“My mom was a housewife, and wasn't somebody that people would think of as a feminist, and when Ms. Magazine came out we were incredibly inspired by it. I used to cut pictures out of it and make posters that said, "Girls can do anything", and stuff like that, and my mom was inspired to work at a basement of a church doing anti-domestic violence work. Then she took me to the Soidarity Day thing, and it was the first time I had ever been in a big crowd of women yelling, and it really made me want to do it forever.” PeopleThinkingWantFirstsMadeSaidBigsUsedGirlStuffCan DoChurchForeverCuttingViolenceMomFirst TimeInspiredFeministCrowdsMy MomMagazinesDomestic ViolencePostersYellingHousewifeBasementsInspired To Work Author:Kathleen Hanna
“My mom is one of those really angry moms who gets mad at absolutely everything. Once when I was a little kid, I accidentally knocked a Flintstones glass off the kitchen table. She said, 'Well, dammit, we can't have nice things.'” WellsLittlesSaidKidsNiceMomTablesAngryMadGlassesMy MomKitchenLittle KidNice ThingsKitchen TableFlintstones Author:Paula Poundstone
“I was a cute baby. My mom said when I was born they threw away the mold. Some of it grew back.” SaidBornBabyGrewMomMy MomCuteMoldCute Baby Author:Emo Philips
“When I was in high school, my mom gave me a paperweight. It was when I was going through my 'not that interested in doing homework or really working on anything' phase and the paperweight said "If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes." And that's sort of the same thing, if you're not always working to be in the front.” IfsSaidSchoolViewsDogFrontsMomHigh SchoolMy MomPhasesNever ChangeHomeworkAlways Working Author:Amanda Schull
“My dad told me if I was ever intimidated by anyone, just picture them with their clothes off. He said that's how he dealt with my mom.” IfsSaidMomDadClothesMy DadMy MomIntimidated Author:Bob Saget
“My mom told me she thinks a man in the market felt her up today. I asked, Where did he touch you? She said, On my knee, Bobby.” ThinkingMenSaidTodayFeltMomMy MomKnees Author:Bob Saget
“When I was seven, I watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with my mom. When Jack Nicholson was strapped to the table getting electroshock treatment, my mom burst into tears. She said it reminded her of her life, and I was stunned, because I didn't know my mom had been nominated for an Oscar.” KnowsSaidTearsMomTablesSevenMy MomTreatmentOscarsNestsFlewStunnedCuckoosNicholsonOne Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Author:Christopher Titus
“I don't want to say my mom is late on trends, but this morning she said, Have a shagadelic day, sweetheart.” WantSaidMorningMomLateMy MomTrendsSweetheart Author:Dana Gould
“As soon as I was born, my mom said I was humming 'When the Saints Go Marching In,' or something like that, you know? It's in the family. And in that neighborhood [Treme, in New Orleans], I think everybody in the neighborhood has some type of musical influence, even if they don't play instruments or anything. It's the way they talk to you, the way they say your name - it's all musical.” IfsThinkingKnowsWaySaidPlayNamesBornGrowing UpInfluenceMomTypeInstrumentsMusicalSaintMy MomNeighborhoodNew OrleansHummingMusical Influence Author:Troy Andrews
“They teach real young kids and when I was about five my Mom took me to enroll in this thing and they said I could do it. It was definitely my choice, but I would have never thought of it. There's pictures of me playing piano when I'm real, real little, that kind of stuff.” KindLittlesSaidRealKidsYoungChoicesStuffTeachFiveMomMy MomPianoThey SaidPlaying Piano Author:Andrew W.K.
“My mom tells this story that even when I was in the womb, my father played the piano and she sang. So, before I officially got here, I was already surrounded by music. I also like the way my father explains it. When I was about 3-years old, in order to keep me quiet, my father would put me in the bassinet and either put on some music or play the piano. When he started playing, I got quiet and eventually went to sleep. He said by the time I turned 3, I just climbed up on the piano and started playing it with the attitude of I'm gonna play dis here piano.” WayYearsSaidPlayStoriesOrderFatherSleepAttitudeMomQuietMy MomPianoWomb Author:Cyrus Chestnut
“When I read about women living under the Taliban, I really wanted to travel there and see for myself: Is it that bad? What is the situation? I remember the night before I left for my trip, I called my mom and said, "I'm going to Afghanistan tomorrow."” SaidWantedRememberNightLeftSituationMomTomorrowMy MomAfghanistanTaliban Author:Lynsey Addario
“My parents said I'd always been attracted to music from an early age. The classic story is I started singing before I talked. My Mom would play me tapes, and I'd be able to sing them back perfectly. She said my pitch was dead on, but I'd fill in nonsense syllables for all the rest of it. The words would be all garbled, because I didn't know how to talk yet.” KnowsSaidPlayStoriesWould BeAgeAbleParentKnow HowMomSingingMy MomClassicNonsenseTapeSyllables Author:Vienna Teng
“We already had an adopted daughter, 10-year-old Courtney, from my previous marriage. To me, there is no difference between 'natural' and 'adopted.' My own childhood showed me that when it comes to loving your kids, concepts like that don't apply. I was the oldest of six, and three of my siblings were adopted. Mom and Dad even took in foster children. 'There are no limits to how much you can love,' Dad always said.” YearsChildrenSaidKidsThreeNaturalDifferencesMy OwnChildhoodMomDadLimitsSixDaughterConceptsAdoptedSiblingLoving YouFoster ChildrenMom And DadMy SiblingsCourtneyDad Love Author:Al Roker
“My mom always said, 'Marry someone smarter than yourself, Katee, because No. 1, you're not that smart. And No. 2, then you'll have smart babies.'” SaidBabyMomSmartMy MomSmarter Author:Katee Sackhoff
“Standing in front of a microphone where every word or every slip that you make, especially in these times, is with you forever - you want to say the right thing. I fell into having to extemporize, and it came okay because of tools I've learned. I said [to myself], "Remember [to mention] mom and dad."” WantSaidRememberForeverFrontsMomDadStandingToolsOkayRight ThingI've LearnedSlipsMicrophonesMom And Dad Author:Neil Peart
“In the seventh grade, I was about to leave wearing a jumper, when my mom said she could see my panty line. So I just wore stockings. That day I broke my ankle, and the EMS cut my tights off. I got a full cast with no stockings on and no panties.” SaidLinesCuttingMomCastsMy MomBrokeGradesEmsAnklesStockingsPantiesTightsJumpersSeventh Grade Author:Gabourey Sidibe
“When I was really young, my mom enrolled me in dance classes. "Mom, I'm too young to dance," I told her. She kind of forced me, but I ended up loving it, and after the first lesson I came back and said, "Come on, Mom, I'll show you the box step." That introduced me not just to dancing but also to working with someone without having a goal.” KindSaidShowsYoungGoalStepsClassMomLessonsDancingBoxesMy MomDance Class Author:Jeff Bridges
“My mom always said to us, "You cannot judge anybody because of the color of skin." There were a lot of African immigrants in Italy at the time, and people would not even say hi in the street. And my mom, she would invite these people to the house. This is what I got from my mom: to not judge people because of their sexuality, their skin color, their religion, nothing.” PeopleSaidHouseStreetsColorJudgingMomSkinsMy MomSexualityImmigrantsInvitesSkin Color Author:Riccardo Tisci
“My mom, she got taken away from me when I was 14 years old. She is incarcerated. My sister was incarcerated. I was homeless. When my mom went away when I was 14... I was forced to live with my aunt. My aunt, she doesn't like rap music. She thinks rap music is the devil's music. Basically she said, "Yo, if you are going to do music you can't do it in my house."” IfsThinkingYearsSaidHouseTakenMomMusic IsDevilMy MomRapMy SisterHomelessAuntRap Music Author:Sean Kingston
“I'm not just retiring from the runway, I'm retiring from all modeling. God, I love saying that! When I was 18, my mom said I have to have a plan. I decided I'd leave on top. I want to be like the athletes who seem stuck in time. When you see them at 50, you say they probably can still run like a champ.” WantSaidStillsSeemsRunningPlansMomDecidedAthleteMy MomStuckRetiringModelingRunway Author:Tyra Banks
“I literally fell into this business. I never came down one day and said, "Atticus' thought of the day...I want to be an actor!" My mom and I would always read story books out loud together and I loved doing character voices and playing with my voice.” WantSaidBookCharacterStoriesTogetherActorsVoiceMomOne DayMy MomLoudThought Of The DayStory Book Author:Atticus Shaffer
“You need a relationship with Jesus, and I had never heard that before. So when my mom told me about that, I said, "Okay, let me try this." And so I did.” NeedsTryingSaidJesusHeardMomOkayLet MeMy Mom Author:Frances Newton
“I was homeschooled until I was 14, and then when I was 14, I began attending college. Mom was not playing about that education. She always said, "Acting is a privilege not a priority. Education is the priority. If you're not bringing home As and Bs, you can't go on the audition."” IfsSaidHomeActingCollegeMomGoes OnPrivilegePrioritiesAuditionsAttending Author:Aldis Hodge
“I remember my mom had a conversation with Sam Jackson about what she should do with our careers and what the next step should be; I was eight and my brother was nine. He said, "You need to get them on Broadway."” NeedsShouldSaidRememberNextStepsCareersBrotherMomConversationMy MomEightNineMy BrotherBroadwayNext StepsSam Jackson Author:Aldis Hodge
“Memories were in my mind during nearly all the concerts I've done, and I realized the deep connection to my childhood, when I went out in the morning and the only thing my mom said was, "Come back before dark." What trust and what freedom!” MindSaidDoneMemoriesDarkMorningChildhoodMomConnectionsMy MomI RealizedConcertsDeep Connections Author:Volker Bertelmann
“My mom will never march in a gay pride parade with a big sign. She is very private. She lives in Chattanooga. She tries so hard to understand me and my life. But she said to me once, "Leslie, if I live to be 105 I'll never understand this need you have to air your dirty laundry. Why can't you just whisper it to a therapist?!" She doesn't understand.” IfsNeedsTryingSaidHardBigsAirPrideMomGayMy MomDirtyMarchNeed YouTherapistsParadesLaundryUnderstand MeGay PrideLeslieDirty Laundry Author:Leslie Jordan
“I remember seeing Extreme play with [Debra] Winger and Cinderella. Gary Cherone was wearing purple velvet overalls with no shirt and saddle oxfords.Afterward, I went home and told my mom, "I need to find saddle oxfords." And she said, "Like little girls wear?" Naturally, I couldn't find them in my size, so I went to a shoemaker and had him make me a pair. I wore them for a while, but they didn't seem as cool on me, because when your foot is size 12, they sort of look like clown shoes.” NeedsLooksLittlesSaidPlayHomeSeemsRememberGirlSeeingFeetMomShoesSizeExtremesMy MomShirtsPairsClownPurpleVelvetOxfordGarySaddlesOveralls Author:Patrick Wilson
“I said [to my mom], "I want to go to the parachute regiment." She said, "Whew, that's tough. But okay, I understand."” WantSaidMomToughOkayMy MomParachutes Author:Scott Raab
“But, once again, when I said I'm so grateful for my mom just being adamant about me staying in public school - that is what allowed me to be exposed to so many different types of people. I went to a high school that was by the beach. I elected to do bussing my junior high school years. And my first year of high school, I would take the bus from my neighborhood to the beach schools. And at those schools, you had such a mix of so many types of kids.” PeopleYearsFirstsSaidDifferentKidsSchoolMomTypeHigh SchoolGratefulMy MomBeachStayingNeighborhoodBusExposedJust BeingPublic SchoolJuniorsJunior HighSo GratefulAdamantSchool YearsHigh School Junior Author:Regina King
“I know my mom said as early as she can remember letting me watch TV, my one treat a week when I was like 6 was to stay up and watch 'Saturday Night Live.'” KnowsSaidRememberNightWatchesWeekTvsMomTreatsMy MomSaturdaySaturday NightSaturday Night Live Author:Rashida Jones
“So I went home and I told my mom that I wanted to quit and be an actress and she said, “Huh, that sounds fascinating. It’s wonderful!” And I told my father and he literally said, “I don’t care if you want to be an elephant trainer if it makes you happy.”” IfsWantSaidHomeCareWantedFatherSoundLaughingWonderfulMomDon't CareMy MomActressesQuittingI Don't CareFascinatingElephantsMake You HappyTrainers Author:Gena Rowlands
“I just kept thinking about what my mom [Hillary Clinton] has said repeatedly when people have asked her similar questions, she's tough and she can take whatever people say about her.” PeopleThinkingSaidMomToughClintonMy Mom Author:Chelsea Clinton
“As a mom, what I found so disturbing were the things that were being said on a national stage - I mean, literally on the stage and off the stage, around the convention about women, about minorities, about Muslims, about immigrants.” MeanSaidFoundStageMomMinoritiesImmigrantsConventionsDisturbingAnd Off Author:Chelsea Clinton
“That's not what I want my children to hear. That's not representative of the country that I want my children to grow up in. And so that actually I found far more upsetting as a mom, as a woman, as an American, and even as my mother's daughter than anything they said about my mom.” WantChildrenSaidCountryMotherFoundGrowsGrowing UpMomDaughterMy MomMy ChildrenUpsetRepresentativesThey Said Author:Chelsea Clinton
“I have two kids, and when my oldest was first born, it was the most vulnerable feeling in the world. I remember taking him to his first doctor's appointment, and on the sheet, it said "mother," and I put my mom's name. I was like, "Oh, right, I ... I'm the mother!" You just feel so vulnerable.” WorldFeelsFirstsSaidTwoFeelingsKidsRememberMotherNamesBornMomDoctorsMy MomVulnerableSheetsAppointments Author:Kathryn Hahn
“I've been involved with Berlei for almost my whole career. I actually discovered them well over 10 years ago, probably 2002 at least. My mom introduced me. She said, "Listen, you should try these bras." And I was like, "Really?" So I tried it and since then I've never worn another bra.” ShouldTryingYearsWellsSaidWholeCareersMomInvolvedYears AgoMy MomWornBras Author:Serena Williams
“My mom always says, "Pack your smile," but [the sound guy] articulated it beautifully, because he saw me go from Joe Schmo who had been on food stamps to Adam Richman from Man V. Food. He said, "For you, it may be your 50th or 100th selfie, autograph, or whatever of the day. But for that person, it may be the first or the only time in their life that they've seen someone they enjoy on television. Never lose sight of that."” MenFirstsMayPersonsSaidGuyEnjoySoundLosesSawsTelevisionMomSightMy MomAdamPacksStampsOnly TimeAutographsYour SmileFood Stamps Author:Adam Richman
“My mom has kind of been more of the emotional support system. One time I was really feeling all out of it, just dealing with a lot of cooks in the kitchen and adjusting to what it means to be in the music industry, and I called her. One of the first things she said to me was 'You have to be thankful that these people even like you, no one liked me, at all, I was not really accepted for a very long time.'” PeopleFirstsKindMeanLongSaidFeelingsSupportEmotionalLike YouMomIndustryLong TimeMy MomAcceptedCooksKitchenOne TimeBeing ThankfulMusic IndustryAdjustingSupport SystemsEmotional SupportCooks In The Kitchen Author:Jillian Hervey
“My mom always has this amazing ability to always see the best in a situation. In that moment [when finished 2nd in the 200 meter race in the 2008 Olympic games] I was just completely devastated. I mean, I had worked so hard; that was my opportunity. And she was just able to turn it around for me. She helped me to be able to see the other side of things and that this is not the end for me. She's just an amazing supporter and an encouraging person and she has a unique ability to do that. And so those are the kind of things she said to me in that moment and over the next four years. When things get tough, she's always been my strength.” YearsKindPersonsSaidMomentsNextAbilityFourMomUniqueToughMy MomThat MomentFour YearsSupporterWhen Things Get Tough Author:Allyson Felix
“Dad and Mom were frustrated artists - Dad wanted to study engineering or architecture and Mom wanted to be an actress - but the world was a different place when they were young so Dad became a public works foreman and Mom became a stay-at-home mom. When I said I wanted to be a writer, they were thrilled. They did everything in their power to support me.” WorldSaidDifferentHomeWantedYoungArtistSupportStudyMomDadActressesArchitectureEngineeringFrustratedDifferent PlaceStay At HomeSupport MeStay At Home Mom Author:Eden Robinson
“Sadly I don't sing. I missed it for a long time, but my daughter Emma said something wonderful when I was feeling blue one day: "Mom, you've just found a different way of using your voice, and that's with your books." In a way, she's right. It's just a different way of expressing what I feel about music, individuality, art and all the things I've always loved.” WayFeelsLongArtSaidBookDifferentFeelingsFoundVoiceWonderfulMomOne DayLong TimeDaughterBlueIndividualityDifferent WaysMy DaughterEmmaFeeling Blue Author:Julie Andrews
“After the last screening [of "Selling Isobel" ] an 18-year-old girl came up to me and said, "Oh my God, I'm so naïve." I said, "No, you're not, you're just young." And she's so grateful for having seen it, because she's an actress and from now on she's going to take a friend with her to auditions and let her mom know exactly where she's going. That's a job done right there.” KnowsYearsSaidDoneJobsLastsYoungGirlMomGratefulActressesSellingAuditionsScreeningSo Grateful Author:Frida Farrell
“The biggest surprise was a picture my mom sent me, just about the time that we were about to wrap up the book, of me as a 5-year-old dressed in my first Halloween costume that she made for me. I said, "What's this? I never saw this photo." And she said, "We made you this black-and-orange Halloween costume out of crepe paper" - we were too poor to have fabric back then - "and you wanted to go as the Queen Of Halloween." And I was like, "What?" And she said, "Yeah, the Princess Of Halloween, the Queen Of Halloween, something like that.” YearsFirstsMadeSaidBookWantedBlackPoorSawsMomPaperYeahSurpriseMy MomQueensPrincessFabricHalloweenCostumesOrangeWrapsCrepesHalloween Costume Author:Cassandra Peterson
“The only urgency that I ever had was when my mom was alive. She died last year in September of 2006. She was my number one fan and she always said I'd love to see you go into the Hall of Fame. That was the only urgency that I ever had that I wish if I was going to go into the Hall of Fame that certainly it would've happen when she was around, but it didn't and now that she's passed.” IfsYearsSaidHappensLastsWishNumbersAliveFansMomFameDiedMy MomHallsLast YearSeptemberUrgencyHall Of Fame Author:Goose Gossage
“When [my dad] was at the University of Michigan, my mom was a social-worker. As he rose, he voted for [Adlai] Stevenson initially. Then he voted for [Dwight] Eisenhower. Then he kept voting Republican until he voted for Barack Obama. So that's kind of amazing. But he was offered a cabinet post by Eisenhower in his second term. So he was moderate Republican. But if you asked him, he would've said, "I don't have any politics. I'm a business person." Mainstream, the American view, as he understood it.” IfsKindPersonsSaidSocialTermViewsMomDadRepublicanUnderstoodRoseWorkersUniversityMy DadMy MomBarackPostsVotingMainstreamModeratesCabinetsMichiganSocial WorkerBusiness PersonDwightDwight EisenhowerUniversity Of MichiganVoting Republican Author:Bill Ayers
“[Kurt] Vonnegut once said, if you ever want to know who somebody is... Like you look at Richard Nixon, or Adolf Hitler, or Ralph Nader, or anybody who seems like a difficult person to understand, and is therefore not part of the pattern of human behavior. Think about who they were in high school, and they will explain themselves to you. So we got a hold of, like, 50 high-school yearbooks, including my mom's from 1925 or something, and we discovered that they're all the same.” IfsThinkingKnowsWantHumansLooksPersonsSaidSeemsSchoolDifficultLike YouMomBehaviorHigh SchoolIncludingPatternsMy MomHuman BehaviorYearbookHigh School Yearbook Author:P. J. O'Rourke
“Whatever it was, my mom said, I'm going to seek out more. And so I was constantly confused, which is sometimes a little bit, you know, disorienting. But I feel like it leads to a way more colorful life.” KnowsWayFeelsLittlesSaidSometimesBitsMomLittle BitMy MomConfusedColorfulColorful Life Author:Trevor Noah
“I hate using this term [miracle]. I'm a man of science. I'm a doctor. I don't use this word. But he said, it's a miracle your mom's alive.” MenSaidUseHateTermAliveMomDoctorsMiracleI HateYour Mom Author:Trevor Noah
“My mom loved the book [My beloved world] and she said to me, 'I never knew you had done so much.'” WorldSaidBookDoneMomMy MomBeloved Author:Sonia Sotomayor