--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus…" description: "\"“CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus Tomlin's day started out just like any other—normally. He got out of bed, dressed, brushed his teeth, then heade..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg" --- # CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus Tomlin's day started… ![“CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus Tomlin's day started out just like any other—normally. He got out of bed, dressed, brushed his teeth, then headed for the kitchen to join his adoptive parents, Earl and Marge for breakfast. This was the first day of their vacation, and admittedly, Augie (as he…” quote by Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg) > ““CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus Tomlin's day started out just like any other—normally. He got out of bed, dressed, brushed his teeth, then headed for the kitchen to join his adoptive parents, Earl and Marge for breakfast. This was the first day of their vacation, and admittedly, Augie (as he liked to be called) wasn't as excited about it as he would've been had Earl and Marge decided to take them all to Disneyland instead, because firstly, he'd been dealing with a paralyzing fear of water all of his life, and secondly, they were staying in a cabin on an isolated stretch of beach in the Florida Keys. Nevertheless, there was no way for Augie to know just then that by the end of the day he'd be traveling in an under-sea carriage drawn by four of the most incredible creatures he'd ever laid eyes upon, heading for destinations untold somewhere at the bottom of the ocean at a million miles an hour.”” [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young boy confronts his fear of water, leading to an unexpected underwater adventure that transforms his perspective. **In simple terms:** Facing fear can lead to amazing new experiences. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to discover hidden worlds. Themes courage adventure growth Mood exciting reflective Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - theme - travel - self‑discovery Key Concepts Fear of water underwater travel personal transformation Questions to Reflect On - What fear could you confront today? - How might a challenge change your outlook? A Different Perspective May romanticize danger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adoptive parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adoptive-parents/) [Augie Liked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/augie-liked-6138414/) [Augustus Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/augustus-tomlin-6138415/) [Chapter Fourteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapter-fourteen-6138413/) [Day Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-start/) [Day Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-started-253026/) [Day Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-vacation-2375757/) [End of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-day/) [First Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day/) ## Related quotes > [“Live each day as if it were the first day of marriage and the last day of vacation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknown-author-47/live-each-day-as-if-it-were-the-first-day-of-marriage-and-the-last/) [Unknown Author 47](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknown-author-47/) > [If God Was A Woman… All menstrual cycles would be replaced with a 5-8 day vacation in Hawaii!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-god-was-a-woman-all-menstrual-cycles-would-be-replaced-with-a-5-8/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I wish I remotely made enough money from my labor to afford a Labor Day vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-remotely-made-enough-money-from-my-labor-to-afford-a-labor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate that feeling you get on the last day of a vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-that-feeling-you-get-on-the-last-day-of-a-vacation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Isn't it amazing how much stuff we get done the day before vacation?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/isn-t-it-amazing-how-much-stuff-we-get-done-the-day-before-vacation/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [Make everyday as productive as the day before you go on vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/make-everyday-as-productive-as-the-day-before-you-go-on-vacation/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [I have a very beautiful life with great friends and I look forward to waking up every day. Every day is a vacation but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-a-very-beautiful-life-with-great-friends-and-i-look-forward-to/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I ain't gonna lie, if I could have the day off I prefer I'll go on a day vacation somewhere and just sit out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deebo-samuel/i-ain-t-gonna-lie-if-i-could-have-the-day-off-i-prefer-i-ll-go-on-a/) [Deebo Samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deebo-samuel/) > [Remember the day we started talking to each other? Cause thats what started you and I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/remember-the-day-we-started-talking-to-each-other-cause-thats-what/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Remember the day we first started talking to each other?Cause thats what started You and I.:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/remember-the-day-we-first-started-talking-to-each-other-cause-thats/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [“I never had a bad day that started with champagne”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-t-dark/i-never-had-a-bad-day-that-started-with-champagne/) [Mike T. Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-t-dark/) > [At the end of the day, we started playing football because we loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-chhetri/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-started-playing-football-because-we-loved-it/) [Sunil Chhetri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-chhetri/) > [I still love a great pilot as much as I did the day I started at NBC.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-reilly/i-still-love-a-great-pilot-as-much-as-i-did-the-day-i-started-at-nbc/) [Kevin Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-reilly/) > [Just an ordinary day... started out the same old way, but then I looked into your eyes and knew today would be a first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-an-ordinary-day-started-out-the-same-old-way-but-then-i-looked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was the best start of the day. A day started with a rejection. Maybe, by the end of the day, I would spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishikant/it-was-the-best-start-of-the-day-a-day-started-with-a-rejection-maybe/) [Nishikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishikant/) ## More by Sean J. Quirk > [“He smiled too, but did not hold her gaze. She watched as he put a few more pieces of wood on the fire, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/he-smiled-too-but-did-not-hold-her-gaze-she-watched-as-he-put-a-few/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“Earl spun but was not at all prepared for what he saw; something lumpy, black like the water, slid back beneath the surface like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/earl-spun-but-was-not-at-all-prepared-for-what-he-saw-something-lumpy/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“Suddenly the door crashed into the room in a cacophony of shattered, splintered wood, revealing Emil standing in the frame, his small beady eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/suddenly-the-door-crashed-into-the-room-in-a-cacophony-of-shattered/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“The man was utterly devoid of compassion, love, kindness, or any other trait that marked the spoor of humanity, and so confident in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/the-man-was-utterly-devoid-of-compassion-love-kindness-or-any-other/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“A sense of hopelessness permeated from Hallie’s slumped shoulders. The finality of surrender weighed heavily on Catch too, but what other options did they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/a-sense-of-hopelessness-permeated-from-hallie-s-slumped-shoulders-the/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“She sits quietly in the passenger seat, holding Lola tightly in her arms, looking up at the starry sky and thinks about cute, big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/she-sits-quietly-in-the-passenger-seat-holding-lola-tightly-in-her/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“Peter was dimly aware on some level that with each swing of his arm, the purity by which his youth was defined was shattering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/peter-was-dimly-aware-on-some-level-that-with-each-swing-of-his-arm/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) > [“A while later Catch woke to the sound of the bathroom door opening. Hallie emerged wearing a white bathrobe, which hung suggestively low, revealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/a-while-later-catch-woke-to-the-sound-of-the-bathroom-door-opening/) [Sean J. Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) [Explore all 9 Sean J. Quirk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/) ## More Adoptive parents quotes > [Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/somehow-destiny-comes-into-play-these-children-end-up-with-you-and/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [“Then one detail caught my attention. "Time (of birth), 5:57 A.M." Wow! I really was born! I wasn't an alien who was dropped down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrie-eldridge/then-one-detail-caught-my-attention-time-of-birth-5-57-a-m-wow-i/) [Sherrie Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrie-eldridge/) > [To allow same-sex couples to adopt children and then to label their families as second-class because the adoptive parents are of the same sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-reinhardt/to-allow-same-sex-couples-to-adopt-children-and-then-to-label-their/) [Stephen Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-reinhardt/) > [I was a sickly baby, and after two sets of adoptive parents took me home, they returned me to the orphanage because of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/i-was-a-sickly-baby-and-after-two-sets-of-adoptive-parents-took-me/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [“I wasn't crazy after all. I wasn't the only one who experienced fear about loss and guilt towards their adoptive parents. I was relieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-phillips/i-wasn-t-crazy-after-all-i-wasn-t-the-only-one-who-experienced-fear/) [Zara Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-phillips/) > [“You realize you've never walked in another person's shoes. Never have. Never will. The same is true in adoption. There are three sets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrie-eldridge/you-realize-you-ve-never-walked-in-another-person-s-shoes-never-have/) [Sherrie Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrie-eldridge/) > [Would-be adoptive parents have to struggle for years through a bureaucratic obstacle course at an average cost of $30,000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foster-friess/would-be-adoptive-parents-have-to-struggle-for-years-through-a/) [Foster Friess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foster-friess/) > [Adoption was such a positive alternative to abortion, a way to save one life and brighten two more: those of the adoptive parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/adoption-was-such-a-positive-alternative-to-abortion-a-way-to-save/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [My mother birthed three children and she adopted myself and another African-American son. My adoptive parents were Finnish. I grew up in a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/my-mother-birthed-three-children-and-she-adopted-myself-and-another/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [I think adoption is a blessing all around when it's done right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/i-think-adoption-is-a-blessing-all-around-when-it-s-done-right/) [Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/) > [Adoptive parents are taking on enormous responsibility, both emotionally and financially. Quite frankly, they need as much disclosure as possible about the child's background…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/adoptive-parents-are-taking-on-enormous-responsibility-both/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [The benefits because his collective parents are permitted to grow secure in their particular roles in his life. His adoptive parents are not unwittingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-silber/the-benefits-because-his-collective-parents-are-permitted-to-grow/) [Kathleen Silber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-silber/) > [“Destiny is not always preordained. Life is about making choices. Our lives are the sum of all the choices we make, the bridges we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-land/destiny-is-not-always-preordained-life-is-about-making-choices-our/) [Judith Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-land/) > [“I believe one of the most sacrificial acts of love adoptive parents can do is to give up their preconceptions and agendas about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrie-eldridge/i-believe-one-of-the-most-sacrificial-acts-of-love-adoptive-parents/) [Sherrie Eldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrie-eldridge/) > [“The adoptee benefits because his collective parents are permitted to grow secure in their particular roles in his life. His adoptive parents are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-silber/the-adoptee-benefits-because-his-collective-parents-are-permitted-to/) [Kathleen Silber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-silber/) [Browse all 25 Adoptive parents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adoptive-parents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus Tomlin's day started out just like any other—normally. He got out of bed, dressed, brushed his teeth, then headed for the kitchen to join his adoptive parents, Earl and Marge for breakfast. This was the first day of their vacation, and admittedly, Augie (as he liked to be called) wasn't as excited about it as he would've been had Earl and Marge decided to take them all to Disneyland instead, because firstly, he'd been dealing with a paralyzing fear of water all of his life, and secondly, they were staying in a cabin on an isolated stretch of beach in the Florida Keys. Nevertheless, there was no way for Augie to know just then that by the end of the day he'd be traveling in an under-sea carriage drawn by four of the most incredible creatures he'd ever laid eyes upon, heading for destinations untold somewhere at the bottom of the ocean at a million miles an hour.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sean J. Quirk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tomlin-s-day-started-out-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adoptive parents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tomlin-s-day-started-out-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/sean-j-quirk-44845_adoptive-parents_chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tom_2423010.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus Tomlin's day started out just like any other—normally. He got out of…” — Sean J. Quirk", "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": "Sean J. Quirk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-j-quirk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“CHAPTER 1: Fourteen year old Augustus...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tomlin-s-day-started-out-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-j-quirk/chapter-1-fourteen-year-old-augustus-tomlin-s-day-started-out-just/#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 } } ] } ```