--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Adopted children are self invented…" description: "\"“Adopted children are self invented because we have to be. There's an absence, a void, a question mark at the very beginning of our lives. A crucial pa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/jeanette-winterson-166_adopted_adopted-children-are-self-invented-becau_2711970.png" --- # Adopted children are self invented because we have to be… ![“Adopted children are self invented because we have to be. There's an absence, a void, a question mark at the very beginning of our lives. A crucial part of our story is gone, and violently. Like a bomb in the womb, the baby explodes into an unknown world and it's only knowable through some kind of…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/jeanette-winterson-166_adopted_adopted-children-are-self-invented-becau_2711970.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/jeanette-winterson-166_adopted_adopted-children-are-self-invented-becau_2711970.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/jeanette-winterson-166_adopted_adopted-children-are-self-invented-becau_2711970.png) > ““Adopted children are self invented because we have to be. There's an absence, a void, a question mark at the very beginning of our lives. A crucial part of our story is gone, and violently. Like a bomb in the womb, the baby explodes into an unknown world and it's only knowable through some kind of story. Of course, that is how we all live, it's the narrative of our lives, but adoption drops you into the story after its started. It's like reading a book with the first few pages missing. It's like arriving after a 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. There are markings here, raised like welts.”” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adopted individuals often feel an inherent emptiness from missing missing origins, yet this gap can become a source of creativity and identity formation. **In simple terms:** Adoption leaves a missing past that can inspire growth. Key Takeaway Embrace the unknown as a creative space. Themes identity origin creativity loss storytelling Mood reflective hopeful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family counseling - personal memoir writing - support groups for adoptees - art therapy Key Concepts psychology narrative identity attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How can one transform perceived emptiness into personal strength? - What narratives help fill the missing origins? A Different Perspective The feeling of loss may hinder emotional stability for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adopted children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adopted-children/) [Adoption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adoption/) [Another life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-life/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) ## Related quotes > [“The baby explodes into an unknown world that is only knowable through some kind of a story - of course that is how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-baby-explodes-into-an-unknown-world-that-is-only-knowable-through/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-baby-explodes-into-an-unknown-world-that-is-only-knowable-through-2/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Adopted children are self-invented because we have to be; there is an absence, a void, a question mark at the very beginning of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-winterson/adopted-children-are-self-invented-because-we-have-to-be-there-is-an/) Jeannette Winterson > [Missing the PAST…living the PRESENT...and praying for the FUTURE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/missing-the-past-living-the-present-and-praying-for-the-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scared to move forward, afraid to look back. Stuck between wanting the future, and missing the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scared-to-move-forward-afraid-to-look-back-stuck-between-wanting-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the passion for excellence is missing the past becomes the only conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-passion-for-excellence-is-missing-the-past-becomes-the-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It hurts when one day you wake up and you know you missing someone from your past but they are not there for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-marthalia/it-hurts-when-one-day-you-wake-up-and-you-know-you-missing-someone/) [Norma Marthalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-marthalia/) > [Missing the past, can we go back...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/missing-the-past-can-we-go-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Confused why people spend their days missing the past instead of enjoying the present, I love this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/confused-why-people-spend-their-days-missing-the-past-instead-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We waste present time worrying about future, and then we spend the future missing the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-waste-present-time-worrying-about-future-and-then-we-spend-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Quit missing the past. The past is the past...Lets move forward. Live for today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quit-missing-the-past-the-past-is-the-past-lets-move-forward-live-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He knows he is missing something. He is always missing something. He can never get past the first stop of finding it, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/he-knows-he-is-missing-something-he-is-always-missing-something-he/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“It seems sometimes that we get so caught up in missing the past, or looking forward to the future, that we forget that this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-ashley/it-seems-sometimes-that-we-get-so-caught-up-in-missing-the-past-or/) [John A. 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