How did you become the person you are today? Lessons learned from our mothers can set the course for the lives we will lead and the people we will become. A mother can be many things: generous, heroic, nurturing, inspiring, difficult; she guides us in our growth, she teaches us about the world. And all the while she is her own person.

In Things My Mother Taught Me a diverse range of Australian identities share their personal stories. Within these pages are mature reflections on how a mother shapes, nurtures, and complicates a life. Reflections on how each of these prominent people would not be who they are today if it weren’t for this unique relationship. These are stories of fondness, gratitude, respect and regret. They are insights into an area of human experience where small moments can have a large and lasting impact.

Featuring the words of Naomi Simson, Li Cunxin, Paolo Sebastian, Shaynna Blaze Vaughan, Tracy Bartram, Napoleon Perdis, Fiona Patten, Adriano Zumbo, Tiriel Mora, Geraldine Cox, Graeme Simsion, Jacqueline Pascarl, Benjamin Law, Lynn Gilmartin, Kathy Lette, Robin Bowles, Greg Fleet, Miguel Maestre, and Lawrence Mooney, as transcribed by Claire Halliday.