--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My dad's gay experiences really had a…" description: "\"My dad's gay experiences really had a very positive influence on me and my straight relationships - how to better accept all the weirdness and ambiguit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg" --- # My dad's gay experiences really had a very positive… ![“My dad's gay experiences really had a very positive influence on me and my straight relationships - how to better accept all the weirdness and ambiguity and ups and downs and paradoxes. I knew from the beginning I was writing about love.” quote by Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg) > “My dad's gay experiences really had a very positive influence on me and my straight relationships - how to better accept all the weirdness and ambiguity and ups and downs and paradoxes. I knew from the beginning I was writing about love.” [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes how a father's gay experiences taught acceptance of complexity in love and relationships. **In simple terms:** Father's experiences taught love's complexity. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity in relationships. Themes family identity acceptance Mood introspective empathetic Type personal reflective When to use this quote - personal growth - relationship counseling - LGBTQ+ discussions - self‑reflection Key Concepts complexity ambiguity love dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does personal history shape your view of love? - What can we learn from diverse experiences? A Different Perspective Not all audiences may relate to the specific family context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accept Weirdness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept-weirdness-4762267/) [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-experiences-4762266/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Positive influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-influence/) [Relationships Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships-better-536215/) [Straight Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-relationships-913702/) [Ups and downs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ups-and-downs/) [Weirdness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weirdness/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-love/) ## Related quotes > [Maybe the most interesting thing gay writers can do is show the tension between the breadth of gay experiences and the unity of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vestal-mcintyre/maybe-the-most-interesting-thing-gay-writers-can-do-is-show-the/) [Vestal McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vestal-mcintyre/) > [Gay relationships have historically not been treated the same as straight relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/gay-relationships-have-historically-not-been-treated-the-same-as/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [I think what the Church should ideally do, and does appear to do in the context of straight relationships, is to support people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-think-what-the-church-should-ideally-do-and-does-appear-to-do-in/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [It’s just been my experience that some kinds of working relationships are better motivated by fear than by monetary gain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/it-s-just-been-my-experience-that-some-kinds-of-working-relationships/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Correct interpersonal relationships are better than correct ritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/correct-interpersonal-relationships-are-better-than-correct-ritual/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Women are better than man at valuing relationships and much better than men in terms of contributing towards a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-oberoi/women-are-better-than-man-at-valuing-relationships-and-much-better/) [Vivek Oberoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-oberoi/) > [So much of politics is about people's relationships with themselves. You do better if you make people feel secure in who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-buttigieg/so-much-of-politics-is-about-people-s-relationships-with-themselves/) [Pete Buttigieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-buttigieg/) > [Relationships can get better or worse but can never go back to what it was in the beginning.!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/relationships-can-get-better-or-worse-but-can-never-go-back-to-what/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Its just been my experience that some kinds of working relationships are better motivated by fear than by monetary gain. -Jasper Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn/its-just-been-my-experience-that-some-kinds-of-working-relationships/) [The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn/) > [Most people are hurt deeply by betrayals in relationships. It might be better to really get up against and sort of contact that caring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-c-hayes/most-people-are-hurt-deeply-by-betrayals-in-relationships-it-might-be/) [Steven C. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-c-hayes/) > [The result of long-term relationships is better and better quality, and lower and lower costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/the-result-of-long-term-relationships-is-better-and-better-quality/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [As soon as you are comfortable with who you are, you start performing better, your life gets better, your relationships get better - opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-alcott/as-soon-as-you-are-comfortable-with-who-you-are-you-start-performing/) [Dylan Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-alcott/) > [The truth about intimate relationships is that they can never be any better than our relationship with ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hollis/the-truth-about-intimate-relationships-is-that-they-can-never-be-any/) [James Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hollis/) > [Human relationships can get awfully demanding and unpredictable. One day you feel one way, the next day you feel something else. That affects relationships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmila-tagore/human-relationships-can-get-awfully-demanding-and-unpredictable-one/) [Sharmila Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmila-tagore/) > [“Self-care is not a perfect journey. Different factors and barriers, including mental ones, get in the way of self-care. Even when armed with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jor-el-caraballo/self-care-is-not-a-perfect-journey-different-factors-and-barriers/) [Jor-El Caraballo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jor-el-caraballo/) ## More by Mike Mills > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Shooting a film is like a kismet quest. You have thirty days and you need magic to happen. So that's why I wear suits.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/shooting-a-film-is-like-a-kismet-quest-you-have-thirty-days-and-you/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Life is too short for a half-rack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/life-is-too-short-for-a-half-rack/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [To be honest, we have no control over what's going on with a movie, much less what people are going to think of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/to-be-honest-we-have-no-control-over-what-s-going-on-with-a-movie/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Making a movie is so hard, you'd better make movies about something you really know about. And even more, it's really good to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/making-a-movie-is-so-hard-you-d-better-make-movies-about-something/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Humans are vulnerable, messy little animals and that's normal. And all I want to do is make a space for that in my films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/humans-are-vulnerable-messy-little-animals-and-that-s-normal-and-all/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I'm not a craftsman of graphics or art or film. I'm more of an idea generator and manufacturer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-m-not-a-craftsman-of-graphics-or-art-or-film-i-m-more-of-an-idea/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Life doesn't just happen; it's constructed through the history of power. And that's something I am interested in and so is the art world:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/life-doesn-t-just-happen-it-s-constructed-through-the-history-of/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Actors are pretending for you, but they're not lying. They are not putting on a guise instead of themselves. They are finding things inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/actors-are-pretending-for-you-but-they-re-not-lying-they-are-not/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [My experience, with both my parents, is that grief has a lot of down, sad things, but I was also really emotionally raw, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/my-experience-with-both-my-parents-is-that-grief-has-a-lot-of-down/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I am definitely writing letters to lots of directors in my mind when I'm making a film. I'm chasing Woody Allen and Godard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-am-definitely-writing-letters-to-lots-of-directors-in-my-mind-when/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [The littlest thing can have the strongest connection when you're grieving. Your Proustian, poetic nerve is turned up to ten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/the-littlest-thing-can-have-the-strongest-connection-when-you-re/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [One good and bad thing about New York is there's so much exciting stuff and so many people doing something interesting. I actually find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/one-good-and-bad-thing-about-new-york-is-there-s-so-much-exciting/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [Being a good Hans Haacke student, part of his influence on me is that there's no difference between a gallery show and a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/being-a-good-hans-haacke-student-part-of-his-influence-on-me-is-that/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I don't really believe that documentary is objective reality and fiction is all illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-don-t-really-believe-that-documentary-is-objective-reality-and/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) [Explore all 54 Mike Mills quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) ## More Ambiguity quotes > [The position is clear - there is no ambiguity in Sinn Fein's position. We, along with all the other parties, have signed up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/the-position-is-clear-there-is-no-ambiguity-in-sinn-fein-s-position/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I blame my grandfather 100 percent for his oldest son's death. I don't think there's any ambiguity there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/i-blame-my-grandfather-100-percent-for-his-oldest-son-s-death-i-don-t/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [I think the relationship between social-dominance orientation in people and the extent to which they're made uncomfortable by ambiguity and novelty is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-the-relationship-between-social-dominance-orientation-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Yet again, an ancient answer echoes across the centuries: Listen! Listen to stories! For what stories do, above all else, is hold up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/yet-again-an-ancient-answer-echoes-across-the-centuries-listen-listen/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [My path to wisdom began when I stopped pretending to know things I didn't know. When I explicitly admitted to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-path-to-wisdom-began-when-i-stopped-pretending-to-know-things-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [In order to be as free as I possibly can, in my own imagination, I can't take positions that are closed. Everything I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-order-to-be-as-free-as-i-possibly-can-in-my-own-imagination-i-can/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I've always been drawn to ambiguity in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-ambiguity-in-pop-music/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am in the utmost perplexity, yand have wished a hundred times, that if there is a A God, nature would manifest him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-am-in-the-utmost-perplexity-yand-have-wished-a-hundred-times-that/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [There's a lot of ambiguity in life, and so often, our art is very neatly wrapped up at the end, when our lives never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/there-s-a-lot-of-ambiguity-in-life-and-so-often-our-art-is-very/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [“Man must not attempt to dispel the ambiguity of his being but, on the contrary, accept the task of realizing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/man-must-not-attempt-to-dispel-the-ambiguity-of-his-being-but-on-the/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) [Browse all 431 Ambiguity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My dad's gay experiences really had a very positive influence on me and my straight relationships - how to better accept all the weirdness and ambiguity and ups and downs and paradoxes. I knew from the beginning I was writing about love.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Mills" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-very-positive-influence-on-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambiguity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-very-positive-influence-on-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b48/mike-mills-12624_ambiguity_my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-ve_1377518.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My dad's gay experiences really had a very positive influence on me and my straight relationships - how to…” — Mike Mills", "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": "Mike Mills", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My dad's gay experiences really had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-very-positive-influence-on-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/my-dad-s-gay-experiences-really-had-a-very-positive-influence-on-me/#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 } } ] } ```