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There's Something Wrong With A Mother Who Washes Out A Measuring Cup With Soap And Water After She's Only Measured Water In It.
-Erma Bombeck
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There's Something Wrong With

Erma Bombeck
...
There's Something Wrong With A Mother Who Washes Out A Measuring Cup With Soap And Water After She's Only Measured Water In It.

Understanding the Quote: "there's something wrong with a mother who washes out a measuring cup..."

This quote by Erma Bombeck reflects deeply on the theme of mother. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Mother, Fun, Water, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Erma Bombeck interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck is celebrated for insightful thoughts on mother and fun. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

Views: 65148
Topic
Mother
Fun
Water
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Brain
May
One Meal A Day Is Enough For A Lion And Would Be For All Of Us If All We Did All Day Was Swat Flies.
Funny
Humor
Loss
My Son Did Not Show Signs Of A Money Deficiency Until He Opened His Small Fist In The Nursery And Found It Was Empty.
Funny
Baby
Children
You Have To Love A Nation That Celebrates Its Independence Every July 4, Not With A Parade Of Guns, Tanks, And Soldiers Who File By The White House In A Show Of Strength And Muscle, But With Family Picnics Where Kids Throw Frisbees, The Potato Salad Gets Iffy, And The Flies Die From Happiness. You May Think You Have Overeaten, But It Is Patriotism.
4th Of July
Food
Patriotic
You Hear A Lot Of Dialogue On The Death Of The American Family. Families Aren't Dying. They're Merging Into Big Conglomerates.
Family
Death
Dying
The Only Reason I Would Take Up Jogging Is So That I Could Hear Heavy Breathing Again.
Funny
Running
Sex
I Read One Psychologist's Theory That Said, "never Strike A Child In Your Anger." When Could I Strike Him? When He Is Kissing Me On My Birthday? When He's Recuperating From Measles? Do I Slap The Bible Out Of His Hand On Sunday?
Family
Children
Sunday
Never Order Food In Excess Of Your Body Weight.
Badass
Body Weight
Order
I Convinced Him His Luggage Had Gone To That Big Bermuda Triangle In The Sky.
Funny
Humorous
Food
I'm Real Ambivalent About [working Mothers]. Those Of Use Who Have Been In The Women's Movement For A Long Time Know That We've Talked A Good Game Of "go Out And Fulfill Your Dreams" And "be Everything You Were Meant To Be." But By The Same Token, We Want Daughters-in-law Who Are Going To Stay Home And Raise Our Grandchildren.
Daughter
Mother
Dream
There Would Have Been More 'i Love You's' And More, 'i'm Sorry's'.
Love
Sorry
Has Beens
When You're Lecturing Teenagers And They Begin To Hum And Leave The Room, You Can Sense There Is Hostility.
Teenager
Rooms
Adolescence
If You Can't Make It Better, You Can Laugh At It.
Inspirational
Life
Strong Women
It Is Upsetting To Many Parents That Their Teen-agers Introduce Them To Their Friends As Encyclopedia Salesmen Who Are Just Passing Through ... If They Introduce Them At All. I Have Some Acquaintances Who Hover In Dark Parking Lots, Enter Church Separately And Crouch In Furnace Rooms So Their Teen-agers Will Not Be Accused Of Having Parents.
Dark
Parent
Upset
My Sister And I Never Engaged In Sibling Rivalry. Our Parents Weren't That Crazy About Either One Of Us.
Sister
Sibling
Crazy
The Mole Rat Is The Only Rodent Born Without A Fur Coat. With A Good Lawyer, Someone Would Pay For That Little Oversight.
Funny
God
Humorous
Friends Are "annuals" That Need Seasonal Nurturing To Bear Blossoms. Family Is A "perennial" That Comes Up Year After Year, Enduring The Droughts Of Absence And Neglect. There's A Place In The Garden For Both Of Them.
Funny Friendship
Garden
Years
If A Man Watches Three Football Games In A Row, He Should Be Declared Legally Dead.
Soccer
Sports
Football
Throughout The Years I Have Set Up My Own Rules About Eating Food: Never Eat Anything You Can't Pronounce. Beware Of Food That Is Described As, "some Americans Say It Tastes Like Chicken.
Years
Taste
Eating
One Thing They Never Tell You About Child Raising Is That For The Rest Of Your Life, At The Drop Of A Hat, You Are Expected To Know Your Child's Name And How Old He Or She Is.
Sarcastic
Children
Funny Life
The Age Of Your Children Is A Key Factor In How Quickly You Are Served In A Restaurant. We Once Had A Waiter In Canada Who Said, "could I Get You Your Check?" And We Answered, "how About The Menu First?"
Baby
Children
Food
Remember, You Can Lead A Fifty-seven-year-old Body To Motherhood, But You Can't Make It Stay Awake.
Funny
Mother
Humorous
Someone Once Threw Me A Small, Brown, Hairy Kiwi Fruit, And I Threw A Wastebasket Over It Until It Was Dead.
Kiwi
Fruit
Brown
Like Religion, Politics, And Family Planning, Cereal Is Not A Topic To Be Brought Up In Public. It's Too Controversial.
Family
Food
Cereal
Adults Can Take A Simple Holiday For Children And Screw It Up. What Began As A Presentation Of Simple Gifts To Delight And Surprise Children Around The Christmas Tree Has Culminated In A Woman Unwrapping Six Shrimp Forks From Her Dog, Who Drew Her Name.
Christmas
Dog
Children
I Have A Theory About The Human Mind. A Brain Is A Lot Like A Computer. It Will Only Take So Many Facts, And Then It Will Go On Overload And Blow Up.
Blow
Brain
Mind
It Is My Theory You Can't Get Rid Of Fat. All You Can Do Is Move It Around, Like Furniture.
Funny
Moving
Furniture
Housework, If It Is Done Properly, Can Cause Brain Damage.
Brain
Done
Damage
Kids Have Little Computer Bodies With Disks That Store Information. They Remember Who Had To Do The Dishes The Last Time You Had Spaghetti, Who Lost The Knob Off The Tv Set Six Years Ago, Who Got Punished For Teasing The Dog When He Wasn't Teasing The Dog And Who Had To Wear Girls Boots The Last Time It Snowed.
Girl
Dog
Kids
There Are Few Things In This World More Satisfying Than Having Your Son Teach You How To Play Tennis, Unless It Is Having A Semi-truck Run Over Your Foot.
Running
Son
Feet
The Art Of Never Making A Mistake Is Crucial To Motherhood. To Be Effective And To Gain The Respect She Needs To Function, A Mother Must Have Her Children Believe She Has Never Engaged In Sex, Never Made A Bad Decision, Never Caused Her Own Mother A Moment's Anxiety, And Was Never A Child.
Mother
Art
Sex
Have You Any Idea How Many Children It Takes To Turn Off One Light In The Kitchen Three. It Takes One To Say What Light And Two More To Say I Didn't Turn It On.
Children
Ideas
Two
Maybe You Know Why A Child Can Reject A Hot Dog With Mustard Served On A Soft Bun At Home, Yet Eat Six Of Them Two Hours Later At Fifty Cents Each.
Dog
Children
Food
Women Are Never What They Seem To Be. There Is The Woman You See And There Is The Woman Who Is Hidden. Buy The Gift For The Woman Who Is Hidden.
Women
Seems
When Humor Goes, There Goes Civilization.
Happiness
Laughter
Humor
A Friend Doesn't Go On A Diet Because You Are Fat.
Funny
Friendship
Laughter
I Never Go To A College Reunion That I Don't Come Away Feeling Sorry For All Those Paunchy, Balding Jocks Trying To Hang Onto Youth. I Feel Sorry For The Men, Too.
Cute
Sorry
College
The Woman Who Says, 'my Kids Are All Speaking To One Another And They Love Us' Is A Psychopathic Liar.
Liars
Kids
Psychopathic
It Is Difficult To Single Out One Sport Over Another, But If I Have To Name One In My Separation Suit, It Will Undoubtedly Be Football.
Sports
Football
Names
It Would Have Been A Wonderful Wedding - Had It Not Been Mine.
Funny
Marriage
Wonderful
No One Ever Died From Sleeping In An Unmade Bed.
Motivation
Women
Sleep
I've Exercised With Women So Thin That Buzzards Followed Them To Their Cars.
Inspiration
Car
Buzzards
We Even Switched To A Newly-formed Church Across The Town That Gave One Hundred And Twenty Trading Stamps Each Time We Attended. (we Now Worship A Brown And White Chicken With A Sunburst On Its Chest.)
Funny
Humorous
White
The More I Think About It, The More There Is To Be Said For The Sloth. He Sleeps Fifteen To Eighteen Hours A Day And Is Known To Have Taken Forty-eight Days To Travel Four Miles. He Hangs In The Trees After He's Dead. But He Lives Longer Than The Cheetah.
Funny
Taken
Sleep
Phone Are Wonderful Instruments, But I Wouldn't Want Our Daughter To Marry One.
Daughter
Humorous
Phones
Good Kids Are Like Sunsets. We Take Them For Granted. Every Evening They Disappear. Most Parents Never Imagine How Hard They Try To Please Us, And How Miserable They Feel When They Think They Have Failed.
Sunset
Kids
Thinking
Some Say Our National Pastime Is Baseball. Not Me. It's Gossip.
Baseball
Gossip
Pastime
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