I take six or seven years to write really small books. There is a kind of aesthetic of leanness, of brevity.
Mohsin HamidRead
I push against the tree and run away, stumbling, the unreal night playing with me, gravity pulling from below, behind, above, making me fall. And I run through a world that is rotating, conscious of the earth's spin, of our planet twirling as it careens through nothingness, of the stars spiraling above, of the uncertainty of everything, even ground, even sky. Mumtaz never calls out, although a thousand and one voices scream in my mind, sing, whisper, taunt me with madness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores the chaotic nature of existence and the internal struggle of the self amidst it.
In this thought-provoking quote by Mohsin Hamid, the speaker reflects on the disorienting experience of navigating a world filled with uncertainty and chaos. The imagery of a rotating planet and the pull of gravity symbolizes the physical and existential forces that shape our reality, while the voices in the speaker's mind represent the internal conflict and madness we sometimes face. It prompts us to ponder our place in a universe that is both beautiful and unpredictable, highlighting the struggle for clarity and identity amidst tumultuous surroundings.
Themes
ExistenceChaosUncertaintyMindRealityStruggle
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might quote this to emphasize the internal battles we face.
More from Mohsin Hamid
All quotes →When the forces are aligning against hybridity, it harms everyone, as we are all migrants. Growing up in Pakistan, I know just how oppressive that kind of puritanical mindset can be.
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Some of my relatives held on to imagined memories the way homeless people hold onto lottery tickets. Nostalgia was their crack cocaine, if you will, and my childhood was littered with the consequences of their addiction : unserviceable debts, squabbles over inheritances, the odd alcoholic or suicide.
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Stories helped me unite parts of my existence that might otherwise have seemed irrevocably split by geography and time. And stories helped me find a future in which I, such a mongrel, could be comfortable.
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I think there's a growing courage among the younger generation of American writers. Because of the more superficial treatment of characters taking place in cinema, they have had to deal with that by digging deeper into who these people are.
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Part of the reason people abroad resent the United States is something Americans can do very little about: envy. The richest, most powerful country in the world attracts the jealousy of others in much the same way that the richest, most powerful man in a small town attracts the jealousy of others.
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