--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you get born your father and mother…" description: "\"When you get born your father and mother lost something out of themselves, and they are going to bust a ham trying to get it back, and you are it. They..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85e/robert-penn-warren-2118_bigs_when-you-get-born-your-father-and-mother_2961090.jpg" --- # When you get born your father and mother lost something… ![“When you get born your father and mother lost something out of themselves, and they are going to bust a ham trying to get it back, and you are it. They know they can't get it all back but they will get as big a chunk out of you as they can.” quote by Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85e/robert-penn-warren-2118_bigs_when-you-get-born-your-father-and-mother_2961090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85e/robert-penn-warren-2118_bigs_when-you-get-born-your-father-and-mother_2961090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85e/robert-penn-warren-2118_bigs_when-you-get-born-your-father-and-mother_2961090.jpg) > “When you get born your father and mother lost something out of themselves, and they are going to bust a ham trying to get it back, and you are it. They know they can't get it all back but they will get as big a chunk out of you as they can.” [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parents sacrifice parts of themselves for their child, hoping to reclaim something through the child's life. **In simple terms:** Parents give of of themselves to children. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance parental expectations. Themes family sacrifice identity expectations Mood reflective somber Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - career choices - personal development - mental health - relationship dynamics Key Concepts psychology generational legacy selfhood Questions to Reflect On - How do you define your own identity apart from parental expectations? - What boundaries can you set to protect your autonomy? A Different Perspective Children cannot fulfill all parental hopes; expectations may be unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father And Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-mother/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“The child comes home and the parent puts the hooks in him. The old man, or the woman, as the case may be, hasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-child-comes-home-and-the-parent-puts-the-hooks-in-him-the-old-man/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [People always ask me: 'When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never. My father and mother have closed the factory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pel/people-always-ask-me-when-is-the-new-pele-going-to-be-born-never-my/) [Pele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pel/) > [On one level, going bust didn't bother me. It was the 80s, and there wasn't the stigma about bankruptcy that you might think. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/on-one-level-going-bust-didn-t-bother-me-it-was-the-80s-and-there/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) > [Everyone was thinking it was going to be a bust. I felt redeemed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-caviezel/everyone-was-thinking-it-was-going-to-be-a-bust-i-felt-redeemed/) [Jim Caviezel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-caviezel/) > [The hardest part is just hearing people saying that I won't amount to crap, and that I'm going to be a bust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/the-hardest-part-is-just-hearing-people-saying-that-i-won-t-amount-to/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [My father and mother had no sense of entitlement for their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/my-father-and-mother-had-no-sense-of-entitlement-for-their-children/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [Deadbeat moms never realize the lasting effects that they have on there child's life, you only get one father and mother in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/deadbeat-moms-never-realize-the-lasting-effects-that-they-have-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I was well brought up, for my father and mother were of one mind regarding the care of the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-helen-spence/i-think-i-was-well-brought-up-for-my-father-and-mother-were-of-one/) [Catherine Helen Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-helen-spence/) > [My father and mother should have stayed in New York, where they met and married and where I was born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-father-and-mother-should-have-stayed-in-new-york-where-they-met/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [The child should support his father and mother when he is able to do and they are in hand. But,in religious matters,the man must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jainism/the-child-should-support-his-father-and-mother-when-he-is-able-to-do/) JAINISM > [Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/life-was-a-lot-simpler-when-what-we-honored-was-father-and-mother/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [My wife is the most wonderful woman in the world, and my parents are the most extraordinary father and mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akhil-sharma/my-wife-is-the-most-wonderful-woman-in-the-world-and-my-parents-are/) [Akhil Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akhil-sharma/) > [God has not made anything that I know of that pays so much attention to who their father and mother is as us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/god-has-not-made-anything-that-i-know-of-that-pays-so-much-attention/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [“That's what Father and Mother are, thought Nafai. They stay together, not because of any gain, but because of the gift. Father doesn't stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/that-s-what-father-and-mother-are-thought-nafai-they-stay-together/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [My father and mother were both doctors, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/my-father-and-mother-were-both-doctors-yes/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) ## More by Robert Penn Warren > [If you are an idealist, it does not matter what you do or what goes on around you because it isn't real anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/if-you-are-an-idealist-it-does-not-matter-what-you-do-or-what-goes-on/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“The child comes home and the parent puts the hooks in him. The old man, or the woman, as the case may be, hasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-child-comes-home-and-the-parent-puts-the-hooks-in-him-the-old-man/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-poem-is-a-little-myth-of-man-s-capacity-of-making-life-meaningful/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“There is nothing more alone than being in a car at night in the rain. I was in the car. And I was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/there-is-nothing-more-alone-than-being-in-a-car-at-night-in-the-rain/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“No, the Boss corrected, I'm not a lawyer. I know some law. ... but I'm not a lawyer. That's why I can see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/no-the-boss-corrected-i-m-not-a-lawyer-i-know-some-law-but-i-m-not-a/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [ \[A\]nd soon now we shall go out of the house and go into the convulsion of the world, out of history into history and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/a-nd-soon-now-we-shall-go-out-of-the-house-and-go-into-the-convulsion/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“Those were the ones which would turn loose their grip on the branch before long-- not in any breeze, the fibers would just relax,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/those-were-the-ones-which-would-turn-loose-their-grip-on-the-branch/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“Sometimes sleep gets to be a serious and complete thing. You stop going to sleep in order that you may be able to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/sometimes-sleep-gets-to-be-a-serious-and-complete-thing-you-stop/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“He thought of night coming on. He thought of the loneliness of tonight, this first night in the ground. This, he thought, was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/he-thought-of-night-coming-on-he-thought-of-the-loneliness-of-tonight/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [I reckon I am a smart aleck, but it is just a way to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/i-reckon-i-am-a-smart-aleck-but-it-is-just-a-way-to-pass-the-time/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [The poem is not a thing we see; it is, rather, a light by which we may see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-poem-is-not-a-thing-we-see-it-is-rather-a-light-by-which-we-may/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [The asking and the answering which history provides may help us to understand, even to frame, the logic of experience to which we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-asking-and-the-answering-which-history-provides-may-help-us-to/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [Process as process is neither morally good nor morally bad. We may judge results but not process. The morally bad agent may perform the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/process-as-process-is-neither-morally-good-nor-morally-bad-we-may/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [The end of man is knowledge, but there is one thing he can't know. He can't know whether knowledge will save him or kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-end-of-man-is-knowledge-but-there-is-one-thing-he-can-t-know-he/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [For the truth is a terrible thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/for-the-truth-is-a-terrible-thing/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) [Explore all 184 Robert Penn Warren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you get born your father and mother lost something out of themselves, and they are going to bust a ham trying to get it back, and you are it. 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