held-to-write-down-in-cold-blood-the-wild-and/)

[Anthony Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hope/)

> [“There must be a way to fight this. To block out the black thoughts and make the voices go away. But with each memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeyn-roberts/there-must-be-a-way-to-fight-this-to-block-out-the-black-thoughts-and/)

[Jeyn Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeyn-roberts/)

> [“She rubbed the charcoal letters with her fingers, transferring some of her friends' black thoughts to herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/she-rubbed-the-charcoal-letters-with-her-fingers-transferring-some-of/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [The very discovery of these hidden things is in itself a purifying experience! The soul needs to discover what is inside. The self nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/the-very-discovery-of-these-hidden-things-is-in-itself-a-purifying/)

[Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/)

> [Forests are the lungs of our land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/forests-are-the-lungs-of-our-land/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [“Many think they play the last act. With life in turmoil, they seem to live the setup of a shattering countdown. To an insistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/many-think-they-play-the-last-act-with-life-in-turmoil-they-seem-to/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [At every moment in our lives we need compassion, but what more urgent moment could there be than when we are dying? What more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/at-every-moment-in-our-lives-we-need-compassion-but-what-more-urgent/)

[Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/)

> [Looking beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/looking-beauty-in-the-world-is-the-first-step-of-purifying-the-mind/)

[Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/)

> [“...because you have been purifying your fields for many incarnations so you no longer belong in the heavy density of the third dimension and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-rangel-gerry-o-malley/because-you-have-been-purifying-your-fields-for-many-incarnations-so/)

[Ana Rangel &amp; Gerry O'malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-rangel-gerry-o-malley/)

## More by Robert MacNeil

> [I'm happy to have my own opinion and air it when I think it's necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/i-m-happy-to-have-my-own-opinion-and-air-it-when-i-think-it-s/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [Also, when I didn't like something, I could keep my opinion to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/also-when-i-didn-t-like-something-i-could-keep-my-opinion-to-myself/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [I grew up in kind of the last generation of Canadians who thought things that were happening in Britain were more important, almost, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/i-grew-up-in-kind-of-the-last-generation-of-canadians-who-thought/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [I think one of the lessons we learn in life - and it's an old lesson, but each of us has to learn it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/i-think-one-of-the-lessons-we-learn-in-life-and-it-s-an-old-lesson/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [“If you love the language, the greatest thing you can do to ensure its survival is not to complain about bad usage but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/if-you-love-the-language-the-greatest-thing-you-can-do-to-ensure-its/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [Wordstruck is exactly what I was—and still am: crazy about the sound of words, the look of words, the taste of words, the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/wordstruck-is-exactly-what-i-was-and-still-am-crazy-about-the-sound/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [Change is legitimate and inevitable, for our language is a mighty river, picking up silt and flotsam here and discarding it there, but growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/change-is-legitimate-and-inevitable-for-our-language-is-a-mighty/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [We spent a month in Japan last year, a week in Istanbul for the United Nations, and nearly three months in my native Nova…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/we-spent-a-month-in-japan-last-year-a-week-in-istanbul-for-the-united/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [“He always wrote on the flyleaf of each new book the date and where he was, so I can follow him: reading Chesterton just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/he-always-wrote-on-the-flyleaf-of-each-new-book-the-date-and-where-he/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [I am not really retired, and may never be completely, but I can't think of a better place to contemplate retirement than New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/i-am-not-really-retired-and-may-never-be-completely-but-i-can-t-think/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [Words make another place, a place to escape to with your spirit alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/words-make-another-place-a-place-to-escape-to-with-your-spirit-alone/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [“Television is the soma of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/television-is-the-soma-of-aldous-huxley-s-brave-new-world/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [After I became a citizen, I felt freer to say what I thought about this country, both negative and positive. I think I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/after-i-became-a-citizen-i-felt-freer-to-say-what-i-thought-about/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [But, finally, I just realized a few years ago that this is where I belonged. I mean everything I had was invested here, emotionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/but-finally-i-just-realized-a-few-years-ago-that-this-is-where-i/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

> [Well, I had a small degree, that little infection of skepticism about America which resides in the minds of even America's closest friends. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/well-i-had-a-small-degree-that-little-infection-of-skepticism-about/)

[Robert MacNeil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

[Explore all 23 Robert MacNeil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/)

## More Angry quotes

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

Kirsten Gilchrist

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/)

[David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/)

> [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/)

[Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/)

> [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

> [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/)

[Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/)

> [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/)

[Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/)

> [I'm an angry guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gandolfini/i-m-an-angry-guy/)

[James Gandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gandolfini/)

> [Apparently, I'm the angriest man. I don't know. It's just an interpretation. If it was someone else, they might be called focused or competitive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/apparently-i-m-the-angriest-man-i-don-t-know-it-s-just-an/)

[Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/)

> [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

[Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "From my mother came the idea that going down to the sea repaired the spirit. That is where she walked when she was sad or worried or lonely for my father. If she had been crying, she came back composed; if she had left angry with us, she returned in good humor. So we naturally believed that there was a cleansing, purifying effect to be had; that letting the fresh wind blow through you mind and spirits as well as your hair and clothing purged black thoughts; that contemplating the ceaseless motion of the waves calmed a raging spirit.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert MacNeil"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going-down-to-the-sea-repaired-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Angry"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going-down-to-the-sea-repaired-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c46/robert-macneil-25522_angry_from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going_2533583.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“From my mother came the idea that going down to the sea repaired the spirit. That is where she walked when…” — Robert MacNeil",
                "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": "Robert MacNeil",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macneil/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "From my mother came the idea...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going-down-to-the-sea-repaired-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macneil/from-my-mother-came-the-idea-that-going-down-to-the-sea-repaired-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
