I'm not the only one; most people's mothers are the most influential person in their life. But my mother survived the camps, and she was very strong. She made me strong, but she wanted me to be strong. That's more important.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the profound influence of a mother, particularly one who has endured hardships, on her child's strength and resilience.
Diane Von Furstenberg emphasizes the vital role of mothers in shaping their children's lives, particularly through their strength and experiences. She highlights her mother's survival of challenging circumstances, which not only instilled strength in her but also emphasized the importance of fostering that strength in her child, illustrating how parental support can significantly impact personal development and resilience.
In practice
In a speech about personal growth, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of maternal influence.
There's design, and there's art. Good design is total harmony. There's no better designer than nature - if you look at a branch or a leaf, it's perfect. It's all function. Art is different. It's about emotion. It's about suffering and beauty - but mostly suffering!
The little black dress is the true friend...she travels with you...is patient and constant...you go to her when you don't know where else to go and she is ALWAYS reliable and timeless.
One of the most important things about fashion is to dress as well as you can, look as attractive as you can, and at the same time be comfortable with yourself. Be easy about your clothes; forget about them.
All women are strong. My mother survived Auschwitz, and fear wasn't an option when we were growing up. If we were afraid of the dark, we were put into the closet until we weren't.
You're always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.
A challenging economy is always good for design. It unites necessity and functionality. You are forced to be creative with poor materials.
There was always music in our home. My mom and my dad loved music. I remember when we were kids we would have these great parties at the house with congas and bongos and African drums, and it was amazing. It wasn't until years later that I found out that they were actually Black Panther meetings.
Once you're a mom, you've been split into two people. It's like Peter Pan and his shadow.
What makes Mom the best is that she never put any expectations too high on the kids. She just wanted us to be doing the things that made us happy, as long as we were working hard, but we never had to live up to something.
You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.
[About gorillas] You take these fine, regal animals. How many (human) fathers have the same sense of paternity? How many human mothers are more caring? The family structure is unbelievably strong.
One of the joys of being a grandparent is getting to see the world again through the eyes of a child.
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