---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother did all she could to control…"
description: "\"My mother did all she could to control me, but at age 14 she sent me to a military school.\" — Sam Donaldson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png"
---

#  My mother did all she could to control me, but at age 14…

![“My mother did all she could to control me, but at age 14 she sent me to a military school.” quote by Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png)

> “My mother did all she could to control me, but at age 14 she sent me to a military school.”

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker recounts a strict upbringing, highlighting the impact of military discipline on personal development.

**In simple terms:** Strict upbringing at military school.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on how early discipline shaped you.

Themes

family discipline growth

Mood

reflective serious

Type

autobiographical psychological

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- personal resilience
- parenting styles

Key Concepts

military education psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How did military school affect your identity?
- What freedoms do you value now?

A Different Perspective

Strict discipline may suppress individuality and emotional expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Control Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-age-2889009/) [Did Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-control-1605285/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-school/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-did/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/)

## Related quotes

> [Don't let your age control your life... Let your life control your age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-your-age-control-your-life-let-your-life-control-your-age/)

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

> [I am in control of how I age, and I am in control of my health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/i-am-in-control-of-how-i-age-and-i-am-in-control-of-my-health/)

[Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/)

> [And from a military school which taught me that to fit into society, you can't just do anything you damn well please because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/and-from-a-military-school-which-taught-me-that-to-fit-into-society/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [I can't control what life did to me, but I can control how I react. Therein lies the difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-can-t-control-what-life-did-to-me-but-i-can-control-how-i-react/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [I did everything I could to control my future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/i-did-everything-i-could-to-control-my-future/)

[Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/)

> [“The movement was in me, but it wasn’t me. It was another little something, a someone, willfully choosing to flex his flippery future arms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshilyn-jackson/the-movement-was-in-me-but-it-wasn-t-me-it-was-another-little/)

[Joshilyn Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshilyn-jackson/)

> [I grew up playing football and hunting; and went to military school and then into the Marine Corps. Kindness is not a valued trait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/i-grew-up-playing-football-and-hunting-and-went-to-military-school/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [I went to Harvard High because it was a great school. That it happened to be a military school was just a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-harmon/i-went-to-harvard-high-because-it-was-a-great-school-that-it-happened/)

[Mark Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-harmon/)

> [The truth was that, you know, there was no reason to send me to Shattuck Military School. But it was a disciplinarian school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/the-truth-was-that-you-know-there-was-no-reason-to-send-me-to/)

[Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/)

> [Military school was great and especially great for leadership and then I spent two years in Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/military-school-was-great-and-especially-great-for-leadership-and/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [“Here beneath the towering pines, by the river blue Farragut will ever stand, alma mater true”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-a-sarte/here-beneath-the-towering-pines-by-the-river-blue-farragut-will-ever/)

[Bruce A. Sarte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-a-sarte/)

> [I went to a military school, so I'm always talking like 'Yes, sir,' or 'No, ma'am.' I was doing that even before military school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fitzgerald/i-went-to-a-military-school-so-i-m-always-talking-like-yes-sir-or-no/)

[Larry Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fitzgerald/)

> [No one in my family ever had joined the military at all, and how I first got introduced to the military was when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/no-one-in-my-family-ever-had-joined-the-military-at-all-and-how-i/)

[Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/)

> [Apparently almost anyone can do a better job of educating children than our so-called 'educators' in the public schools. Children who are home-schooled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/apparently-almost-anyone-can-do-a-better-job-of-educating-children/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [My dad's father was a White Star Line trumpet player in the '20s. It shaped the way that I think about music. My grandfather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/my-dad-s-father-was-a-white-star-line-trumpet-player-in-the-20s-it/)

[Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/)

## More by Sam Donaldson

> [The President's very shrewd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/the-president-s-very-shrewd/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [The press . . . traditionally sides with authority and the establishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/the-press-traditionally-sides-with-authority-and-the-establishment/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [The truth is, when I got started in this business, it wasn't because I had a full understanding of the importance of the business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/the-truth-is-when-i-got-started-in-this-business-it-wasn-t-because-i/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [I'd rather work with someone who's good at their job but doesn't like me, than someone who likes me but is a ninny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/i-d-rather-work-with-someone-who-s-good-at-their-job-but-doesn-t-like/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [I wanted to be in this business, and once I got into the business I knew I enjoyed it, and I liked it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/i-wanted-to-be-in-this-business-and-once-i-got-into-the-business-i/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [It wasn't until the late '70s that a lot of people knew me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/it-wasn-t-until-the-late-70s-that-a-lot-of-people-knew-me/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [But in 1941, on December 8th, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, my mother bought a radio and we listened to the war news.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/but-in-1941-on-december-8th-after-the-japanese-attacked-pearl-harbor/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [If you have a setback, and you're not doing well and then you overcome it somehow, it always sticks with you. You know it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/if-you-have-a-setback-and-you-re-not-doing-well-and-then-you-overcome/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [News conferences are the only chance the American public has to see Ronald Reagan use his mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/news-conferences-are-the-only-chance-the-american-public-has-to-see/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [If you sent me to cover a pie-baking contest on Mother's Day, I'm going to ask dear old Mom why she used artificial sweetener…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/if-you-sent-me-to-cover-a-pie-baking-contest-on-mother-s-day-i-m/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [As I went to college, I went into radio and television. Now I suppose most people think that's one step ahead of basket weaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/as-i-went-to-college-i-went-into-radio-and-television-now-i-suppose/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [My personal opinion is that guns kill people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/my-personal-opinion-is-that-guns-kill-people/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [Let's face it: Many on the political right believe this president ought not to be there - they oppose him not for his polices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/let-s-face-it-many-on-the-political-right-believe-this-president/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [Call me a braggart, call me arrogant. People at ABC (and elsewhere) have called me worse. But when you need the job done on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/call-me-a-braggart-call-me-arrogant-people-at-abc-and-elsewhere-have/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

> [There was a little bit of ham in me. And there's a lot of people say there's a lot of ham in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/there-was-a-little-bit-of-ham-in-me-and-there-s-a-lot-of-people-say/)

[Sam Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

[Explore all 35 Sam Donaldson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My mother did all she could to control me, but at age 14 she sent me to a military school.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Donaldson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-me-but-at-age-14-she-sent-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-me-but-at-age-14-she-sent-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/sam-donaldson-18372_age_my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-m_513694.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My mother did all she could to control me, but at age 14 she sent me to a military school.” — Sam Donaldson",
                "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": "Sam Donaldson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-donaldson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My mother did all she could...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-me-but-at-age-14-she-sent-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-donaldson/my-mother-did-all-she-could-to-control-me-but-at-age-14-she-sent-me/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
