Quote of the day by Robert Frost: 'A mother takes 20 years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in 20 minutes' ; American literary icon once reflected how love makes a fool of us all

Ain’t no fool like a fool in love. When in love, we put up with a lot of problematic behaviour from people we adore. Love makes us wear pink-tinted goggles and we try to explain away bad behaviour, cruelty, despicable attitude and opinions from them as love makes us either oblivious to their shortcomings or even their contempt towards us. This is how many people get stuck in abusive relationships. Centuries ago, poet Robert Frost bemoaned how even if mothers bring up their sons with all the love and care, they may get fooled by the women they love later in life.

Quote Of The Day By Robert Frost On Love

As per the website Robert Frost.org dedicated to the late poet, Frost once remarked : “A mother takes 20 years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in 20 minutes.”

Deeper Meaning Of The Quote

The quote ponders on an uncomfortable truth in a humorous manner: Even if a mother invests years of tireless efforts into shaping her son into a responsible, intelligent, mature and responsible individual, all of that can be undone if he falls irrevocably in love with his partner. Love can make him abandon good sense and act irrationally.

Relevance Of The Quote

A mother often spends decades teaching values, discipline, responsibility, and good judgment to her child. Yet, when people fall in love, they may sometimes ignore logic, make impulsive decisions, or act against their own interests. The quote serves as a humorous reminder that emotions can strongly affect human behavior, regardless of age or wisdom.

About Robert Frost

Frost was an eminent American poet. He possessed an exceptional command of everyday American language and was renowned for capturing the speech patterns and expressions of ordinary people with remarkable authenticity. His writings offered vivid and lifelike portrayals of life in the countryside, reflecting the experiences, traditions, and struggles of rural communities. Much of his most celebrated poetry drew inspiration from the landscapes and social environment of New England during the early decades of the twentieth century.

He was born in San Francisco to Isabelle Moodie and journalist William Prescott. On his father's side, he descended from Nicholas Frost, an Englishman from Tiverton, Devon, who emigrated to New Hampshire in 1634 on the ship Wolfrana. His mother came from Scotland and later immigrated to America. Together, their backgrounds connected him to both the early English settlers of New England and the rich cultural traditions of Scotland.

Frost was also a descendant of Samuel Appleton one of the earliest English immigrants and settlers in Massachusetts.

Although best known for his poems celebrating the rural life, Frost grew up in the city. He attended Dartmouth College for two months, long enough to be accepted into the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. Frost returned home to teach and to work at various jobs, helping his mother teach her class of unruly boys, delivering newspapers and working in a factory maintaining carbon arc lamps. He said that he did not enjoy these jobs, feeling that his true calling was to write poetry.

He achieved his first literary success in 1894 when he sold a poem titled My Butterfly: An Elegy. The piece was published in the November 8, 1894, issue of the New York Independent, marking an important milestone in his early writing career.

Feeling encouraged by his achievements, Frost decided it was the right time to take the next step in his personal life and asked Elinor Miriam White to marry him. However, Elinor was not ready to accept immediately. Determined to complete her studies at St. Lawrence University before making such a commitment, she chose to postpone marriage until after graduation.

Following her decision, Frost embarked on a journey to the Great Dismal Swamp, a vast wilderness region located in Virginia. The trip provided him with time for reflection and adventure. When he returned, his feelings for Elinor remained unchanged, and he once again expressed his desire to spend his life with her.

By that time, Elinor had successfully completed her education and was prepared to begin a new chapter. With her studies behind her, she accepted Frost’s proposal. The couple soon formalized their relationship and exchanged wedding vows in Lawrence on December 19, 1895.

In 1912, Frost relocated to Great Britain with his family, seeking a fresh start and better prospects for his literary career. They made their first home in Beaconsfield, a quiet town in Buckinghamshire near London. The move soon proved rewarding, as it was during his time in England that his debut poetry collection, A Boy's Will, was published in 1913, marking the beginning of his recognition as a poet.

A Boy's Will had many of the trademarks of Frost's works such as - robust depictions of rural life, emphasis of individuality, homage to nature etc. The collection also reveals the influence of several earlier literary giants. Elements of introspection and unconventional thought echo the work of Emily Dickinson, while the realistic treatment of human emotions and rural settings recalls Thomas Hardy.

His literary reputation continued to grow, and in 1924 he received the first of his four Pulitzer Prizes for New Hampshire: A Poem with Notes and Grace Notes, a collection that further established his standing as a leading voice in American poetry. This achievement marked the beginning of a remarkable series of honors that recognized the depth and excellence of his work. He later earned a second Pulitzer Prize for Collected Poems in 1931, followed by a third for A Further Range in 1937. His fourth Pulitzer Prize came in 1943 for A Witness Tree.

His life was marked by a series of personal tragedies and heartbreaking losses. In 1885, when he was only eleven years old, his father passed away from tuberculosis, leaving the family in severe financial hardship with merely eight dollars to their name. Years later, another devastating blow came when his mother succumbed to cancer in 1900. The hardships did not end there. In 1920, Frost faced the painful decision of placing his younger sister, Jeanie, in a psychiatric institution because of her deteriorating mental health. Sadly, she spent the remainder of her life there and passed away nine years later.

Elinor and Robert had six children: Son Elliott died of cholera. Daughter Elinor Bettina passed away just one day after her birth in 1907. Out of their six kids, only two daughters Lesley and Irma outlived their faither. Frost's wife suffered from heart issues all through her life, developed breast cancer in 1937 and died of heart failure in 1938.

Frost remains the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry. He was awarded Nobel Prize for Literature for 31 times.

He passed away in 1963 at the age of 88.