---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The family is strongest where objective…"
description: "\"“The family is strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted. What”\" — Don DeLillo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg"
---

#  The family is strongest where objective reality is most…

![“The family is strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted. What” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg)

> ““The family is strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted. What””

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Family bonds are strongest when members share a common, often unspoken, understanding of reality, even if that reality is ambiguous.

**In simple terms:** Families thrive on shared, ambiguous reality.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate open dialogue within families.

Themes

family perception reality communication

Mood

introspective thoughtful

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- parent‑child discussions
- marital counseling
- conflict resolution
- cultural integration

Key Concepts

social constructivism subjectivity family dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you ensure shared understanding?
- What assumptions shape your family's view of reality?

A Different Perspective

Misinterpretations can erode trust if not addressed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Strongest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-strongest-737623/) [Likely Misinterpreted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likely-misinterpreted-2892756/) [Objective reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objective-reality/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-likely-2892755/)

## Related quotes

> [Pops always taught us that family is the strongest unit in the world. If you stick with your family, nobody can break you, nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-staples/pops-always-taught-us-that-family-is-the-strongest-unit-in-the-world/)

[Mavis Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-staples/)

> [ \[My family\] is one of the strongest families you're ever likely to see. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/my-family-is-one-of-the-strongest-families-you-re-ever-likely-to-see/)

[George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/)

> [There are so many ways a family can unravel. All it takes is a tiny slash of selfishness, a rip of greed, a puncture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/there-are-so-many-ways-a-family-can-unravel-all-it-takes-is-a-tiny/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“We Americans may differ, bicker, stumble, and fall; but we are at our best when we pick each other up, when we have each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/we-americans-may-differ-bicker-stumble-and-fall-but-we-are-at-our/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [Ultimately, of course, you must decide for yourself whether the subjective psychological effects created by your evolved cognitive biases reflect an objective reality, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-bering/ultimately-of-course-you-must-decide-for-yourself-whether-the/)

[Jesse Bering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-bering/)

> [Ultimately, peace is just not about politics. It's about attitudes; about a sense of empathy; about breaking down the divisions that we create for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/ultimately-peace-is-just-not-about-politics-it-s-about-attitudes/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“End of the day, anything that made you discount objective reality and assign a premium to some kind of internal mental state was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/end-of-the-day-anything-that-made-you-discount-objective-reality-and/)

[Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/)

> [“The common worldview, shared by most humans, is that there is one objective reality, and we humans can understand that reality through a rigorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-common-worldview-shared-by-most-humans-is-that-there-is-one/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [“When it comes to the Big Questions in Life, the preponderance of evidence is the best advisor to inform our beliefs. The companion enterprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-goedken/when-it-comes-to-the-big-questions-in-life-the-preponderance-of-2/)

[Brian Goedken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-goedken/)

> [As far as I know, there is no proof whatever of the existence of an objective reality apart from our senses, and I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-escher/as-far-as-i-know-there-is-no-proof-whatever-of-the-existence-of-an/)

[M. C. Escher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-escher/)

> [We have never said that the fight against the Iranian aggression and against the expansionist Persian tendencies (which have been demonstrated by various means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-have-never-said-that-the-fight-against-the-iranian-aggression-and/)

[Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/)

> [Africa is one continent, one people, and one nation. The notion that in order to have a nation it is necessary for there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/africa-is-one-continent-one-people-and-one-nation-the-notion-that-in/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [I never believe I'm presenting objective reality; I also don't want to delude people into thinking that my subject is talking directly to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-berlinger/i-never-believe-i-m-presenting-objective-reality-i-also-don-t-want-to/)

[Joe Berlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-berlinger/)

> [“Since history is not an objective reality, but only an imaginative reconstruction of vanished events, the pattern that appears useful and agreeable to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lotus-becker/since-history-is-not-an-objective-reality-but-only-an-imaginative/)

[Carl Lotus Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lotus-becker/)

> [“When it comes to the Big Questions in Life, the preponderance of evidence should be our best advisor to inform our Beliefs. The companion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-goedken/when-it-comes-to-the-big-questions-in-life-the-preponderance-of/)

[Brian Goedken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-goedken/)

## More by Don DeLillo

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-plane-had-lost-power-in-all-three-engines-dropped-from-thirty/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Grass: I live in a great steel tower that reflects the blazing sun. People catch fire just walking by. The more bodies that pile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/grass-i-live-in-a-great-steel-tower-that-reflects-the-blazing-sun/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Marriage is something we make from available materials. In this sense it’s improvised, it’s almost offhand. Maybe this is why we know so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/marriage-is-something-we-make-from-available-materials-in-this-sense/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [The true life is not reducible to words spoken or written, not by anyone, ever. The true life takes place when we're alone, thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-true-life-is-not-reducible-to-words-spoken-or-written-not-by/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-come-to-think-of-europe-as-a-hardcover-book-america-as-the/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [There is a set of balances and rhythms to a novel that we can't experience in real life. So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

[Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

## More Family quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

[Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/)

> [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/)

[Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/)

[Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/)

> [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/)

[Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The family is strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted. What”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Don DeLillo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-family-is-strongest-where-objective-reality-is-most-likely-to-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-family-is-strongest-where-objective-reality-is-most-likely-to-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80e/don-delillo-294_family_the-family-is-strongest-where-objective_1913055.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The family is strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted. What” — Don DeLillo",
                "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": "Don DeLillo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The family is strongest where objective...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-family-is-strongest-where-objective-reality-is-most-likely-to-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-family-is-strongest-where-objective-reality-is-most-likely-to-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
