--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Bastille, where I live, is best known…" description: "\"“The Bastille, where I live, is best known as the site where the infamous prison was seized and ransacked by the masses, igniting the French Revolution..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/david-lebovitz-45906_bastille_the-bastille-where-i-live-is-best-known_2497484.jpg" --- # The Bastille, where I live, is best known as the site… ![“The Bastille, where I live, is best known as the site where the infamous prison was seized and ransacked by the masses, igniting the French Revolution. Two hundred and twenty years later my doorstep is still the starting point for almost all the marches and strikes that happen in Paris…” quote by David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/david-lebovitz-45906_bastille_the-bastille-where-i-live-is-best-known_2497484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/david-lebovitz-45906_bastille_the-bastille-where-i-live-is-best-known_2497484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fe/david-lebovitz-45906_bastille_the-bastille-where-i-live-is-best-known_2497484.jpg) > ““The Bastille, where I live, is best known as the site where the infamous prison was seized and ransacked by the masses, igniting the French Revolution. Two hundred and twenty years later my doorstep is still the starting point for almost all the marches and strikes that happen in Paris. Fortunately it doesn’t happen all that much. Just once a day or so.”” [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical sites retain symbolic power, influencing modern protests despite reduced frequency. **In simple terms:** The Bastille still sparks activism. Key Takeaway Consider how history shapes current civic actions. Themes history activism urban space Mood contemplative nostalgic Type historical social When to use this quote - political rallies - tourist education - city planning - media coverage Key Concepts symbolic geography collective memory Questions to Reflect On - Why do people return to historic sites for protest? - Does the past always justify present actions? A Different Perspective Historical symbolism can be overemphasized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bastille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bastille/) [Bastille Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bastille-live-1027243/) [French revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french-revolution/) [Infamous Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infamous-prison-1027244/) [Prison Seized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison-seized-1027245/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Starting point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-point/) ## Related quotes > [“Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amelie and Moulin Rouge. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, although I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/here-is-everything-i-know-about-france-madeline-and-amelie-and-moulin/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [What is this much repeated phrase 'active citizen' supposed to mean? The active citizens are the ones who took the Bastille.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-desmoulins/what-is-this-much-repeated-phrase-active-citizen-supposed-to-mean-the/) [Camille Desmoulins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-desmoulins/) > [“From May 1717 to April 1718, Voltaire sat comfortably in the infamous prison insulting the Regent and reading Homer. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-powell/from-may-1717-to-april-1718-voltaire-sat-comfortably-in-the-infamous/) [Jessica Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-powell/) > [“At the top of his file was a three-dimensional holograph scanned in from his military graduation. Cress preferred it to the infamous prison photo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/at-the-top-of-his-file-was-a-three-dimensional-holograph-scanned-in/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Besides writing, I have been teaching myself to 'develop' my own photographic plates, and I haven't a stick of clothing or an exposed finger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/besides-writing-i-have-been-teaching-myself-to-develop-my-own/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [I didn't know about the rest of the class, but when Bastille Day eventually rolled around, I planned to stay home and clean my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-didn-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-class-but-when-bastille-day/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“But if you close your eyes,does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bastille-pompeii/but-if-you-close-your-eyes-does-it-almost-feel-like-nothing-changed/) [Bastille Pompeii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bastille-pompeii/) > [“Still, the Doctor walked among the terrors with a steady head. No man better known than he, in Paris at that day; no man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/still-the-doctor-walked-among-the-terrors-with-a-steady-head-no-man/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [My bad head cannot adjust itself to the way things are… If I want to depict spring, it has to be in wintertime; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/my-bad-head-cannot-adjust-itself-to-the-way-things-are-if-i-want-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [ \[My wife\] liked to collect old encyclopedias from second-hand bookstores, and at one point we had eight of them. When I wrote my first… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/my-wife-liked-to-collect-old-encyclopedias-from-second-hand/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Yes, Bastille. I keep trying to get killed because it's inconvenient for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/yes-bastille-i-keep-trying-to-get-killed-because-it-s-inconvenient/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I would be in my cabana at the Hotel de Cat, and there he would be. Amid all the fireworks on Bastille Day, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blair-waldorf/i-would-be-in-my-cabana-at-the-hotel-de-cat-and-there-he-would-be/) [Blair Waldorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blair-waldorf/) > [In France, the people were the sport of a king's caprice. Everywhere was the shadow of the Bastille. It fell upon the sunniest field,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/in-france-the-people-were-the-sport-of-a-king-s-caprice-everywhere/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“When the Washington Post telephoned me at home on Valentine's Day 1989 to ask my opinion about the Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwah , I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-the-washington-post-telephoned-me-at-home-on-valentine-s-day/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Bastille Day is just like the Fourth of July except it takes place in France and we don't care about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bastille-day-is-just-like-the-fourth-of-july-except-it-takes-place-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by David Lebovitz > [“You never feel more American than when you leave America.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/you-never-feel-more-american-than-when-you-leave-america/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Speciàl" is one of those elusive French words that means something (or someone is...peculiar. The use of it is one of the rare times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/speci-l-is-one-of-those-elusive-french-words-that-means-something-or/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Although I’ve come to love the precision of the “hose” that the French favor for taking a shower, I can’t fathom why many homes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/although-i-ve-come-to-love-the-precision-of-the-hose-that-the-french/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“I attended a dinner party where the hostess kept the bottle of water sequestered under the table, guarded by her feet during the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/i-attended-a-dinner-party-where-the-hostess-kept-the-bottle-of-water/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Shaping the mounds of dough is easiest to do with a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, although you can use two spoons or a pastry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/shaping-the-mounds-of-dough-is-easiest-to-do-with-a-spring-loaded-ice/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Although I considered not replacing the dishwasher and resigning myself to the drudgery of hand washing, my painter-pushing friend Randal slapped some sense into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/although-i-considered-not-replacing-the-dishwasher-and-resigning/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but-are-especially-frantic-if/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) [Explore all 8 David Lebovitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) ## More Bastille quotes > [Bastille Day is just like the Fourth of July except it takes place in France and we don't care about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bastille-day-is-just-like-the-fourth-of-july-except-it-takes-place-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When the Washington Post telephoned me at home on Valentine's Day 1989 to ask my opinion about the Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwah , I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-the-washington-post-telephoned-me-at-home-on-valentine-s-day/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [What is this much repeated phrase 'active citizen' supposed to mean? The active citizens are the ones who took the Bastille.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-desmoulins/what-is-this-much-repeated-phrase-active-citizen-supposed-to-mean-the/) [Camille Desmoulins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-desmoulins/) > [In France, the people were the sport of a king's caprice. Everywhere was the shadow of the Bastille. It fell upon the sunniest field,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/in-france-the-people-were-the-sport-of-a-king-s-caprice-everywhere/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [I would be in my cabana at the Hotel de Cat, and there he would be. Amid all the fireworks on Bastille Day, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blair-waldorf/i-would-be-in-my-cabana-at-the-hotel-de-cat-and-there-he-would-be/) [Blair Waldorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blair-waldorf/) > [Yes, Bastille. I keep trying to get killed because it's inconvenient for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/yes-bastille-i-keep-trying-to-get-killed-because-it-s-inconvenient/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [ \[My wife\] liked to collect old encyclopedias from second-hand bookstores, and at one point we had eight of them. When I wrote my first… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/my-wife-liked-to-collect-old-encyclopedias-from-second-hand/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [My bad head cannot adjust itself to the way things are… If I want to depict spring, it has to be in wintertime; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/my-bad-head-cannot-adjust-itself-to-the-way-things-are-if-i-want-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“Still, the Doctor walked among the terrors with a steady head. No man better known than he, in Paris at that day; no man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/still-the-doctor-walked-among-the-terrors-with-a-steady-head-no-man/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“But if you close your eyes,does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bastille-pompeii/but-if-you-close-your-eyes-does-it-almost-feel-like-nothing-changed/) [Bastille Pompeii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bastille-pompeii/) > [I didn't know about the rest of the class, but when Bastille Day eventually rolled around, I planned to stay home and clean my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-didn-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-class-but-when-bastille-day/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Besides writing, I have been teaching myself to 'develop' my own photographic plates, and I haven't a stick of clothing or an exposed finger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/besides-writing-i-have-been-teaching-myself-to-develop-my-own/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [ I was in New York 9/11. Mark's \[Wahlberg\] from Boston, flew there immediately after. I was in Nice Bastille Day when the truck drove… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/i-was-in-new-york-9-11-mark-s-wahlberg-from-boston-flew-there/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) > [“date of our first anniversary, Jamie had been in the Bastille, and I … I had been in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/date-of-our-first-anniversary-jamie-had-been-in-the-bastille-and-i-i/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [Most of the crew were staying in Monaco. But my family and I were actually staying in Nice because I had my whole family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dornan/most-of-the-crew-were-staying-in-monaco-but-my-family-and-i-were/) [Jamie Dornan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dornan/) [Browse all 22 Bastille quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bastille/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Bastille, where I live, is best known as the site where the infamous prison was seized and ransacked by the masses, igniting the French Revolution. Two hundred and twenty years later my doorstep is still the starting point for almost all the marches and strikes that happen in Paris. Fortunately it doesn’t happen all that much. 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