---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY…"
description: "\"A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO IF HIS FATHER WAS NEVER THERE TO SHOW HIM THE ROPES. WHAT CAN THE SON SAY AS HE GET'S OLDE..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg"
---

#  A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY KNOW WHICH WAY TO…

![“A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO IF HIS FATHER WAS NEVER THERE TO SHOW HIM THE ROPES. WHAT CAN THE SON SAY AS HE GET'S OLDER WHEN HE WAS NEVER TAUGHT WHAT TO SAY. HOW DO A SON FEELS WHEN HE COULDN'T FORGIVE HIS FATHER BECAUSE OF THE PILE OF MESS HE LEFT BEHIND TRYING TO…” quote by ROBERT PALMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg)

> “A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO IF HIS FATHER WAS NEVER THERE TO SHOW HIM THE ROPES. WHAT CAN THE SON SAY AS HE GET'S OLDER WHEN HE WAS NEVER TAUGHT WHAT TO SAY. HOW DO A SON FEELS WHEN HE COULDN'T FORGIVE HIS FATHER BECAUSE OF THE PILE OF MESS HE LEFT BEHIND TRYING TO LEAVE A DIRTY MARK. PLUS WHAT CAN A MOTHER SAY WHEN ALL SHE DID WAS DO HER BEST. HOW DO A SON FEELS WHEN HE SEE'S HIS MOTHER SHED A TEAR EVERY NIGHT. AND WHAT CAN A SISTER SAY WHEN SHE FOUND OUT HER BROTHER WAS GAY. NOT EVEN KNOWING WHAT TO SAY AND WHAT DOES A FATHER DO WHEN HE WAKES UP AND LOOK AT HIM SELF IN THE MIRROR LIKE IS HE REALLY PROUD. THEN TRIES TO COME BACK TO THE FAMILY AND FOUND OUT THAT HIS DAUGHTER WAS WILD,AND HIS SON HAD WALKED OUT.”

[ROBERT PALMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

## About This Quote

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

Explores the pain of absent guidance, unresolved resentment, and the struggle for acceptance within a family facing loss, identity, and forgiveness.

**In simple terms:** Family wounds run deep, needing empathy and healing.

Key Takeaway

Seek understanding and forgiveness.

Themes

family loss identity forgiveness trauma

Mood

somber hopeful

Type

reflective emotional

When to use this quote

- parent‑child relationships
- sibling support
- mental health counseling

Key Concepts

intergenerational trauma empathy acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can families take to heal past hurts?
- How does silence shape identity?

A Different Perspective

Healing may be slow and not guaranteed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Every night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/) [Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [My own son feels I'm uncool but my grandson loves me. Being cool or uncool is a generational thing. But as a personal thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/my-own-son-feels-i-m-uncool-but-my-grandson-loves-me-being-cool-or/)

[Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/)

> [“Then he tells his son, "This feels like that breath you take after coming up from a long swim underwater. The most gorgeous feeling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/then-he-tells-his-son-this-feels-like-that-breath-you-take-after/)

[Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/)

> [If I did not have for him the warm affection a son feels toward a less austere and preoccupied father, I at least had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-ellsworth/if-i-did-not-have-for-him-the-warm-affection-a-son-feels-toward-a/)

Lincoln Ellsworth

> [“Harry’s father watches his son and feels something enormous inside of him. His own father would have never understood what he was seeing, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/harry-s-father-watches-his-son-and-feels-something-enormous-inside-of/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-maillart/it-is-always-our-own-self-that-we-find-at-the-end-of-the-journey-the/)

[Ella Maillart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-maillart/)

> [My face, my self, what would they mean to anybody? Just another stiff. So this self of mine passes some other's self on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/my-face-my-self-what-would-they-mean-to-anybody-just-another-stiff-so/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“In silence you shall face self...and have respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/in-silence-you-shall-face-self-and-have-respect/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Love brings you face to face with your self. It's impossible to love another if you cannot love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pierrakos/love-brings-you-face-to-face-with-your-self-it-s-impossible-to-love/)

[John Pierrakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pierrakos/)

> [It is painful to face the self we know we have never had the integrity to honor and assert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/it-is-painful-to-face-the-self-we-know-we-have-never-had-the/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

> [“If she had hurt me, I could have forgiven her without even having to think about it; but I couldn't forgive her for being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/if-she-had-hurt-me-i-could-have-forgiven-her-without-even-having-to/)

[Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/)

> [I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-couldn-t-forgive-him-or-like-him-but-i-saw-that-what-he-had-done-2/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [The betrayal meant he couldn't trust her anymore, and his heart told him he couldn't forgive her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/the-betrayal-meant-he-couldn-t-trust-her-anymore-and-his-heart-told/)

[James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/)

> [I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-couldn-t-forgive-him-or-like-him-but-i-saw-that-what-he-had-done/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“I was infected head to toe. Resistant to any medicine, immune to anything he might do. In fact, I knew that even if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-shen/i-was-infected-head-to-toe-resistant-to-any-medicine-immune-to/)

[L.J. Shen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-shen/)

> [This time I wouldn't forget him, because I couldn't ever forgive him - for breaking my heart twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-time-i-wouldn-t-forget-him-because-i-couldn-t-ever-forgive-him/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by ROBERT PALMO

> [Something I created myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/something-i-created-myself/)

[Robert Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE TO SAY WHEN YOUR HEART FEELS SO HURT BUT YOUR MOUTH HAVES ALLOT OF QUESTIONS WHAT DO IM SUPPOSE TO…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/what-do-you-suppose-to-say-when-your-heart-feels-so-hurt-but-your/)

[ROBERT PALMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [SOMETIMES IT MAY HURT TO SEE THE PERSON YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH, IS WITH SOMEONE ELSE. DOESNT MAKE YOU LESS OF A PERSON…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/sometimes-it-may-hurt-to-see-the-person-you-are-in-love-with-is-with/)

[ROBERT PALMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [It's sad when the one you call yo friend always seem to be the one who talks behind yo back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/it-s-sad-when-the-one-you-call-yo-friend-always-seem-to-be-the-one/)

[Robert Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [Its crazy how the one bestfriend turns out wanting your man or or you end up finding out they were sleeping with eachother and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/its-crazy-how-the-one-bestfriend-turns-out-wanting-your-man-or-or-you/)

[Robert Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [Why do it always seem like I get hurt when I'm only expressing how I feel when I'm only being real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/why-do-it-always-seem-like-i-get-hurt-when-i-m-only-expressing-how-i/)

[Robert Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [A real man is a man who just keeps it real and don't lie about what they do and a real man is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/a-real-man-is-a-man-who-just-keeps-it-real-and-don-t-lie-about-what/)

[Robert Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [I LOVE YOU,AND I KNOW YOU LOVE ME TO BUT THATS NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH I THINK SHOWING YOUR LOVE TO A PERSON YOU LOVE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/i-love-you-and-i-know-you-love-me-to-but-thats-not-always-enough-i/)

[ROBERT PALMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [SOME PEOPLE ARE REAL AND SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT REAL WHAT MAKES US DIFFRENT BUT NOT STUPID. SOME PEOPLE ARE QUIET AND SOME PEOPLE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/some-people-are-real-and-some-people-are-not-real-what-makes-us/)

[ROBERT PALMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

> [A word that need to be herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/a-word-that-need-to-be-herd/)

[Robert Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

[Explore all 11 ROBERT PALMO quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/)

## More Every night quotes

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You can date every girl in town as far as I’m concerned. I hate you. I pray every night that you’ll fall victim to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrington/you-can-date-every-girl-in-town-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-i-hate-you-i/)

[Kim Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrington/)

> [“Maybe I'd absorbed the capacity to hurt someone by listening to my parents every night, who were under the impression that turning the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/maybe-i-d-absorbed-the-capacity-to-hurt-someone-by-listening-to-my/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [I'm always looking at new ways to tell a joke so that it doesn't get stale while working on new jokes every night or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-m-always-looking-at-new-ways-to-tell-a-joke-so-that-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/)

> [“When at last we arrived in Mannheim, I found that my apartment had been rented to a family whose young son was an amputee.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/when-at-last-we-arrived-in-mannheim-i-found-that-my-apartment-had/)

[Captain Hank Bracker, "Suppresed I Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/)

> [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/)

[Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/)

> [“It suddenly seemed to Laurel that all the absences in her own life, every loss and sadness, every nightmare in the dark, every unexplained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-suddenly-seemed-to-laurel-that-all-the-absences-in-her-own-life/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

> [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [“I have heard several people justify working long hours and getting home from work late it night by saying things like, “I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/i-have-heard-several-people-justify-working-long-hours-and-getting/)

[Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/)

> [Every night I go to sleep smiling, even when I have a bad day. I'm just thankful that God allowed me to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-night-i-go-to-sleep-smiling-even-when-i-have-a-bad-day-i-m-just/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I'm going to lay it out straight for you here, Carson. And the reason that I'm going to do that is because I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-sheridan/i-m-going-to-lay-it-out-straight-for-you-here-carson-and-the-reason/)

[Mia Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-sheridan/)

> [I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I'd done that ... even if I didn't make it, you wouldn't've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-do-remember-what-i-said-the-promise-to-protect-her-if-i-d-done-that/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [“It’s a red sky every night with Cosmic Ordering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/it-s-a-red-sky-every-night-with-cosmic-ordering/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [“What does it say?" asked my lord. "It says, 'Good-night, God keep you all the night!'--just what she used to say when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/what-does-it-say-asked-my-lord-it-says-good-night-god-keep-you-all/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [“Oh, my god, I don't know. What do you want?" "You," he said, his voice lowering an octave. "I want you, Dutch, body and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/oh-my-god-i-don-t-know-what-do-you-want-you-he-said-his-voice/)

[Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/)

[Browse all 2,605 Every night quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-night/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO IF HIS FATHER WAS NEVER THERE TO SHOW HIM THE ROPES. WHAT CAN THE SON SAY AS HE GET'S OLDER WHEN HE WAS NEVER TAUGHT WHAT TO SAY. HOW DO A SON FEELS WHEN HE COULDN'T FORGIVE HIS FATHER BECAUSE OF THE PILE OF MESS HE LEFT BEHIND TRYING TO LEAVE A DIRTY MARK. PLUS WHAT CAN A MOTHER SAY WHEN ALL SHE DID WAS DO HER BEST. HOW DO A SON FEELS WHEN HE SEE'S HIS MOTHER SHED A TEAR EVERY NIGHT. AND WHAT CAN A SISTER SAY WHEN SHE FOUND OUT HER BROTHER WAS GAY. NOT EVEN KNOWING WHAT TO SAY AND WHAT DOES A FATHER DO WHEN HE WAKES UP AND LOOK AT HIM SELF IN THE MIRROR LIKE IS HE REALLY PROUD. THEN TRIES TO COME BACK TO THE FAMILY AND FOUND OUT THAT HIS DAUGHTER WAS WILD,AND HIS SON HAD WALKED OUT.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "ROBERT PALMO"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy-know-which-way-to-go-if-his/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Every night"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy-know-which-way-to-go-if-his/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/robert-palmo-40053_a-face-of-him-self_a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy_797755.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW CAN A LITTLE BOY KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO IF HIS FATHER WAS NEVER THERE TO SHOW HIM THE…” — ROBERT PALMO",
                "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 PALMO",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A FACE OF HIM SELF HOW...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy-know-which-way-to-go-if-his/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmo/a-face-of-him-self-how-can-a-little-boy-know-which-way-to-go-if-his/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
