---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother was a dominant force in my…"
description: "\"My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png"
---

#  My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very…

![“My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment.” quote by Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png)

> “My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment.”

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

## About This Quote

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

A nurturing, open-minded approach to education encourages broad curiosity without judgment, fostering lifelong learning.

**In simple terms:** Encouraging curiosity and non‑judgmental learning.

Key Takeaway

Embrace wide‑ranging curiosity.

Themes

education curiosity open‑mindedness

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- school curricula
- self‑directed study

Key Concepts

Holistic learning non‑judgmental pedagogy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance breadth with depth in learning?
- What role does judgment play in effective education?

A Different Perspective

May overlook depth in favor of breadth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-life-she-had-a-very-specific/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [When we each focus on being the dominant force in our own universe rather than invading other universes, we all win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-v-gordon/when-we-each-focus-on-being-the-dominant-force-in-our-own-universe/)

[Emily V. Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-v-gordon/)

> [My mother was a dominant force in our family. And I always saw her as the leader. And that was great for me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-our-family-and-i-always-saw-her-as/)

[Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/)

> [My mother was a dominant force in our family. And that was great for me as a young woman, because I never saw that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-our-family-and-that-was-great-for/)

[Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/)

> [“This little man was of the order of beings who must not be opposed, unless you possessed an all-dominant force sufficient to crush him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/this-little-man-was-of-the-order-of-beings-who-must-not-be-opposed/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [America is now the dominant force and the only countervailing force is Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/america-is-now-the-dominant-force-and-the-only-countervailing-force/)

[Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/)

> [It is not time to tell the leaders to realize how important education is - they already know it - their own children are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/it-is-not-time-to-tell-the-leaders-to-realize-how-important-education/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Place yourself among those who carry on their lives with passion, and true learning will take place, no matter how humble or exalted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/place-yourself-among-those-who-carry-on-their-lives-with-passion-and/)

[Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/)

> [“The trouble with modern education is you never know how ignorant people are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-trouble-with-modern-education-is-you-never-know-how-ignorant-2/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [From my decades of experience in education, I know the sooner young people have access to a quality education, the more successful they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/from-my-decades-of-experience-in-education-i-know-the-sooner-young/)

[Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/)

> [Education is something that you know and get which is not in the book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/education-is-something-that-you-know-and-get-which-is-not-in-the-book/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [The trouble with modern education is you never know how ignorant people are. With anyone over fifty you can be fairly confident what's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-trouble-with-modern-education-is-you-never-know-how-ignorant/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [The trouble with modern education is you never know how ignorant they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-trouble-with-modern-education-is-you-never-know-how-ignorant-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [“In some corner of your life, you know more about something than anyone else on earth. The true measure of your education is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-nerburn/in-some-corner-of-your-life-you-know-more-about-something-than-anyone/)

[Kent Nerburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-nerburn/)

> [I just wish all these young black kids would realize how significant it is to stop acting a fool out there, killing each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-just-wish-all-these-young-black-kids-would-realize-how-significant/)

[Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/)

## More by Twyla Tharp

> [“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to the setting in which they choose to start their day. By putting themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-habitually-creative-people-have-preparation-rituals-linked/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I always find that the best collaborations are when you work with people that know what they're doing, and you leave them alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-always-find-that-the-best-collaborations-are-when-you-work-with/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I don't mean this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't really think of pop art and serious art as being that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-mean-this-but-i-m-going-to-say-it-anyway-i-don-t-really-think/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [The art of these Fifties movies was in sustaining forever the moment before sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/the-art-of-these-fifties-movies-was-in-sustaining-forever-the-moment/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [This is not a pleasant route for many young people to consider. You have to be either hopelessly passionate, or very stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/this-is-not-a-pleasant-route-for-many-young-people-to-consider-you/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I often say that in making dances I can make a world where I think things are done morally, done democratically, done honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-often-say-that-in-making-dances-i-can-make-a-world-where-i-think/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I had received my first establishment grants in response to applications filed the year before. To the pages of baffling forms I had simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-had-received-my-first-establishment-grants-in-response-to/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I don't think that scheduling is uncreative. I think that structure is required for creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-don-t-think-that-scheduling-is-uncreative-i-think-that-structure-is/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [I have always felt one of the things dance should do - its business being so clearly physical - is challenge the culture's gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-always-felt-one-of-the-things-dance-should-do-its-business/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [There really is nothing I ever had access to that I didn't appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/there-really-is-nothing-i-ever-had-access-to-that-i-didn-t-appreciate/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [Destiny, quite often, is a determined parent. Mozart was hardly some naive prodigy who sat down at the keyboard and, with God whispering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/destiny-quite-often-is-a-determined-parent-mozart-was-hardly-some/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [When it all comes together, a creative life has the nourishing power we normally associate with food, love and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/when-it-all-comes-together-a-creative-life-has-the-nourishing-power/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

> [Things change all the time, so why do people make such a philosophical to-do that things are constantly in transition?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/things-change-all-the-time-so-why-do-people-make-such-a-philosophical/)

[Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

[Explore all 298 Twyla Tharp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/)

## More Dominant quotes

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/)

[Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/)

> [The behavior and reactions of the oppressed, which lead the oppressor to practice cultural invasion, should evoke from the revolutionary a different theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-behavior-and-reactions-of-the-oppressed-which-lead-the-oppressor/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [I never minded giving my opinions. They are just opinions, and I had studied music and I had strong feelings. I was happy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-never-minded-giving-my-opinions-they-are-just-opinions-and-i-had/)

[Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/)

> [The full implications of feminism will evolve over time, as we organize, experiment, think, analyze, and revise our ideas and strategies in light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bunch/the-full-implications-of-feminism-will-evolve-over-time-as-we/)

[Charlotte Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bunch/)

> [For me, movies and television are interesting because they are the dominant storytelling form of our time. My first love will always be fiction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-me-movies-and-television-are-interesting-because-they-are-the/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [I have often noticed that the two nuclear powers on the Indian subcontinent, India and Pakistan, attribute to Kashmiris an inferior intellect, a lineage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/i-have-often-noticed-that-the-two-nuclear-powers-on-the-indian/)

[Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/)

> [In the 1950s and early 1960s, psychoanalysis swept through the intellectual community, and it was the dominant mode of thinking about the mind. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/in-the-1950s-and-early-1960s-psychoanalysis-swept-through-the/)

[Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/)

> [As you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/as-you-become-comfortable-with-uncertainty-infinite-possibilities/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [My mum is deeply, deeply a man's woman, a man's muse. Maybe because I'm a kid from the '80s, I'm a bit more dominant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/my-mum-is-deeply-deeply-a-man-s-woman-a-man-s-muse-maybe-because-i-m/)

[Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/)

> [Spirit of place! It is for this we travel, to surprise its subtlety; and where it is a strong and dominant angel, that place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/spirit-of-place-it-is-for-this-we-travel-to-surprise-its-subtlety-and/)

[Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/)

> [In their heyday, comics were a dominant force in popular culture, but that's over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/in-their-heyday-comics-were-a-dominant-force-in-popular-culture-but/)

[Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/)

> [It's funny, but when there are dominant teams, there are a number of people who rail about the fact that they're always seeing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-michaels/it-s-funny-but-when-there-are-dominant-teams-there-are-a-number-of/)

[Al Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-michaels/)

> [Environmentalism, apocalyptic environmentalism in particular, has become the dominant religion of supposedly secular people in the West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shellenberger/environmentalism-apocalyptic-environmentalism-in-particular-has/)

[Michael Shellenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shellenberger/)

> [ Elvis \[Presley\] had a stepstool, if you will, to success because he came from the dominant culture. They identified with him. Michael Jackson had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/elvis-presley-had-a-stepstool-if-you-will-to-success-because-he-came/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

Browse all 701 Dominant quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Twyla Tharp"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-life-she-had-a-very-specific-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dominant"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-life-she-had-a-very-specific-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/twyla-tharp-1069_dominant_my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-lif_2589966.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you…” — Twyla Tharp",
                "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": "Twyla Tharp",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My mother was a dominant force...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-life-she-had-a-very-specific-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/my-mother-was-a-dominant-force-in-my-life-she-had-a-very-specific-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
