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
In Trinidad, where as new arrivals we were a disadvantaged community, that excluding idea was a kind of protection; it enabled us - for the time being, and only for the time being - to live in our own way and according to our own rules, to live in our own fading India.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how a disadvantaged community finds solace in creating its own identity and rules amidst exclusion.
V. S. Naipaul's reflection on his experience as a new arrival in Trinidad highlights the resilience of a disadvantaged community. Despite exclusion from the larger society, the community found a form of protection in their ability to maintain their own culture and way of life. This temporary autonomy allowed them to preserve their identity, even as it faded, showcasing the importance of cultural roots in the face of adversity.
Themes
DisadvantagedCommunityIdentityExclusionCulture
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about cultural diversity, one might reference this quote to illustrate how communities navigate exclusion.
More from V. S. Naipaul
All quotes →It 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
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