--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For thousands of years, father and son…" description: "\"For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time, each eager to help the other to his side, but neither qu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg" --- # For thousands of years, father and son have stretched… ![“For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time, each eager to help the other to his side, but neither quite able to desert the loyalties of his contemporaries. The relationship is always changing and hence always fragile; nothing endures except the…” quote by Alan Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg) > “For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time, each eager to help the other to his side, but neither quite able to desert the loyalties of his contemporaries. The relationship is always changing and hence always fragile; nothing endures except the sense of difference.” Alan Valentine ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Generational bonds are strong yet fragile, shaped by loyalty to peers and changing dynamics. **In simple terms:** Father‑son ties are deep but delicate. Key Takeaway Cherish and adapt relationships over time. Themes family loyalty change Mood thoughtful nostalgic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - family reunions - career transitions - cultural rituals Key Concepts intergenerational dynamics identity time Questions to Reflect On - What traditions help maintain intergenerational connections? - How do we honor both personal and family loyalties? A Different Perspective Loyalties to peers can conflict with familial duties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Canyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canyons/) [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father and son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-son/) [Fathers day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers-day/) [Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-have-stretched-wistful-hands/) Alan Valentine > [“The physical world is still there, of course, but our relationship to it is changing fundamentally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salim-ismail/the-physical-world-is-still-there-of-course-but-our-relationship-to/) [Salim Ismail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salim-ismail/) > [“But it is the marriage relationship in which the changing pattern is shown up most clearly because it is the deepest one and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/but-it-is-the-marriage-relationship-in-which-the-changing-pattern-is/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [I think that your relationship is always changing with your siblings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacre-montgomery/i-think-that-your-relationship-is-always-changing-with-your-siblings/) [Dacre Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacre-montgomery/) > [“But as he grew older he thought less of it, grew accustomed to the days lived. Each day he climbed the hill, as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/but-as-he-grew-older-he-thought-less-of-it-grew-accustomed-to-the/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [...I'm thirteen years old, and I think I'm at the crossroads of my life. I've got to make good between now and the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pickford/i-m-thirteen-years-old-and-i-think-i-m-at-the-crossroads-of-my-life-i/) [Mary Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pickford/) > [In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/in-my-younger-and-more-vulnerable-years-my-father-gave-me-some-advice-2/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [For 50 years my father worked for the railroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/for-50-years-my-father-worked-for-the-railroad/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [A few years after my father's death, my mother sent me to the United Kingdom for 'better prospects' in 1951. Those four years were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/a-few-years-after-my-father-s-death-my-mother-sent-me-to-the-united/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [“About ten years. My father had a tea plantation near Trincomalee. I was born”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-jayne-ashford/about-ten-years-my-father-had-a-tea-plantation-near-trincomalee-i-was/) [Lindsay Jayne Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-jayne-ashford/) > [I'd had a French education for three years, my father being in the army. From 9 to 12, I went to French school. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-d-had-a-french-education-for-three-years-my-father-being-in-the/) [Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/) > [Even after I'd published three books and had been writing full-time for twenty years, my father continued to urge me to go to law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/even-after-i-d-published-three-books-and-had-been-writing-full-time/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I talk and talk and talk, and I haven't taught people in fifty years what my father taught me by example in one week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-talk-and-talk-and-talk-and-i-haven-t-taught-people-in-fifty-years/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [For years before I became a father, I would try to spend as much time as I could with my friends who were parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/for-years-before-i-became-a-father-i-would-try-to-spend-as-much-time/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/in-my-younger-and-more-vulnerable-years-my-father-gave-me-some-advice-3/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Alan Valentine > [For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-have-stretched-wistful-hands/) Alan Valentine > [Freedom is born of self-discipline. No individual, no nation, can achieve or maintain liberty without self-control. The undisciplined man (or woman) is a slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/freedom-is-born-of-self-discipline-no-individual-no-nation-can/) Alan Valentine > [Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/whenever-science-makes-a-discovery-the-devil-grabs-it-while-the/) Alan Valentine Explore all 4 Alan Valentine quotes ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time, each eager to help the other to his side, but neither quite able to desert the loyalties of his contemporaries. The relationship is always changing and hence always fragile; nothing endures except the sense of difference.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Valentine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-have-stretched-wistful-hands-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-have-stretched-wistful-hands-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/alan-valentine-67855_able_for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-ha_2309161.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For thousands of years, father and son have stretched wistful hands across the canyon of time, each eager to…” — Alan Valentine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Valentine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-valentine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For thousands of years, father and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-have-stretched-wistful-hands-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-valentine/for-thousands-of-years-father-and-son-have-stretched-wistful-hands-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```