You see, in our family we don't know whether we're coming…
“You see, in our family we don't know whether we're coming or going - it's all my grandmother's fault. But, of course, the fault wasn't hers at all: it lay in language. Every language assumes a centrality, a fixed and settled point to go away from and come back to, and what my grandmother was looking for was a word for a journey which was not a coming or a going at all; a journey that was a search for precisely that fixed point which permits the proper use of verbs of movement.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Language structures thought, imposing a fixed point for movement, limiting how journeys are conceptualized.
In simple terms: Language forces a start‑and‑end view of travel.
Key Takeaway
Question the assumptions language imposes.
Themes
language
philosophy
identity
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- writing
- teaching
- cross‑cultural communication
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
spatial cognition
semantic frames
narrative structure
Questions to Reflect On
- What journeys lack a clear start or end?
- How does language shape your perception of travel?
A Different Perspective
Alternative linguistic models can offer fluid, non‑linear perspectives.