A real man doesn't have to run from his mother, and may even have to face the reality that no great deed is going to be great enough for him to ransom himself completely, and he may always be in his mother's debt. If he understands that... he won't have to feel guilty, and he won't have to please her completely. He can go ahead and be nice to her and let her be part of his life.

Man Enough: Fathers, Sons, and the Search for Masculinity (ed. Penguin, 1994) - ISBN: 9780399518836