When I learnt to write I became my own master, I became very strong, and that strength is with me to this very day.
V. S. NaipaulRead
I know my father and my mother, but beyond that I cannot go. My ancestry is blurred.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the limitations of understanding one's heritage and the complexities of identity beyond immediate family.
In this quote, V. S. Naipaul expresses the idea that while he has knowledge of his parents, the details of his ancestry remain unclear. This suggests that our sense of identity is often shaped by those closest to us, yet the broader context of our heritage can be elusive, leaving us to grapple with a sense of incompleteness regarding who we are and where we come from.
Themes
AncestryIdentityFamilyHeritageRoots
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about identity at a cultural event.
More from V. S. Naipaul
All quotes βIt is wrong to have an ideal view of the world. That's where the mischief starts. That's where everything starts unravelling.
V. S. NaipaulRead
If you decide to move to another country and to live within its laws you don't express your disregard for the essence of the culture. It's a form of aggression.
V. S. NaipaulRead
One must always try to see the truth of a situation - it makes things universal.
V. S. NaipaulRead
His ignorance seemed to widen with everything he read.
V. S. NaipaulRead
I think when you see so many Hindu temples of the 10th century or earlier disfigured, defaced, you realise that something terrible happened. I feel the civilisation of that closed world was mortally wounded by those invasions the old world is destroyed. That has to be understood. Ancient Hindu India was destroyed.
V. S. NaipaulRead
Similar quotes
This is a place where grandmothers hold babies on their laps under the stars and whisper in their ears that the lights in the sky are holes in the floor of heaven.
Rick BraggRead
In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry.
Margaret LaurenceRead
My parents were just constantly affirming me in everything that I did. Late at night, I'd wake up and hear my mother talking over my bed, saying, 'You're going to do great on this test. You can do anything you want.'
Stephen CoveyRead
I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldnt give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.
Kate ChopinRead
Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.
Jim RohnRead
U can feed ur ego or u can feed ur family. U canβt feed them both.
Zig ZiglarRead