11 Celebrities talking about their mums

Most of us love our mothers for their support and guidance through life, and celebrities are no different. In celebration of the imminent Mother's Day, here we look at 11 quotes from famous people about their (also sometimes celebrity) mums, what they taught them and how much they mean to them.

“I don't spend as much time with my mother as I would love because she is always working. There's no point telling her to take it easy, work is what keeps her going. She always says if she stops working, she will curl up and wither away. I will always remember my mother saying, 'Watch people who you respect, soak it up'. She is always trying to learn. She pretty much works every day. She is 83, so that is kind of insane.”

Michelle Obama (third from left) and her mother Marian Robinson (fourth from left). Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“When it came to raising her kids, my mom knew that her voice was less important than allowing me to use my own.

“That meant she listened a lot more than she lectured. Growing up, she was willing to endure endless questioning from me: Why did we have to eat eggs for breakfast? Why do people need jobs? Why are the houses bigger in other neighbourhoods? She didn’t chide me if I scrapped with some of the neighbour kids or challenged my ornery grandfather when I thought he was being a little too ornery. She listened intently to the lunchtime conversations I had with my schoolmates over bologna sandwiches, and nodded patiently along to tales of my contentious piano lessons with my great aunt Robbie.”                                                      

“To listen to people and to treat them well. That's something she does with every person she meets.

"My mum's had cancer three times, and she's always remained charmingly free of cynicism, very open to life, and wonderfully gentle, while at the same time strong. Strength does not have to be belligerent and loud.”                                                     

“She lived the struggle. That is why it means the world to me that she is happy now and she is right next to me with everything that I do, she believes as strongly as I do that things need to change.

"When there’s been setbacks, she’s the first person to ring me to say ‘don’t worry, keep going’. It helps me not to lose sight of what it was that I started.”                                              

Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

“My mum and I now live ten minutes away from each other. She has a great relationship with all her five grandbabies. Our parenting style is virtually identical: Mum has always kept the conversation very open, but within the parameters of what was appropriate for whatever age I was. Which obviously means everything is fair game now. Not everyone is lucky enough to have this kind of relationship with their mum. She’s my go-to for everything.”                                                   

“As her daughter, I've had a front row seat to how she serves. I've seen her holding the hands of mothers struggling to feed their kids or get them the healthcare they need, my mother promising to do everything she could to help. I hope that one day my children will be as proud of me as I am of my mother. I'm so grateful to be her daughter.”         

Ray Schram Photographer UK: CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

“She dragged us through those years pretty much single-handedly. She was fiercely independent. Having never worked before, she took jobs wherever she could; first, a cleaning job, and later, working in a shop.”                           

“You were always a dreamer. You urged me to strive for every opportunity I saw. You told me to chase my wildest fantasies, to live life to the full.

"Well, the brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all. How you lived, how you loved, and how you are missed. 

“She was the centre of my existence. It added to my grief that I was not able to bury my mother, which was my responsibility as her eldest child and only son.”

Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Liza: “People would say tragic Judy Garland and I'd say, 'Oh shut up.' It was her humour and her kindness… with her family, she was hilarious.”

Lorna: “Mom had tragedies, but she was not tragic, and she didn't pass it on to us. Our mom had such an extraordinary sense of humour, and that was her survival guide. That is what I can tell you has been my lifeline, is to find the funny. And we do, we just find the funny because I think that is the way that we were raised and brought up, and we watched a woman who found the funny.”

“I learned a lot from her ethics. Both my mum and dad are known to be vegetarians, world rights activists and environmentalists, and that definitely came into my place of work.”

Banner photo: Richard Branson and his mother Eve. Virgin.com

Read more: 10 Famous mother figures

Read more: 7 Thoughtful Mother's Day gifts

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