--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Naming is like putting a stamp on…" description: "\"Naming is like putting a stamp on something and fixing it. A kind of formaldehyde sort of fixation, but it becomes dead, sitting there forever, frozen...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png" --- # Naming is like putting a stamp on something and fixing it… ![“Naming is like putting a stamp on something and fixing it. A kind of formaldehyde sort of fixation, but it becomes dead, sitting there forever, frozen. So, I'm not a great one for these modernist, post modernist, post colonial labels. I think they serve certain purpose. You do need some kind of…” quote by Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png) > “Naming is like putting a stamp on something and fixing it. A kind of formaldehyde sort of fixation, but it becomes dead, sitting there forever, frozen. So, I'm not a great one for these modernist, post modernist, post colonial labels. I think they serve certain purpose. You do need some kind of sign post here and there, but it can also become an end in itself.” [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Naming assigns a fixed identity that can become limiting, turning dynamic concepts into static labels. **In simple terms:** Names can freeze meaning. Key Takeaway Use names thoughtfully, avoid rigid labels. Themes identity language power postmodernism Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - academic writing - branding - cultural analysis Key Concepts semiotics labeling fixation Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance clarity with flexibility? - When do labels become harmful? A Different Perspective Labels may restrict growth and nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Colonial Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonial-labels-3717181/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fixation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixation/) [Fixing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixing/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Frozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frozen/) [Great ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-ones/) [Here and there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-there/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Labels Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels-think-842688/) [Modernist Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernist-post-3717182/) [Naming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naming/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Posts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posts/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Stamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamps/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I like the labels because I think they tell my story in a very concise way: gay, Latino. I think the responsibility that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-blanco/i-like-the-labels-because-i-think-they-tell-my-story-in-a-very/) [Richard Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-blanco/) > [When you involve yourself in a group like No Labels, …I think it is a positive step in the right direction of trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-reed/when-you-involve-yourself-in-a-group-like-no-labels-i-think-it-is-a/) [Tom Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-reed/) > [I've never been a fan of labels. I think its very easy to kind of look at somebody and just kind of throw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/i-ve-never-been-a-fan-of-labels-i-think-its-very-easy-to-kind-of-look/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I don't like labels. I think they conceal more than they reveal, sort of like a bikini.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/i-don-t-like-labels-i-think-they-conceal-more-than-they-reveal-sort/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [I hate record labels. They think they know everything. I want to hear them try to sing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/i-hate-record-labels-they-think-they-know-everything-i-want-to-hear/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [“That's why people shouldn't get too hung up on labels. Sometimes I think that's part of what we do wrong. We try to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/that-s-why-people-shouldn-t-get-too-hung-up-on-labels-sometimes-i/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [The living room is a monument to my impulsive spending habits. I've got more than two hundred DVDs, including cinematic greats such as Monkey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-lancaster/the-living-room-is-a-monument-to-my-impulsive-spending-habits-i-ve/) [Jen Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-lancaster/) > [Letting go of fixation is effectively a process of learning to be free, because every time we let go of something, we become free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traleg-kyabgon-rinpoche/letting-go-of-fixation-is-effectively-a-process-of-learning-to-be/) [Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traleg-kyabgon-rinpoche/) > [Meditation is one of the rare occasions when we're not doing anything. Otherwise, we're always doing something, we're always thinking something, we're always occupied.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/meditation-is-one-of-the-rare-occasions-when-we-re-not-doing-anything/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [When you cast away all your greed and fixation in adversity, you can find unexpected strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momofuku-ando/when-you-cast-away-all-your-greed-and-fixation-in-adversity-you-can/) [Momofuku Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momofuku-ando/) > [“A wish without a potential is just a fixation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zinny-ekechukwu/a-wish-without-a-potential-is-just-a-fixation/) [Zinny Ekechukwu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zinny-ekechukwu/) > [The real enemy of happiness is the mind's fixations and delusions... If you have the right mind, you can overcome anything - you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-real-enemy-of-happiness-is-the-mind-s-fixations-and-delusions-if/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The proof given by Wright, that non-adaptive differentiation will occur in small populations owing to "drift," or the chance fixation of some new mutation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/the-proof-given-by-wright-that-non-adaptive-differentiation-will/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [“I have a slight oral fixation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/i-have-a-slight-oral-fixation/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Chinua Achebe > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/do-not-despair-i-know-you-will-not-despair-you-have-a-manly-and-a/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [My son even if you want to fall, at least fall where your bones can be gathered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/my-son-even-if-you-want-to-fall-at-least-fall-where-your-bones-can-be/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“And so Mr. Brown came to be respected even by the clan, because he trod softly on its faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/and-so-mr-brown-came-to-be-respected-even-by-the-clan-because-he-trod/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“I have learned that a man who makes trouble for others is also making it for himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/i-have-learned-that-a-man-who-makes-trouble-for-others-is-also-making/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [In fact, I thought that Christianity was very a good and a very valuable thing for us. But after a while, I began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-fact-i-thought-that-christianity-was-very-a-good-and-a-very/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [I find Nigeria very frustrating. I am not alone in this. There are many Nigerians abroad. As you know, the brain drain is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/i-find-nigeria-very-frustrating-i-am-not-alone-in-this-there-are-many/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [I do not actually see how art, literature can be anything other that being in that domain of trying to tell us, trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/i-do-not-actually-see-how-art-literature-can-be-anything-other-that/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Democracy is not something you put away for ten years, and then in the 11th year you wake up and start practicing again. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/democracy-is-not-something-you-put-away-for-ten-years-and-then-in-the/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [When there is a big tree small ones climb on its back to reach the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/when-there-is-a-big-tree-small-ones-climb-on-its-back-to-reach-the-sun/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [When I began going to school and learned to read, I encountered stories of other people and other lands. In one of my essays,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/when-i-began-going-to-school-and-learned-to-read-i-encountered/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane. H. P. LOVECRAFT, attributed, Telling It Like It Is Dancing is very important nowadays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/almost-nobody-dances-sober-unless-they-happen-to-be-insane-h-p/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [This is why I find racism impossible, because this is against humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/this-is-why-i-find-racism-impossible-because-this-is-against-humanity/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“Then listen to me,' he said and cleared his throat. 'It's true that a child belongs to its father. But when a father beats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/then-listen-to-me-he-said-and-cleared-his-throat-it-s-true-that-a/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [What you must accept is that your life is not going to be the same while you are writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/what-you-must-accept-is-that-your-life-is-not-going-to-be-the-same/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) [Explore all 368 Chinua Achebe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) ## More Certain 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/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Naming is like putting a stamp on something and fixing it. A kind of formaldehyde sort of fixation, but it becomes dead, sitting there forever, frozen. So, I'm not a great one for these modernist, post modernist, post colonial labels. I think they serve certain purpose. You do need some kind of sign post here and there, but it can also become an end in itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chinua Achebe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-something-and-fixing-it-a-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-something-and-fixing-it-a-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0b/chinua-achebe-781_certain_naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-someth_1217685.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Naming is like putting a stamp on something and fixing it. A kind of formaldehyde sort of fixation, but it…” — Chinua Achebe", "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": "Chinua Achebe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Naming is like putting a stamp...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-something-and-fixing-it-a-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/naming-is-like-putting-a-stamp-on-something-and-fixing-it-a-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```