---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague…"
description: "\"Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague for only two generations, light a ritual fire wherever they work, a nomads' fire crackling only for the joy o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg"
---

#  Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague for only two…

![“Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague for only two generations, light a ritual fire wherever they work, a nomads' fire crackling only for the joy of it, a blaze of rough-hewn wood like a child's laugh, a symbol of the eternity that preceded human thought, a free fire, a gift from heaven, a…” quote by Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg)

> “Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague for only two generations, light a ritual fire wherever they work, a nomads' fire crackling only for the joy of it, a blaze of rough-hewn wood like a child's laugh, a symbol of the eternity that preceded human thought, a free fire, a gift from heaven, a living sign of the elements unnoticed by the world-weary pedestrian, a fire in the ditches of Prague warming the wanderer's eye and soul.”

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

## About This Quote

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

A fleeting, joyous fire lit by Gypsies symbolizes timeless freedom and a connection to elemental forces, unnoticed by ordinary passersby.

**In simple terms:** Gypsy fire shows timeless freedom and elemental joy.

Key Takeaway

Embrace moments of spontaneous joy.

Themes

freedom joy tradition spirituality

Mood

wonderful reflective hopeful

Type

poetic observational inspirational

When to use this quote

- travel
- urban exploration
- cultural festivals
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

symbolism ritual human connection

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you notice hidden joys in daily life?
- What does fire represent for you?

A Different Perspective

The fire may be romanticized, overlooking hardships of nomadic life.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Gypsies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gypsies/) [Gypsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gypsy/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Human thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-thought/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Nomad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nomad/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“I've always heard that Gypsies are known for their charm. An unfounded myth, it seems." Cam's golden eyes narrowed into tigerish slits. "We're also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-ve-always-heard-that-gypsies-are-known-for-their-charm-an-unfounded/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [I discovered that there is Indian blood in my ancestry on my father's side - a fact that had not been talked about in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-discovered-that-there-is-indian-blood-in-my-ancestry-on-my-father-s/)

[Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/)

> [“Gypsies have no boundaries. They have primitive, untamed personalities and 'that look in their eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/gypsies-have-no-boundaries-they-have-primitive-untamed-personalities/)

[Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/)

> [sure, we need the gypsies. we always have. because if you don't have someone to run out of town once in a while, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/sure-we-need-the-gypsies-we-always-have-because-if-you-don-t-have/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The Gypsies favour hazardous and threatening freedom over serene and tranquil servitude any day of the week.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/the-gypsies-favour-hazardous-and-threatening-freedom-over-serene-and/)

[Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/)

> [“With a horse and cart, a ferret, a dog and a gun, who could not be happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/with-a-horse-and-cart-a-ferret-a-dog-and-a-gun-who-could-not-be-happy/)

[Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/)

> [I think most gypsies all over the world are used to being not really welcome and always on the run, expecting people to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noomi-rapace/i-think-most-gypsies-all-over-the-world-are-used-to-being-not-really/)

[Noomi Rapace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noomi-rapace/)

> [The music of the Gypsies belongs in the sphere of improvisation rather than in any other, without which it would have no power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-liszt/the-music-of-the-gypsies-belongs-in-the-sphere-of-improvisation/)

[Franz Liszt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-liszt/)

> [There are a lot of us little gypsies out there that need to go and find another place you know. A safer, healthier or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/there-are-a-lot-of-us-little-gypsies-out-there-that-need-to-go-and/)

[Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/)

> [“If someone skilled at studying moons, planets, stars and other celestial bodies such as galaxies, comets, asteroids and gamma-ray bursts were to analyse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/if-someone-skilled-at-studying-moons-planets-stars-and-other/)

[Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/)

> [We are all wanderers on this earth. Our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams. ~Gypsy Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/we-are-all-wanderers-on-this-earth-our-hearts-are-full-of-wonder-and/)

Unkown

> [“The gaja might despise the Romany, but no Rom ever forgot his dead. For him, roaming over the earth were not only the half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cruz-smith/the-gaja-might-despise-the-romany-but-no-rom-ever-forgot-his-dead-for/)

[Martin Cruz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cruz-smith/)

> [I am so romantic about Gypsies. They're not allowed to do anything until they get married. So they all get married really young, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/i-am-so-romantic-about-gypsies-they-re-not-allowed-to-do-anything/)

[Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/)

> [We Gypsies know that where Jews are killed, Gypsies are always murthered too. And then a lot of other people, usually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/we-gypsies-know-that-where-jews-are-killed-gypsies-are-always/)

[Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/)

> [“The man was absolutely beautiful. Vampire. Warrior. Whatever Shan Quesada was all man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-humphreys/the-man-was-absolutely-beautiful-vampire-warrior-whatever-shan/)

[Sara Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-humphreys/)

## More by Bohumil Hrabal

> [“Dovevate starvene seduti a casa, sul culo...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/dovevate-starvene-seduti-a-casa-sul-culo/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“Trembling as usual, I dropped to one knee and, holding on to the drum with one hand, looked up, wondering what he, my boss,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/trembling-as-usual-i-dropped-to-one-knee-and-holding-on-to-the-drum/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [I expect them to tell me things about myself I don't know...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/i-expect-them-to-tell-me-things-about-myself-i-don-t-know/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“Suddenly the door opened and in stomped a giant reeking of the river, and before anyone knew what was happening, he had grabbed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/suddenly-the-door-opened-and-in-stomped-a-giant-reeking-of-the-river/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“Because when I read, I don't really read; I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/because-when-i-read-i-don-t-really-read-i-pop-a-beautiful-sentence/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“I was in harmony with everything and I was saved, too, but lost in a way as well... but I think this will probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/i-was-in-harmony-with-everything-and-i-was-saved-too-but-lost-in-a/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [And so everything I see in this world, it all moves backward and forward at the same time, like a black-smith's bellows, like everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/and-so-everything-i-see-in-this-world-it-all-moves-backward-and/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [He was a gentle and sensitive soul, and therefore had a short temper, which is why he went straight after everything with an ax...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/he-was-a-gentle-and-sensitive-soul-and-therefore-had-a-short-temper/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“Writing is a defence against boredom, but it's also a cure for melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/writing-is-a-defence-against-boredom-but-it-s-also-a-cure-for/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“Most of all I enjoy central-heating control rooms, where men with higher education, chained to their jobs like dogs to their kennels, write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/most-of-all-i-enjoy-central-heating-control-rooms-where-men-with/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“I cieli non sono umani e la vita sopra di me e sotto di me e dentro di me neppure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/i-cieli-non-sono-umani-e-la-vita-sopra-di-me-e-sotto-di-me-e-dentro/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [“... whichever of my friends was and is sensitive, touchy even, had to choose... emigration... and I emigrated inwardly, here to the pub for example...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/whichever-of-my-friends-was-and-is-sensitive-touchy-even-had-to/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [ “\[...\] real poetry must hurt, as if you'd forgotten you wrapped a razor blade in your handkerchief and you blow your nose, no book… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/real-poetry-must-hurt-as-if-you-d-forgotten-you-wrapped-a-razor-blade/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/i-pop-a-beautiful-sentence-into-my-mouth-and-suck-it-like-a-fruit-drop/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [To spend our days betting on three-legged horses with beautiful names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/to-spend-our-days-betting-on-three-legged-horses-with-beautiful-names/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

[Explore all 37 Bohumil Hrabal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

## More Children 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/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague for only two generations, light a ritual fire wherever they work, a nomads' fire crackling only for the joy of it, a blaze of rough-hewn wood like a child's laugh, a symbol of the eternity that preceded human thought, a free fire, a gift from heaven, a living sign of the elements unnoticed by the world-weary pedestrian, a fire in the ditches of Prague warming the wanderer's eye and soul.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bohumil Hrabal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague-for-only-two-generations/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague-for-only-two-generations/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/bohumil-hrabal-15672_children_today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague_860002.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Today's Gypsies, who have lived in Prague for only two generations, light a ritual fire wherever they work…” — Bohumil Hrabal",
                "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": "Bohumil Hrabal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Today's Gypsies, who have lived in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague-for-only-two-generations/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/today-s-gypsies-who-have-lived-in-prague-for-only-two-generations/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
