--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Losing my parents really set me adrift in…" description: "\"Losing my parents really set me adrift in more ways than one. It's not just losing them. It's losing the possibility of family.\" — Walter Mosley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/walter-mosley-2810_adrift_losing-my-parents-really-set-me-adrift-i_176085.png" --- # Losing my parents really set me adrift in more ways than… ![“Losing my parents really set me adrift in more ways than one. It's not just losing them. It's losing the possibility of family.” quote by Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/walter-mosley-2810_adrift_losing-my-parents-really-set-me-adrift-i_176085.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/walter-mosley-2810_adrift_losing-my-parents-really-set-me-adrift-i_176085.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cc/walter-mosley-2810_adrift_losing-my-parents-really-set-me-adrift-i_176085.png) > “Losing my parents really set me adrift in more ways than one. It's not just losing them. It's losing the possibility of family.” [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The loss of parents creates deep emotional disorientation, affecting both personal identity and the sense of familial continuity. **In simple terms:** Losing parents disrupts identity and family sense. Key Takeaway Seek support to rebuild connections and purpose. Themes grief identity family loss resilience Mood sad reflective hopeful Type personal emotional motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - support groups - memorial rituals - personal reflection Key Concepts attachment theory existential meaning psychological adjustment Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor their memory while forming new bonds? - What steps can you take to redefine family for yourself? A Different Perspective Healing may be slow and may never fully restore the original family dynamic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) ## Related quotes > [After everything I've been through - the foster care, the losing my parents and stuff like that, I was never one to kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-keoghan/after-everything-i-ve-been-through-the-foster-care-the-losing-my/) [Barry Keoghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-keoghan/) > [Losing close relatives doesnt get any easier, really, but losing your parents is the big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-stein/losing-close-relatives-doesnt-get-any-easier-really-but-losing-your/) [Rick Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-stein/) > [Losing the possibility of something is the exact same thing as losing hope and without hope nothing can survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/losing-the-possibility-of-something-is-the-exact-same-thing-as-losing/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [I don't ever think in terms of losing. That's not even a possibility. I've been beaten once, and I don't ever want to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-morrison/i-don-t-ever-think-in-terms-of-losing-that-s-not-even-a-possibility-i/) [Tommy Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-morrison/) > [“And he saw now that it wasn't real. That it had never been real. He could feel that other life shrinking and losing its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/and-he-saw-now-that-it-wasn-t-real-that-it-had-never-been-real-he/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Losing my parents was probably the hardest and deepest blow from which I've had to recover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/losing-my-parents-was-probably-the-hardest-and-deepest-blow-from/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [After you have loss in your life and after you experience something like losing your parents, the greatest gift of that was it prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/after-you-have-loss-in-your-life-and-after-you-experience-something/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Losing my parents was the most crushing thing that ever happened to me. I lost my dad when I was 26, and it changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/losing-my-parents-was-the-most-crushing-thing-that-ever-happened-to/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [Being an only child and losing both my parents at an early age, I have found that the friends I have made over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/being-an-only-child-and-losing-both-my-parents-at-an-early-age-i-have/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [As a child I had dealt with a lot of loss and grief. I was constantly losing my parents, losing my home, constantly moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-gray/as-a-child-i-had-dealt-with-a-lot-of-loss-and-grief-i-was-constantly/) [Erin Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-gray/) > [Losing both parents at a young age gave me a sense that you can't really control life - so you'd better live it while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/losing-both-parents-at-a-young-age-gave-me-a-sense-that-you-can-t/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [“Be for once a white boat adrift, in debt to no lighthouse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hyde/be-for-once-a-white-boat-adrift-in-debt-to-no-lighthouse/) Robin Hyde > [Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/tell-us-what-it-is-to-be-a-woman-so-that-we-may-know-what-it-is-to-be/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [And loneliness. I should say something of loneliness. The panic, the sweeping hysteria that comes not when you are without others, but when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/and-loneliness-i-should-say-something-of-loneliness-the-panic-the/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [And if I can't be with you I would rather have a different face And if I can't be near you I would rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/and-if-i-can-t-be-with-you-i-would-rather-have-a-different-face-and/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) ## More by Walter Mosley > [“It’s a continual revelation when you come to understand that the only thing you can expect in return for your own dignity is hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/it-s-a-continual-revelation-when-you-come-to-understand-that-the-only/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [I think that it's important to try to keep reality. I think that Gabriel Garcia Marquez speaks a lot about reality in his magical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-think-that-it-s-important-to-try-to-keep-reality-i-think-that/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [There's many things that I am. And all of those things come together at some point. If somebody wants to limit me, you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/there-s-many-things-that-i-am-and-all-of-those-things-come-together/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [I'm almost completely without family and it's a very odd feeling in life. I have no children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-m-almost-completely-without-family-and-it-s-a-very-odd-feeling-in/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [“I find books in used-book stores, chain and independent stores, on friends’ shelves and being read by some woman sitting opposite me on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-find-books-in-used-book-stores-chain-and-independent-stores-on/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [“That was why so many Jews back then understood the American Negro; in Europe the Jew had been a Negro for more than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/that-was-why-so-many-jews-back-then-understood-the-american-negro-in/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [“If there's another writer, like Ross McDonald or Raymond Chandler, and all they're writing are mysteries, they won't be accepted," he said. "And that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/if-there-s-another-writer-like-ross-mcdonald-or-raymond-chandler-and/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [I've always loved science fiction. I think the smartest writers are science fiction writers dealing with major things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-ve-always-loved-science-fiction-i-think-the-smartest-writers-are/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [I believe that a writer has to tell what they think is the truth in a human experience. The truth of the human experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-believe-that-a-writer-has-to-tell-what-they-think-is-the-truth-in-a/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [I laugh, that there's a certain kind of cyclical nature to life and that I don't have to worry because whatever isn't there right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-laugh-that-there-s-a-certain-kind-of-cyclical-nature-to-life-and/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [When I turned 59, I looked at that as the first day of my 60th year, so I've been 60 for the last 365…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/when-i-turned-59-i-looked-at-that-as-the-first-day-of-my-60th-year-so/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [“The government isn't real," he replied. He might have been talking about Santa Claus or God. "I don't owe anything to anyone who in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/the-government-isn-t-real-he-replied-he-might-have-been-talking-about/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [Susan Straight finds LA's secret heart in Between Heaven and Here and with a sleight of hand only the masters have, she creates an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/susan-straight-finds-la-s-secret-heart-in-between-heaven-and-here-and/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [“Damn, Easy,” the intrepid sideman said. “Trouble got your name tattooed on the inside’a his eyelids. He be studyin’ you in his sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/damn-easy-the-intrepid-sideman-said-trouble-got-your-name-tattooed-on/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [These short stories are vast structures existing mostly in the subconscious of our cultural history. They will live with the reader long after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/these-short-stories-are-vast-structures-existing-mostly-in-the/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) [Explore all 149 Walter Mosley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) ## More Adrift quotes > [And if I can't be with you I would rather have a different face And if I can't be near you I would rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/and-if-i-can-t-be-with-you-i-would-rather-have-a-different-face-and/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [And loneliness. I should say something of loneliness. The panic, the sweeping hysteria that comes not when you are without others, but when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/and-loneliness-i-should-say-something-of-loneliness-the-panic-the/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/tell-us-what-it-is-to-be-a-woman-so-that-we-may-know-what-it-is-to-be/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Be for once a white boat adrift, in debt to no lighthouse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hyde/be-for-once-a-white-boat-adrift-in-debt-to-no-lighthouse/) Robin Hyde > [“Driving home after her first night course at San Francisco State University, Iris was adrift in the darkness. She rarely travelled this far south…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mofina/driving-home-after-her-first-night-course-at-san-francisco-state/) [Rick Mofina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mofina/) > [About 95% of people can be compared to ships without rudders. Subject to every shift of wind and tide, they're helplessly adrift. And while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/about-95-of-people-can-be-compared-to-ships-without-rudders-subject/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [How to check these unconstitutional invasions of rights by the Federal judiciary? Not by impeachment in the first instance, but by a strong protestation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/how-to-check-these-unconstitutional-invasions-of-rights-by-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I find myself regarding existence as though from beyond the tomb, from another world; all is strange to me; I am, as it were,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/i-find-myself-regarding-existence-as-though-from-beyond-the-tomb-from/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [“It's the story that was to big for me to tell, the one that grew to fill the depths of my being the far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-kuehn/it-s-the-story-that-was-to-big-for-me-to-tell-the-one-that-grew-to/) [Stephanie Kuehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-kuehn/) > [“So much anger in here. So much hate. So much to take out on someone. This time it's going to count. She's adrift in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/so-much-anger-in-here-so-much-hate-so-much-to-take-out-on-someone/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [With spirit we are all children of the cosmos; Without it we are orphaned and adrift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/with-spirit-we-are-all-children-of-the-cosmos-without-it-we-are/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [She cried out into his kiss, her hands clawing his shoulders, adrift now in a pleasure that threatened to consume her. In her sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lora-leigh/she-cried-out-into-his-kiss-her-hands-clawing-his-shoulders-adrift/) [Lora Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lora-leigh/) > [The very concept of solid ground is a myth. The galaxy itself is adrift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-davies/the-very-concept-of-solid-ground-is-a-myth-the-galaxy-itself-is-adrift/) [Luke Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-davies/) > [“Ever since I woke up in Faerie, I had felt sort of adrift between the two worlds. Seeing him was like finding an anchor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lynch/ever-since-i-woke-up-in-faerie-i-had-felt-sort-of-adrift-between-the/) [Karen Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lynch/) > [“Adrift upon the sea of time, the lonely god wanders from shore to distant shore, upholding the laws of the stars above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/adrift-upon-the-sea-of-time-the-lonely-god-wanders-from-shore-to/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) Browse all 93 Adrift quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Losing my parents really set me adrift in more ways than one. It's not just losing them. 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