Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British in the War of 1812 and became president of the United States in 1829, had a "Spartan mother". When he was about five years old, she saw him crying one day. "Stop that, Andrew," she said. "Don't let me see you cry again! Girls were made to cry, not boys!" "Well, then, mother, what are boys made for?" asked Jackson. "To fight!" she told him. After that, Jackson never cried again.
When Jackson was about twelve and going to school one day, a fellow about 18 stopped him and gave him a thrashing. Jackson's uncle wanted to have the young man arrested and prosecuted. "No," said Jackson's mother. "No son of mine shall ever appear in a case of assault and battery as complaining witness. If he gets hold of a fellow too big for him, let him wait till he grows some and then try it again."
安德魯．傑克遜在一八一二年戰爭之中擊敗英軍，一八二九年出任美國總統。他有一個斯巴達式母親。傑克遜約五歲時，他母親有一天看見他在哭，就說：「安德魯，不要哭，以後也不要給我看見你哭。女孩子天生要哭，男孩子不是。」傑克遜說：「那麼，男孩子天生幹什麼？」她母親說：「打鬥！」傑克遜從此不再哭。
傑克遜約十二歲時，有一天上學，路上給個十八歲左右的傢伙攔着，把他打了一頓。傑克遜的伯父要把那少年拘捕並起訴，他母親卻說：「不行，我的兒子不可以在毆打案中做訴苦的一方。假如他要對付的傢伙比他強壯，待他長大一點之後再試試吧。」