Ch. 12 Father, p. 702.
“

Children ensnared me the moment I connected fatherhood with loss, but I am not sure I would have noticed that if I hadn't been immersed in this research. Encountering so much strange love, I fell into its bewitching patterns and saw how splendor can illuminate even the most abject vulnerabilities. I had witnessed and learned the terrifying joy of unbearable responsibility, recognized how it conquers everything else. Sometimes, I had thought the heroic parents in this book were fools, enslaving themselves to a life's journey with their alien children, trying to breed identity out of misery. I was startled to learn that my research had built me a plank, and that I was ready to join them on their ship.

— Andrew Solomon

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Children ensnared me the moment I connected fatherhood with loss, but I am not sure I would have noticed that if I hadn't been immersed in this research. Encountering so much strange love, I fell into its bewitching patterns and saw how splendor can illuminate even the most abject vulnerabilities. I had witnessed and learned the terrifying joy of unbearable responsibility, recognized how it conquers everything else. Sometimes, I had thought the heroic parents in this book were fools, enslaving themselves to a life's journey with their alien children, trying to breed identity out of misery. I was startled to learn that my research had built me a plank, and that I was ready to join them on their ship." in the context of "Ch. 12 Father, p. 702." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Andrew Solomon" (Quotes, Far from the Tree (2012): Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012). Scribner, New York. ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Andrew Solomon

About Andrew Solomon

Andrew Solomon (born 30 October 1963) is an American author. He wrote The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (2001) and Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012).