--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I bring this up because in writing some…" description: "\"“I bring this up because in writing some thoughts about a father, or not having a father, I feel as though I'm writing a book about a troll under a bri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/donald-miller-607_books_i-bring-this-up-because-in-writing-some_2745086.png" --- # I bring this up because in writing some thoughts about a… ![“I bring this up because in writing some thoughts about a father, or not having a father, I feel as though I'm writing a book about a troll under a bridge or a dragon. For me, a father was nothing more than a character in a fairy tale. I know fathers are not like dragons because fathers actually…” quote by Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/donald-miller-607_books_i-bring-this-up-because-in-writing-some_2745086.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/donald-miller-607_books_i-bring-this-up-because-in-writing-some_2745086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/donald-miller-607_books_i-bring-this-up-because-in-writing-some_2745086.png) > ““I bring this up because in writing some thoughts about a father, or not having a father, I feel as though I'm writing a book about a troll under a bridge or a dragon. For me, a father was nothing more than a character in a fairy tale. I know fathers are not like dragons because fathers actually exist. I have seen them on television and sliding their arms around their wives in grocery stores, and I have seen them in the malls and in the coffee shops, but these were characters in other people's stories. The sad thing is, as a kid, I wondered why I couldn't have a dragon, but I never wondered why I didn't have a father. (page 20)”” [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator sees fathers as mythical, distant figures, contrasting personal experience with cultural archetypes, revealing a yearning for a heroic paternal presence. **In simple terms:** Fathers feel like stories, not reality. Key Takeaway Seek real connections. Themes family myth identity Mood nostalgic introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - parenting - storytelling - self‑discovery Key Concepts archetype loneliness Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural myths shape your view of parents? - What real qualities can replace mythic expectations? A Different Perspective Idealizing fathers can obscure real relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Coffee shop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee-shop/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fatherless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatherless/) [Fathers-and-sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers-and-sons-2/) [Grocery store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grocery-store/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Writing a book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-a-book/) ## Related quotes > [“Do you not think you could share this with Dragon?" "Dragon,who was reluctant enough for this marriage and who now finds himself with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-litton/do-you-not-think-you-could-share-this-with-dragon-dragon-who-was/) [Josie Litton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-litton/) > [When fathers are actually in the household and more families are educating their children, then our society will be a whole lot better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t/when-fathers-are-actually-in-the-household-and-more-families-are/) [Booker T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t/) > [I know lots of friends who grew up without fathers and it actually makes you stronger. You have more to prove, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-barden/i-know-lots-of-friends-who-grew-up-without-fathers-and-it-actually/) [Jessica Barden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-barden/) > [Our fathers were actually business partners in the same real-estate firm, and we got together and thought, How can we get a movie together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-zucker/our-fathers-were-actually-business-partners-in-the-same-real-estate/) [David Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-zucker/) > [“But in so many ways I'm still that kid, not sure exactly how to be emotionally intimate with a girl without feeling weak, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/but-in-so-many-ways-i-m-still-that-kid-not-sure-exactly-how-to-be/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [My father's a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-adams/my-father-s-a-character/) [Bryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-adams/) > [“Now as I began to sort through his “effects” it occurred to me how little I had really known him … I had forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-malouf/now-as-i-began-to-sort-through-his-effects-it-occurred-to-me-how/) [David Malouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-malouf/) > [As the child outlives the father,so must the character bury the author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/as-the-child-outlives-the-father-so-must-the-character-bury-the-author/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [My father was a very fun dad; he was always coaching our soccer sports teams, he made sure that we had activities to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-ventimiglia/my-father-was-a-very-fun-dad-he-was-always-coaching-our-soccer-sports/) [Milo Ventimiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-ventimiglia/) > [“Boys do not long for fathers who will usher them through the gauntlet of psychological disconnect. 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Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-a-campbell/) > [“I must be old, Pyotr thought to himself, if my son is being kind to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-arden/i-must-be-old-pyotr-thought-to-himself-if-my-son-is-being-kind-to-me/) [Katherine Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-arden/) > [“I can show him how to be the right kind of stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/i-can-show-him-how-to-be-the-right-kind-of-stupid/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [“My father greeted me with his usual air of mild regret.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/my-father-greeted-me-with-his-usual-air-of-mild-regret/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) ## More by Donald Miller > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. 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They'll heal your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/if-you-don-t-feel-free-and-be-yourself-you-can-t-connect-find-people/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [And so I have come to understand that strength, inner strength, comes from receiving love as much as it comes from giving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/and-so-i-have-come-to-understand-that-strength-inner-strength-comes/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“Humans, as a species, are constantly, and in every way, comparing themselves to one another, which, given the brief nature of their existence, seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/humans-as-a-species-are-constantly-and-in-every-way-comparing/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“alone, lonely, and loneliness are three of the most powerful words in the English language... 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It was given to you by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/don-t-let-go-of-your-strength-or-your-beauty-it-was-given-to-you-by/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [There's a lot of letters, and a lot of people come say "hi" at book signings, but I'm amazed at how normal everybody is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-a-lot-of-letters-and-a-lot-of-people-come-say-hi-at-book/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [I am something of a recluse by nature. I am that cordless screwdriver that has to charge for twenty hours to earn ten minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/i-am-something-of-a-recluse-by-nature-i-am-that-cordless-screwdriver/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [The most important thing that happens within Christian spirituality is when a person falls in love with Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/the-most-important-thing-that-happens-within-christian-spirituality/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Every day you live is a page. Every year, a chapter. Your life, a book. What is it about?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/every-day-you-live-is-a-page-every-year-a-chapter-your-life-a-book/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“And that’s the first time I realized that the idea a character is what he does makes as much sense in life as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/and-that-s-the-first-time-i-realized-that-the-idea-a-character-is/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) [Explore all 448 Donald Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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I have seen them on television and sliding their arms around their wives in grocery stores, and I have seen them in the malls and in the coffee shops, but these were characters in other people's stories. The sad thing is, as a kid, I wondered why I couldn't have a dragon, but I never wondered why I didn't have a father. 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