--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While my mother lived, I always felt to a…" description: "\"While my mother lived, I always felt to a certain degree as if I had somebody who was my superior and who exercised a mysterious protection over me. I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png" --- # While my mother lived, I always felt to a certain degree… ![“While my mother lived, I always felt to a certain degree as if I had somebody who was my superior and who exercised a mysterious protection over me. I belonged to something - I hung to something - there is nothing that has so much reverence and religion in it as affection to parents.” quote by William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png) > “While my mother lived, I always felt to a certain degree as if I had somebody who was my superior and who exercised a mysterious protection over me. I belonged to something - I hung to something - there is nothing that has so much reverence and religion in it as affection to parents.” [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses deep reverence and protective feeling toward parents, seeing them as a higher, mysterious presence in one's life. **In simple terms:** Parents feel like a protective, sacred presence. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor parental influence. Themes family reverence protection affection Mood reflective nostalgic Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - childhood reflection - family gatherings - counseling sessions - writing memoirs Key Concepts psychology attachment theory spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does parental reverence shape your identity? - Do you feel this protection in adult relationships? A Different Perspective The feeling may idealize parents, overlooking their flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Those who do not cherish affection for their parents, spouses and children and for their homes, villages and workplaces cannot love their country and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/those-who-do-not-cherish-affection-for-their-parents-spouses-and/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [A child in its greed for love does not enjoy having to share the affection of its parents with its brothers and sisters; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/a-child-in-its-greed-for-love-does-not-enjoy-having-to-share-the/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The simulated approval and affection with which parents and teachers are often urged to solve behavior problems are counterfeit. So are flattery, backslap-ping, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/the-simulated-approval-and-affection-with-which-parents-and-teachers/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [A lot of Indian fathers don't know how to show affection. My parents really do love me, even though my dad has never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/a-lot-of-indian-fathers-don-t-know-how-to-show-affection-my-parents/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [My mother lived in Holland, and during World War II was incarcerated in a Japanese camp for three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/my-mother-lived-in-holland-and-during-world-war-ii-was-incarcerated/) [Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/) > [In my earliest of years, my mother was a huge force in my life. She was for all intents and purposes, a single parent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/in-my-earliest-of-years-my-mother-was-a-huge-force-in-my-life-she-was/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [Once upon a time, my mother lived in the posh downtown of Homs, Syria. She described my grandfather as a king in a storybook,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-simpson/once-upon-a-time-my-mother-lived-in-the-posh-downtown-of-homs-syria/) [Mona Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-simpson/) > [My mother lived till she was 95 and never had a line on her face or a frown line. She was beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaclyn-smith/my-mother-lived-till-she-was-95-and-never-had-a-line-on-her-face-or-a/) [Jaclyn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaclyn-smith/) > [“If your mother lived your life as though it were her own-never allowing you a moment of stress or frustration, routinely sleeping in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-secunda/if-your-mother-lived-your-life-as-though-it-were-her-own-never/) [Victoria Secunda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-secunda/) > [“My mother lived alone in the ruins of the great Library, which was called Compleat, and a very passionate and dashing Library indeed. Under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/my-mother-lived-alone-in-the-ruins-of-the-great-library-which-was/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [My grandmother on my mother's side lived to nearly 100 years old, and she had seen Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-grandmother-on-my-mother-s-side-lived-to-nearly-100-years-old-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“It represented how Mother had lived: reach for the heavens, be firm, be unique, and don’t be swayed by other people’s ideas. Everything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariko-tatsumoto/it-represented-how-mother-had-lived-reach-for-the-heavens-be-firm-be/) Mariko Tatsumoto > [I think age, if you are healthy, I think age is largely a number. My mother lived to be 101. So I'm planning on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-think-age-if-you-are-healthy-i-think-age-is-largely-a-number-my/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [My mother lived through the Great Depression. Her family of 11 children pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and moved to wherever there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/my-mother-lived-through-the-great-depression-her-family-of-11/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [“Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/her-own-mother-lived-the-latter-years-of-her-life-in-the-horrible/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) ## More by William Godwin > [I know nothing worth the living for but usefulness and the service of my fellow-creatures. The only object I pursue is to increase, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/i-know-nothing-worth-the-living-for-but-usefulness-and-the-service-of/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [He that loves reading has everything within his reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/he-that-loves-reading-has-everything-within-his-reach/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [There must be room for the imagination to exercise its powers; we must conceive and apprehend a thousand things which we do not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/there-must-be-room-for-the-imagination-to-exercise-its-powers-we-must/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [In infamy, it is wisely provided that he who stands highest in the ranks of society has the heaviest load to sustain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/in-infamy-it-is-wisely-provided-that-he-who-stands-highest-in-the/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [No man knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/no-man-knows-the-value-of-innocence-and-integrity-but-he-who-has-lost/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Study with desire is real activity; without desire it is but the semblance and mockery of activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/study-with-desire-is-real-activity-without-desire-it-is-but-the/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“Godwin on Fenelon and his Valet \* Following is an excerpt from William Godwin's Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, Book II, Chapter II: “Of Justice”:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/godwin-on-fenelon-and-his-valet-following-is-an-excerpt-from-william/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Tenderness is the name for a lover's most exquisite sensation; protection is implied in his most generous and heart-thrilling impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/tenderness-is-the-name-for-a-lover-s-most-exquisite-sensation/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Whenever government assumes to deliver us from the trouble of thinking for ourselves, the only consequences it produces are those of torpor and imbecility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/whenever-government-assumes-to-deliver-us-from-the-trouble-of/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [During my academical life, and from this time forward, I was indefatigable in my search after truth. I read all the authors of greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/during-my-academical-life-and-from-this-time-forward-i-was/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Was ever a great discovery prosecuted or an important benefit conferred upon the human race by him who was incapable of standing and thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/was-ever-a-great-discovery-prosecuted-or-an-important-benefit/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [The real or supposed rights of man are of two kinds, active and passive; the right in certain cases to do as we list;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/the-real-or-supposed-rights-of-man-are-of-two-kinds-active-and/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Soundness of understanding is connected with freedom of enquiry; consequently, opinion should, as far as public security will admit, be exempted from restraint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/soundness-of-understanding-is-connected-with-freedom-of-enquiry/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Power is not happiness. Security and peace are more to be desired than a man at which nations tremble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/power-is-not-happiness-security-and-peace-are-more-to-be-desired-than/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“Strange that men, from age to age, should consent to hold their lives at the breath of another, merely that each in his turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/strange-that-men-from-age-to-age-should-consent-to-hold-their-lives/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) [Explore all 193 William Godwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) ## More Belonged quotes > [I've never belonged to any group that didn't have at least one member who wasn't a total dick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/i-ve-never-belonged-to-any-group-that-didn-t-have-at-least-one-member/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [“She is beyond me, but my love is pure, not base desire To her alone I belonged, I belong - even if mine she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umera-ahmed/she-is-beyond-me-but-my-love-is-pure-not-base-desire-to-her-alone-i/) [Umera Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umera-ahmed/) > [I moved to Milan when I was 15. I was always looking for something; I never really felt like I belonged where I was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/i-moved-to-milan-when-i-was-15-i-was-always-looking-for-something-i/) [Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/) > [I always thought competition was for horse races and it never belonged in art. I never felt that competitive with other girl singers, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-always-thought-competition-was-for-horse-races-and-it-never/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [The whole force of the respectable circles to which I belonged, that respectable circle which knew as I did notthe value of security won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-tarbell/the-whole-force-of-the-respectable-circles-to-which-i-belonged-that/) [Ida Tarbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-tarbell/) > [The power to bring me out of solitude - or to push me back into it - had never belonged to another person. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-power-to-bring-me-out-of-solitude-or-to-push-me-back-into-it-had/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“There was nowhere else she belonged but right here with him. In his life, in his home, in his arms. She was his—and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxie-rivera/there-was-nowhere-else-she-belonged-but-right-here-with-him-in-his/) [Roxie Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxie-rivera/) > [The first time that I stepped onto a stage, it was life-changing. For once, I felt comfortable and in a place where I belonged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanice-williams/the-first-time-that-i-stepped-onto-a-stage-it-was-life-changing-for/) [Shanice Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanice-williams/) > [“Was there anyone before you? You might have thought so at the the time. I feel like no one's ever loved me before. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/was-there-anyone-before-you-you-might-have-thought-so-at-the-the-time/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“let it go let it leave let it happen nothing in this world was promised or belonged to you anyway - all you own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/let-it-go-let-it-leave-let-it-happen-nothing-in-this-world-was/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [The character of the monkey just grew from something out of his face and my granddad's personality. They fused, and that's what I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-conti/the-character-of-the-monkey-just-grew-from-something-out-of-his-face/) [Nina Conti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-conti/) > [I was always kind of searching for the right social group in high school and never really felt like I belonged with any one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-dyer/i-was-always-kind-of-searching-for-the-right-social-group-in-high/) [Natalia Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-dyer/) > [I was a silent actress: a body. I belonged to dreams - to those who can't be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-kristel/i-was-a-silent-actress-a-body-i-belonged-to-dreams-to-those-who-can-t/) [Sylvia Kristel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-kristel/) > [I took three steps and was wrapped in his arms, where I belonged. No confusion here. No worries here. No troubles here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/i-took-three-steps-and-was-wrapped-in-his-arms-where-i-belonged-no/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) Browse all 304 Belonged quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "While my mother lived, I always felt to a certain degree as if I had somebody who was my superior and who exercised a mysterious protection over me. I belonged to something - I hung to something - there is nothing that has so much reverence and religion in it as affection to parents.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Godwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a-certain-degree-as-if-i-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belonged" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a-certain-degree-as-if-i-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/william-godwin-1978_belonged_while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a_815018.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“While my mother lived, I always felt to a certain degree as if I had somebody who was my superior and who…” — William Godwin", "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": "William Godwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "While my mother lived, I always...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a-certain-degree-as-if-i-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/while-my-mother-lived-i-always-felt-to-a-certain-degree-as-if-i-had/#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 } } ] } ```