--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was in fact anxious about whether I…" description: "\"I was in fact anxious about whether I would be any good at being a father. And then I met so many people who had been good parents under difficult circ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/andrew-solomon-1140_anxious_i-was-in-fact-anxious-about-whether-i-wo_484541.jpg" --- # I was in fact anxious about whether I would be any good at… ![“I was in fact anxious about whether I would be any good at being a father. And then I met so many people who had been good parents under difficult circumstances, and I felt inspired by them.” quote by Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/andrew-solomon-1140_anxious_i-was-in-fact-anxious-about-whether-i-wo_484541.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/andrew-solomon-1140_anxious_i-was-in-fact-anxious-about-whether-i-wo_484541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/andrew-solomon-1140_anxious_i-was-in-fact-anxious-about-whether-i-wo_484541.jpg) > “I was in fact anxious about whether I would be any good at being a father. And then I met so many people who had been good parents under difficult circumstances, and I felt inspired by them.” [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing resilient parents inspires confidence in one’s own parenting abilities. **In simple terms:** Role models boost parenting confidence. Key Takeaway Learn from others to strengthen your own parenting. Themes parenting inspiration role models Mood hopeful encouraging Type advice reflective When to use this quote - new parents - parenting workshops - support groups - mentor relationships Key Concepts resilience learning by example Questions to Reflect On - Who are your parenting role models? - What qualities do you want to emulate? A Different Perspective Every situation may not reflect your unique circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious/) [Anxious Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious-good-1069136/) [Being a father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-father/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Circumstances Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-felt-2623301/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-circumstances/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-inspired-1081922/) [Good father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-father/) [Good parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-parent/) [Good Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-parents/) [Inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspired/) [Mets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mets/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [When were feeling anxious, we have a good chance of identifying anxiety as the culprit behind our poor mental functioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/when-were-feeling-anxious-we-have-a-good-chance-of-identifying/) [Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/) > [“What am I thinking, to be going after this stone? 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I'm really lucky that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-blanchard/i-ve-loved-movies-since-i-could-remember-they-were-literally-the-most/) [Rowan Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-blanchard/) > [If you've ever felt inspired by a purpose or calling, you know the feeling of spirit working through you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/if-you-ve-ever-felt-inspired-by-a-purpose-or-calling-you-know-the/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [ I never felt inspired to write this book \[ I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?\], like I did with the cat or dog… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-becker/i-never-felt-inspired-to-write-this-book-i-had-brain-surgery-what-s/) [Suzy Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-becker/) > [I used to write when I was in the mood or felt inspired. Anymore, I write whether I feel inspired or not. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/i-used-to-write-when-i-was-in-the-mood-or-felt-inspired-anymore-i/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [For 'Narrow Stairs', the majority of the songs I brought in were guitar songs - songs we could sit in a room and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/for-narrow-stairs-the-majority-of-the-songs-i-brought-in-were-guitar/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [“He had not liked the things taught to him in college. He had been taught a great deal about social responsibility, about a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/he-had-not-liked-the-things-taught-to-him-in-college-he-had-been/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Ben Affleck inspired me and reignited my love for acting and filmmaking. 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I remember a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/i-had-good-parents-two-older-brothers-bit-of-a-handful-between-us-all/) [Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/) ## More by Andrew Solomon > [“If you banish the dragons, you banish the heroes...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/if-you-banish-the-dragons-you-banish-the-heroes/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I started traveling out of curiosity, but I have come to believe in travel's political importance, that encouraging a nation's citizenry to travel may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-started-traveling-out-of-curiosity-but-i-have-come-to-believe-in/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [When I was born, the wisdom was that homosexuality was an illness; that it was caused largely by somebody's mother, and a distorted relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/when-i-was-born-the-wisdom-was-that-homosexuality-was-an-illness-that/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [A lot of people are very political when they are young, and then they outgrow it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/a-lot-of-people-are-very-political-when-they-are-young-and-then-they/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [Having always imagined myself in a fairly slim minority, I suddenly saw that I was in a vast company. 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You know that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/antonin-artaud-wrote-on-one-of-his-drawings-never-real-and-always/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I met people on college campuses who were defining themselves as genderqueer to express revolutionary feelings, or to communicate their individuality; they were gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-met-people-on-college-campuses-who-were-defining-themselves-as/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [“In the throws of depression, one reaches a strange point at which it is impossible to see the line between ones own theatricality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/in-the-throws-of-depression-one-reaches-a-strange-point-at-which-it/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [“Since I am writing a book about depression, I am often asked in social situations to describe my own experiences, and I usually end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/since-i-am-writing-a-book-about-depression-i-am-often-asked-in-social/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [Loving our own children is an exercise for the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/loving-our-own-children-is-an-exercise-for-the-imagination/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [One the one hand, the simple fact that there are children and that I do have an effect on them has been one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/one-the-one-hand-the-simple-fact-that-there-are-children-and-that-i/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I grew up feeling that to be gay was a tragedy. I didn't grow up thinking that it was morally wrong, but I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-grew-up-feeling-that-to-be-gay-was-a-tragedy-i-didn-t-grow-up/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [We need to acknowledge that families come in multiple shapes and sizes, that love is not a finite asset, and that caregiving involves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/we-need-to-acknowledge-that-families-come-in-multiple-shapes-and/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I had always wanted to have children, so it caused me a lot of grief when I was younger, and I had supposed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-had-always-wanted-to-have-children-so-it-caused-me-a-lot-of-grief/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) [Explore all 282 Andrew Solomon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) ## More Anxious quotes > [Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/most-people-do-surprisingly-poorly-when-dealing-with-a-relative-who/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [According to Shakyamuni Buddha, it's normal for human beings to be anxious, because it's normal for human beings not to understand themselves. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/according-to-shakyamuni-buddha-it-s-normal-for-human-beings-to-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [Be lamps unto yourselves. Be refuges unto yourselves. Take yourself no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/be-lamps-unto-yourselves-be-refuges-unto-yourselves-take-yourself-no/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Even speed, when we are anxious, seems like delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/even-speed-when-we-are-anxious-seems-like-delay/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [I'd like to be able to do complex math in my head. Any kind of adversity and I become very anxious, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-woods/i-d-like-to-be-able-to-do-complex-math-in-my-head-any-kind-of/) [Zach Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-woods/) > [There were times when depression, anxiety, whatever, would keep me from writing. 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