“ Love is circumstantial we can love anyone if need be and losing the one we love is the singular catastrophe. Time does not heal it. Every present moment yearns for even the roughest past. Andrew Solomon
“ John [the father] kept saying, You have a penis. That means you’re a boy. One day, Shannon noticed that her son had been in the bathroom an awfully long time and pushed the door open. He had a pair of… Andrew Solomon
“ Never forget that the truest luxury is imagination, and that being a writer gives you the leeway to exploit all of the imagination's curious intricacies, to be what you were, what you are, what you wi… Andrew Solomon
“ Having anticipated the onward march of our selfish genes, many of us are unprepared for children who present unfamiliar needs. Parenthood abruptly catapults us into a permanent relationship with a str… Andrew Solomon
“ Grief is depression in proportion to circumstance; depression is grief out of proportion to circumstance. Andrew Solomon
“ You are constantly told in depression that your judgment is compromised, but a part of depression is that it touches cognition. That you are having a breakdown does not mean that your life isn't a mes… Andrew Solomon
“ Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don't believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave; be str… Andrew Solomon
“ While people argue with one another about the specifics of Freud's work and blame him for the prejudices of his time, they overlook the fundamental truth of his writing, his grand humility: that we fr… Andrew Solomon
“ I met people on college campuses who were defining themselves as genderqueer to express revolutionary feelings, or to communicate their individuality; they were gender fluid without being gender dysph… Andrew Solomon
“ It is important not to suppress your feelings altogether when you are depressed. It is equally important to avoid terrible arguments or expressions of outrage. You should steer clear of emotionally da… Andrew Solomon
“ Fixing is the illness model; acceptance is the identity model; which way any family goes reflects their assumptions and resources. Andrew Solomon
“ Depressed people cannot lead a revolution because depressed people can barely manage to get out of bed and put on their shoes and socks. Andrew Solomon
“ There is no contradiction between loving someone and feeling burdened by that person; indeed, love tends to magnify the burden. Andrew Solomon
“ At least half of the children available for adoption in the United States have disabilities of some kind. Andrew Solomon
“ What to say? That I would have loved to make the trip but was busy staying out of the mental hospital? It’s so humiliating—so degrading. If I knew I wouldn’t get caught, I’d love to lie about it—inven… Andrew Solomon
“ Fortunately for me, my mother loved travel. Our first non-beach family trip abroad - to England, France, and Switzerland - came when I was 11, and thereafter, we often tagged along on my father's Euro… Andrew Solomon
“ Rebuilding of the self in and after depression requires love, insight, work, and, most of all, time. Andrew Solomon
