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.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The Passion” by Jeanette Winterson, 1987
Adoption feels like entering a story already in progress, leaving a sense of missing beginnings that never fully fades.
In simple terms: Adoption can feel like joining a story mid‑way, with gaps.
Key Takeaway
Accept the unknown and create new narratives.
Themes
identity
family
storytelling
belonging
loss
Mood
reflective
empathetic
hopeful
Type
advice
therapeutic
When to use this quote
- adoption counseling
- family therapy
- creative writing
Key Concepts
psychology
narrative theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How can one integrate missing past narratives?
- What practices help build a sense of belonging?
A Different Perspective
The feeling of missing origins may cause lingering insecurity.
![“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)
