Adoption Quote by Jeanette Winterson
““The baby explodes into an unknown world that is only knowable through some kind of a story - of course that is how we all live, it's the narrative of our lives, but adoption drops you into the story after it has started. It's like reading a book with the first few pages missing. It's like arriving after curtain up. The feeling that something is missing never, ever leaves you - and it can't, and it shouldn't, because something IS missing. That isn't of its nature negative. The missing part, the missing past, can be an opening, not a void. It can be an entry as well as an exit. It is the fossil record, the imprint of another life, and although you can never have that life, your fingers trace the space where it might have been, and your fingers learn a kind of Braille.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Passion, Jeanette Winterson, 1987
Adoption creates a sense of missing narrative, but that gap can be a source of insight and connection rather than loss.
In simple terms: Adoption feels like missing chapters, yet offers new perspective.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the unknown as a chance to write your own story.
Themes
identity
storytelling
adoption
loss
growth
Mood
reflective
hopeful
introspective
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- adoption counseling
- creative writing
- therapy
- parenting discussions
Key Concepts
narrative gaps
personal history
meaning-making
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you turn perceived gaps into creative strengths?
- What stories can you write about your unique history?
A Different Perspective
The missing past may feel painful and hinder integration.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
