Island notables respond to the question: What lesson did your mother pass on to you that you have come to treasure?

"One of the golden nuggets of life's treasures that my vivacious, 90-years-young mother instilled in me is the value of education. As a lifelong elementary school teacher, Francis Lum Aiona always said that a good, solid education would unlock the doors to a successful life. It's a lesson I've come to cherish and pass on to my children as well."

— Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr.

" 'Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies,' from the Book of Proverbs, describes my mother, Faiaso Cecilia Dale Soliai Hannemann. From my mother I learned the importance of family and prayer. Essentially, my mother taught me that the family that prays together stays together. These are values that I have embraced all throughout my life. My mother also encouraged me to be brave and bold, and to always look to help others. I suppose that is why I've gravitated toward a life of public service. It's amazing that the things she taught me as a little boy growing up in Kalihi are as true and relevant today as they were back then."

— Mayor Mufi Hannemann

"My mom passed away 2 1/2 years ago, and since her passing I have thought quite a bit of things she tried to teach me. Mom was actually the one responsible for me becoming a chef. She enrolled me in the Culinary Arts Program at (Kapi'olani Community College) and always told me to follow my dreams. She told me how important it was to learn to respect family and others. She also always told us kids to be good citizens, which are lessons I am now trying to teach my granddaughter, Samantha."

— Chef Sam Choy, whose mother is the late Clairemoana Meyer Choy

"It doesn't matter what you do in life, as long as you try to be the best."

— 'ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, whose mother is Carol Shimabukuro

"There is no one saying that Mom told me that I cherish. Most of her sayings were warnings that I remember and include in my performances: 'Don't whistle in the dark — the devil going come.' 'You better go sleep by 8 p.m. or the futsetta (Portuguese word for witch) going take over your body.' These are sayings we laugh about today. I do cherish her good example of volunteering. She would constantly help the church and schools that we attended. She baked and baked and baked. She also loved decorating the church for Sunday Mass. She showed us DeLima kids how valuable our Catholic faith was through her actions."

— comedian Frank DeLima, whose mother is Pearl DeLima

"One lesson I learned from my mom is to be helpful. My mom has always been the type of person who would be the first to volunteer or help in any way. I also received some great advice from her— 'Always give everyone the benefit of the doubt' and 'If you don't know the answer, just act dumb.' LOL!"

— comedian Augie T, with mom Sharon Ann Tulba

"When I look back at my life, people have always commended me on my ability to overcome obstacles. My mom has always been the glue that holds our family together. I am in no way as tough as my mom, she is the rock in our family. I can only say thank you, Mom, for showing what courage, strength and faith will accomplish. Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you and can't thank you enough.

— Colt Brennan, Whose mom is Betsy Brennan

"I've always loved everything Disney — especially stories like Cinderella. My mother told me once, 'Angie, if you obey God and do his will, your life will be better than any fairy tale.' I thank God for the gift of faith and I thank my mom for cultivating that faith in me since I was a little girl."

— former Miss America Angela Baraquio Grey, whose mom is Rigolette Perez Baraquio

"My mother has taught me many lessons, but one that I treasure the most is honesty. When it comes to my career, my mother is my Simon Cowell. She has always been brutally honest with me, giving me constructive criticism to make me a better singer and entertainer, but more importantly, a better person. She has always been very supportive of my choices and she is always there for me. I am thankful every day to have her love."

— singer and former "American Idol" finalist Jasmine Trias, whose mother is Nora Trias

"The first thing that I will always treasure from her is her love for food, cooking and having a keen sense of taste. She is a great cook who knows how to make humble ingredients taste great and never throws a thing away. She taught me how to make something out of nothing. I and any other cook in the kitchen would get the lecture if she ever found waste or anything in the trash can that could have been made into something as long as it wasn't spoiled, and even then you get the lecture on why it was left to spoil in the first place. Her food and cooking were always the heart of every celebration and family get-togethers. She shares so much through her food with everyone and she loves to make people happy through food. She should have opened a restaurant — ha, ha. She will tell you that she is a better cook, and I would not argue that one bit."

— Chef Alan Wong, whose mother is Terry A. Yamamoto