“Well, you know, I was raised by a 1970s feminist. My mom had a consciousness-raising group. I used to sit at the top of the stairs and listen to them.”
Mothers are the first teachers, the last phone call, and the voice in your head long after you have left home. These quotes capture the tireless, often thankless, always essential work of motherhood — and the love that fuels it.
“Every time I think I have something under control, it changes and I don't have it under control. I think it takes several years to get there. Jade is 19 months old, so right now I'm on alert all the time. And as a mom I think you're constantly worrying about things.”
“Well, you know, I was raised by a 1970s feminist. My mom had a consciousness-raising group. I used to sit at the top of the stairs and listen to them.”
“Aretha Franklin was a teenage mom, a musician who came from an incredibly Christian background, but there was a lot of love, which is really inspiring in a feminist way.”
“It's superfun being a mom, but it's hard too.”
“In Hollywood, you play a mom and instantly, you've got osteoporosis.”
“Fortunately, when you're a mom, the responsibility of caring for your child can keep you going.”
“I was brought up by a single mom in a poor town in Arkansas and while some aspects of small-town life were really positive - like the fact that everyone there is really sweet and hospitable - there is also this close-minded mentality, and that naturally made me want to rebel.”
“It's about getting the kids up and fed, getting one to school, getting the other down for a nap, going to the grocery store, picking one up from school, getting the other one down for another nap, cooking dinner... I live my life at these two extremes. I'm either a full-time stay-at-home mom or a full-time actress.”
“It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.”
“My mom and I are very close.”
“My mom used to make everything. She had a great garden and composted and made everything from scratch - peanut butter, bread, jelly, everything. I don't know how she did it because all those things take time and love and labour. I only do half the stuff she does - but there's still time.”
“Every time I think I have something under control, it changes and I don't have it under control. I think it takes several years to get there. Jade is 19 months old, so right now I'm on alert all the time. And as a mom I think you're constantly worrying about things.”
“Mommy smoked but she didn't want us to. She saw smoke coming out of the barn one time, so we got whipped.”
“I became a mom at 37 and having a child has been an emancipation for me.”
“My mom and I had the same vision, and we want the same things. We would always make a goal list every year.”
“I have so much respect for my mom and all the women across the world.”