--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to ask my father about his…" description: "\"“I wanted to ask my father about his regrets. I wanted to ask him what was the worst thing he'd ever done. His greatest sin. I wanted to ask him if the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/sherman-alexie-the-toughest-in_believe-in-god_i-wanted-to-ask-my-father-about-his-regr_469685.jpg" --- # I wanted to ask my father about his regrets. I wanted to… ![“I wanted to ask my father about his regrets. I wanted to ask him what was the worst thing he'd ever done. His greatest sin. I wanted to ask him if there was any reason why the Catholic Church would consider him for sainthood. I wanted to open up his dictionary and find the definitions for faith…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/sherman-alexie-the-toughest-in_believe-in-god_i-wanted-to-ask-my-father-about-his-regr_469685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/sherman-alexie-the-toughest-in_believe-in-god_i-wanted-to-ask-my-father-about-his-regr_469685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fb/sherman-alexie-the-toughest-in_believe-in-god_i-wanted-to-ask-my-father-about-his-regr_469685.jpg) > ““I wanted to ask my father about his regrets. I wanted to ask him what was the worst thing he'd ever done. His greatest sin. I wanted to ask him if there was any reason why the Catholic Church would consider him for sainthood. I wanted to open up his dictionary and find the definitions for faith, hope, goodness, sadness, tomato, son, mother, husband, virginity, Jesus, wood, sacrifice, pain, foot, wife, thumb, hand, bread, and sex. "Do you believe in God?" I asked my father. "God has lots of potential," he said. "When you pray," I asked him. "What do you pray about?" "That's none of your business," he said. We laughed. We waited for hours for somebody to help us. What is an Indian? I lifted my father and carried him across every border.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on existential questions, faith, and identity through a dialogue with his father, highlighting uncertainty and cultural displacement. **In simple terms:** A son asks his father deep questions about faith and identity, confronting uncertainty. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and accept ambiguity. Themes identity faith family culture existentialism Mood contemplative melancholic introspective Type philosophical narrative dialogue When to use this quote - family conversation - personal reflection - cross‑cultural experience - search for meaning Key Concepts existential inquiry cultural displacement intergenerational dialogue Questions to Reflect On - What does faith mean to you beyond religion? - How do cultural borders shape personal identity? A Different Perspective Answers may remain elusive, and some questions resist simple answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe in god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-in-god/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrets/) [Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons/) ## Related quotes > [“Why do you pray?" he asked me, after a moment. Why did I pray? A strange question. Why did I live? Why did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel-night/why-do-you-pray-he-asked-me-after-a-moment-why-did-i-pray-a-strange-2/) Elie Wiesel, Night > [“His soul was susceptible to god's whimsy, just as his body was susceptible to any opportunistic thing that might hurt it. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. 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I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. 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