---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Naming is nice. It took me days before I…"
description: "\"Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not like it?), and I suspect we gave her a sec..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png"
---

#  Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak…

![“Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not like it?), and I suspect we gave her a secret, second name as well, to keep her safe.” quote by Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png)

> “Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not like it?), and I suspect we gave her a secret, second name as well, to keep her safe.”

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Choosing a name is a careful, emotional process; the author delayed naming her child out of fear of rejection and created a secret second name for protection.

**In simple terms:** Naming a child involves fear and protective instincts.

Key Takeaway

Take time to choose a meaningful name, trusting your instincts.

Themes

parenthood identity fear protection creativity

Mood

reflective protective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- baby naming
- cultural rituals
- family storytelling

Key Concepts

psychology cultural tradition family dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a secret name affect a child's identity?
- What cultural factors influence naming fears?

A Different Perspective

Overprotectiveness may limit a child’s autonomy later.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/)

## Related quotes

> [It is through our hands that we speak to the child. That we communicate. Touch is the child's first language, understanding comes long after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-leboyer/it-is-through-our-hands-that-we-speak-to-the-child-that-we/)

[Frederick Leboyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-leboyer/)

> [I speak and the child plays: who can be more serious than we are?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-speak-and-the-child-plays-who-can-be-more-serious-than-we-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It's very difficult for you to speak out against your child, someone that's in your family. You can have an argument with them, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-moss-iii/it-s-very-difficult-for-you-to-speak-out-against-your-child-someone/)

[Otis Moss III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-moss-iii/)

> [I was the shiest person you could think of. I didn't really speak. I was an only child, so most of my life I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-kirby/i-was-the-shiest-person-you-could-think-of-i-didn-t-really-speak-i/)

[Malachi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-kirby/)

> [“SPEAK TO THE CHILD WITHIN YOU: Tell the child within you, the one that has remained buried that the “adult” in you is positively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/speak-to-the-child-within-you-tell-the-child-within-you-the-one-that/)

[Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/)

> [“...I don't feel anything but rage for the person who gave me a secret I didn't want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alane-ferguson/i-don-t-feel-anything-but-rage-for-the-person-who-gave-me-a-secret-i/)

[Alane Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alane-ferguson/)

> [“And do you think that unto such as you A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew God gave a secret, and denied it me? Well, well—what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/and-do-you-think-that-unto-such-as-you-a-maggot-minded-starved/)

[Omar Khayyâm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/)

> [“No one gave me the secret decoder ring on how to make friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-e-rainey/no-one-gave-me-the-secret-decoder-ring-on-how-to-make-friends/)

[Sharon E. Rainey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-e-rainey/)

> [“You gave me in secret one thing to perceive, the tall blue starry strangeness of being here at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wright/you-gave-me-in-secret-one-thing-to-perceive-the-tall-blue-starry/)

[Franz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wright/)

> [“And the greatest teacher of them all, the carpenter from the plains of Galilee, gave us the Secret time and time again, "As ye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/and-the-greatest-teacher-of-them-all-the-carpenter-from-the-plains-of/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [“Where did you go?' His voice drops just slightly and loses even the suggestion of a smile. He's watching me like he's not sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/where-did-you-go-his-voice-drops-just-slightly-and-loses-even-the/)

[Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/)

> [I grew up watching my dad scout games live. They played on Saturday. Sometimes they wouldn't get the films until Monday. Sunday air shipping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-belichick/i-grew-up-watching-my-dad-scout-games-live-they-played-on-saturday/)

[Bill Belichick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-belichick/)

> ['America' took at least five days of actual filming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/america-took-at-least-five-days-of-actual-filming/)

[Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/)

> [It took four days from discovering I had cancer to finding out how serious the problem was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/it-took-four-days-from-discovering-i-had-cancer-to-finding-out-how/)

[Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/)

> [“The horses have all been found. No harm was done.” “It took us two days to gather them! On foot! I will never hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/the-horses-have-all-been-found-no-harm-was-done-it-took-us-two-days/)

[Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/)

## More by Anne Enright

> [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I am interested in levels of brain discourse. How articulate are the voices in your head? You know, there's a different voice for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-am-interested-in-levels-of-brain-discourse-how-articulate-are-the/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I have a small room to write in. One wall is completely covered in books. And I face the window with the curtain closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-have-a-small-room-to-write-in-one-wall-is-completely-covered-in/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I do not think we remember our family in any real sense. We live in them instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-do-not-think-we-remember-our-family-in-any-real-sense-we-live-in/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I do not believe in evil- I believe that we are human and fallible, that we things and spoil them in an ordinary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-do-not-believe-in-evil-i-believe-that-we-are-human-and-fallible/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [“Val is a bachelor farmer in his seventies, so he should, by rights, be half mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/val-is-a-bachelor-farmer-in-his-seventies-so-he-should-by-rights-be/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Sometimes I will spend two or three days not speaking to anyone outside of the immediate family when they come home, and then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/sometimes-i-will-spend-two-or-three-days-not-speaking-to-anyone/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [God, I hate my family, these people I never chose to love, but love all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/god-i-hate-my-family-these-people-i-never-chose-to-love-but-love-all/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I find being Irish quite a wearing thing. It takes so much work because it is a social construction. People think you are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-find-being-irish-quite-a-wearing-thing-it-takes-so-much-work/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Writing is not my problem, it is my solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/writing-is-not-my-problem-it-is-my-solution/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [The writing day can be, in some ways, too short, but it's actually a long series of hours, for months at a time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/the-writing-day-can-be-in-some-ways-too-short-but-it-s-actually-a/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [People do not change, they are merely revealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/people-do-not-change-they-are-merely-revealed/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [My kids are supposed to live till they are one hundred. You don't have to have a perfect house or a perfect relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/my-kids-are-supposed-to-live-till-they-are-one-hundred-you-don-t-have/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Cats, I always think, only jump into your lap to check if you are cold enough, yet, to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/cats-i-always-think-only-jump-into-your-lap-to-check-if-you-are-cold/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Description is hard. Remember that all description is an opinion about the world. Find a place to stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/description-is-hard-remember-that-all-description-is-an-opinion-about/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

[Explore all 101 Anne Enright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not like it?), and I suspect we gave her a secret, second name as well, to keep her safe.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Enright"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i-was-able-to-speak-a-name-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i-was-able-to-speak-a-name-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/anne-enright-5402_able_naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i_1204906.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not…” — Anne Enright",
                "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": "Anne Enright",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Naming is nice. It took me...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i-was-able-to-speak-a-name-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/naming-is-nice-it-took-me-days-before-i-was-able-to-speak-a-name-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
