--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring…" description: "\"“That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring into his children’s eyes. At one point he looked at Patty and his children for a long time, then at Laurene, a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg" --- # That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring into his… ![“That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring into his children’s eyes. At one point he looked at Patty and his children for a long time, then at Laurene, and finally gazed past them into the distance. “Oh wow,” he said. “Oh wow. Oh wow.” Those were his final words before he drifted into unconsciousness…” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg) > ““That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring into his children’s eyes. At one point he looked at Patty and his children for a long time, then at Laurene, and finally gazed past them into the distance. “Oh wow,” he said. “Oh wow. Oh wow.” Those were his final words before he drifted into unconsciousness sometime around two that afternoon.”” [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poignant moment of awe and wonder at life's end, expressed through simple astonishment. **In simple terms:** Even in death, one can feel awe. Key Takeaway Embrace wonder, even in final moments. Themes mortality wonder humanity Mood somber contemplative Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - end-of-life care - grief counseling - personal reflection Key Concepts existential reflection life review emotional climax Questions to Reflect On - What does “Oh wow” reveal about his state of mind? - How do we find awe in loss? A Different Perspective The quote may be dramatized, not a factual account. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Final words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/final-words/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“...who would have known the dark eyes staring into mine would become our children's eyes...?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/who-would-have-known-the-dark-eyes-staring-into-mine-would-become-our/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [writers just kept on staring at nothing until they wrote something. Might be two minutes or two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-grimes/writers-just-kept-on-staring-at-nothing-until-they-wrote-something/) [Martha Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-grimes/) > [“Her safe was in the spare bedroom. She went in and knelt down in front of it. Sweatshirt and Joe followed. She noticed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-gilles-seidel/her-safe-was-in-the-spare-bedroom-she-went-in-and-knelt-down-in-front/) [Kathleen Gilles Seidel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-gilles-seidel/) > [“Chaol kept staring as though he didn’t know her, his body so very still. She wouldn’t have him thinking her vulnerable, or foolish, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/chaol-kept-staring-as-though-he-didn-t-know-her-his-body-so-very/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“I'd better go,” he said, without leaving. That one eye, the blue one, just kept staring up at him. Bloodshot, with a cut across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/i-d-better-go-he-said-without-leaving-that-one-eye-the-blue-one-just/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“He kept staring at you all night. For a moment there, I thought his eyes were attached to you by an invisible string.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-kept-staring-at-you-all-night-for-a-moment-there-i-thought-his/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Ronan kept staring at Whelk. He was good at staring. There was something about his stare that took something from the other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/ronan-kept-staring-at-whelk-he-was-good-at-staring-there-was/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“I kept staring at the door as if it held the secret to the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-shepherd/i-kept-staring-at-the-door-as-if-it-held-the-secret-to-the-universe/) [A.B. Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-shepherd/) > [“Don’t talk to your horse, dear. People are watching,” Pauline said quietly. Halt turned a perplexed look toward her. “How do you know when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/don-t-talk-to-your-horse-dear-people-are-watching-pauline-said/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [This girl just kept staring at me, and I was like, 'What in the world is wrong with her?' That's when I knew, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glozell/this-girl-just-kept-staring-at-me-and-i-was-like-what-in-the-world-is/) GloZell > [I kept staring into the blackness of the woods, drawn into the darkness as I always had been. I suddenly realized how alone I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/i-kept-staring-into-the-blackness-of-the-woods-drawn-into-the/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Grace is the central invitation to life and the final word. It's the beckoning nudge and the overwhelming, undeserved mercy that urges us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hansel/grace-is-the-central-invitation-to-life-and-the-final-word-it-s-the/) [Tim Hansel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hansel/) > [My final word, before I'm done, Is "Cancer can be rather fun"- Provided one confronts the tumour with a sufficient sense of humour. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/my-final-word-before-i-m-done-is-cancer-can-be-rather-fun-provided/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [If you're talking about intellectual and social equality for women, we're not much better off.America is still very much a male-dominated society. Most American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/if-you-re-talking-about-intellectual-and-social-equality-for-women-we/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/it-eluded-us-then-but-that-s-no-matter-tomorrow-we-will-run-faster/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Walter Isaacson > [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) [Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring into his children’s eyes. At one point he looked at Patty and his children for a long time, then at Laurene, and finally gazed past them into the distance. “Oh wow,” he said. “Oh wow. Oh wow.” Those were his final words before he drifted into unconsciousness sometime around two that afternoon.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Isaacson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-into-his-children-s-eyes-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-into-his-children-s-eyes-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d6/walter-isaacson-384_children_that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-i_1640555.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring into his children’s eyes. At one point he looked at Patty and his…” — Walter Isaacson", "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": "Walter Isaacson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That Tuesday afternoon, he kept staring...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-into-his-children-s-eyes-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/that-tuesday-afternoon-he-kept-staring-into-his-children-s-eyes-at/#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 } } ] } ```