--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It struck me that our history is…" description: "\"It struck me that our history is contained in the home we live in, that we are shaped by the ability of these simple structures to resist being defiled..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png" --- # It struck me that our history is contained in the home we… ![“It struck me that our history is contained in the home we live in, that we are shaped by the ability of these simple structures to resist being defiled” quote by Achmat Dangor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png) > “It struck me that our history is contained in the home we live in, that we are shaped by the ability of these simple structures to resist being defiled” Achmat Dangor ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our personal histories are reflected in the homes we inhabit, shaping us through their capacity to stay pure. **In simple terms:** Homes mirror our past and influence us. Key Takeaway Recognize how surroundings affect identity. Themes identity environment memory Mood reflective nostalgic Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - home renovations - heritage preservation Key Concepts cultural heritage psychology architecture Questions to Reflect On - How does your home shape your self‑view? - Can space be reclaimed? A Different Perspective Homes can also impose limiting narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) ## Related quotes > [Who has fully realized that history is not contained in thick books but lives in our very blood?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/who-has-fully-realized-that-history-is-not-contained-in-thick-books/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“The curse of men can't make me defiled. I defile myself if I curse men by intention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/the-curse-of-men-can-t-make-me-defiled-i-defile-myself-if-i-curse-men/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Given in love. Defiled by remorse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anne-warren/given-in-love-defiled-by-remorse/) [Tracy Anne Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anne-warren/) > [“Wakened one morning in some dive to know the game was up. Nausea, the shivers, the disease that bums, stevedores, poets, and the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/wakened-one-morning-in-some-dive-to-know-the-game-was-up-nausea-the/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [For never doubt that those souls who live least by the flesh feel themselves most defiled by its defilement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-fullerton-gerould/for-never-doubt-that-those-souls-who-live-least-by-the-flesh-feel/) [Katharine Fullerton Gerould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-fullerton-gerould/) > [Once you are defiled, you won't get back your purity by any means, instead, you will only look for ways to be defiled over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/once-you-are-defiled-you-won-t-get-back-your-purity-by-any-means/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [They that touch pitch will be defiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/they-that-touch-pitch-will-be-defiled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Once you are defiled, you can't get back your purity by any means, instead, you will only look for ways to be defiled over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/once-you-are-defiled-you-can-t-get-back-your-purity-by-any-means/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“O Lord, turned me back upon myself. You took me from behind my own back, where I had placed myself because I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/o-lord-turned-me-back-upon-myself-you-took-me-from-behind-my-own-back/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [“The earth lies defiled         under its inhabitants;     for they have transgressed the laws,         violated the statutes,         broken the everlasting covenant.     6 Therefore a curse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crossway/the-earth-lies-defiled-under-its-inhabitants-for-they-have/) Crossway > [“No, I don't think I've been defiled. But I haven't been saved, either. There's nobody who can save me right now, Mr. Wind-Up Bird.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/no-i-don-t-think-i-ve-been-defiled-but-i-haven-t-been-saved-either/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We are a water-drinking people, and we are allowing every brook to be defiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bird-grinnell/we-are-a-water-drinking-people-and-we-are-allowing-every-brook-to-be/) George Bird Grinnell > [In truth, it is I who have defiled myself, for one is one s own fiercest enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ding-ling/in-truth-it-is-i-who-have-defiled-myself-for-one-is-one-s-own/) [Ding Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ding-ling/) > [He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/he-that-toucheth-pitch-shall-be-defiled-therewith/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) ## More by Achmat Dangor > [I remember my emotions the day we watched Nelson Mandela walk out of prison Writing & literature in South Africa during the anti-apartheid years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achmat-dangor/i-remember-my-emotions-the-day-we-watched-nelson-mandela-walk-out-of/) Achmat Dangor > [“He stands on the stone table and selects a large fig, bites into the skin, then opens it with his fingers. He thinks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achmat-dangor/he-stands-on-the-stone-table-and-selects-a-large-fig-bites-into-the/) Achmat Dangor Explore all 3 Achmat Dangor quotes ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It struck me that our history is contained in the home we live in, that we are shaped by the ability of these simple structures to resist being defiled", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Achmat Dangor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achmat-dangor/it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contained-in-the-home-we-live-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achmat-dangor/it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contained-in-the-home-we-live-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/achmat-dangor-78758_ability_it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contain_2994969.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It struck me that our history is contained in the home we live in, that we are shaped by the ability of…” — Achmat Dangor", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Achmat Dangor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/achmat-dangor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It struck me that our history...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achmat-dangor/it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contained-in-the-home-we-live-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achmat-dangor/it-struck-me-that-our-history-is-contained-in-the-home-we-live-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```