--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every returning New Yorker asks the…" description: "\"Every returning New Yorker asks the question: Is this still my city? I have a ready answer, cloaked in obstinate despair: It is. And if it's not, I wil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/gary-shteyngart-2177_answers_every-returning-new-yorker-asks-the-ques_3200701.png" --- # Every returning New Yorker asks the question: Is this… ![“Every returning New Yorker asks the question: Is this still my city? I have a ready answer, cloaked in obstinate despair: It is. And if it's not, I will love it all the more. I will love it to the point where it becomes mine again.” quote by Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/gary-shteyngart-2177_answers_every-returning-new-yorker-asks-the-ques_3200701.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/gary-shteyngart-2177_answers_every-returning-new-yorker-asks-the-ques_3200701.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/gary-shteyngart-2177_answers_every-returning-new-yorker-asks-the-ques_3200701.png) > “Every returning New Yorker asks the question: Is this still my city? I have a ready answer, cloaked in obstinate despair: It is. And if it's not, I will love it all the more. I will love it to the point where it becomes mine again.” [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A yearning for belonging persists despite alienation, turning despair into renewed love for one’s city. **In simple terms:** Love persists despite alienation. Key Takeaway Embrace your city, even when it feels foreign. Themes identity belonging resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type personal urban When to use this quote - moving to a new city - feeling disconnected - reconnecting with hometown - urban renewal - personal growth Key Concepts urban alienation love renewal Questions to Reflect On - What makes a place feel like home? - How can you foster belonging in an unfamiliar environment? A Different Perspective May idealize the city, overlooking its flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [New yorker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-yorker/) ## Related quotes > [“As I wandered the streets in a desolate funk, I would ask myself the impossible, the embarrassing, the ultimate childish question of Why? -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/as-i-wandered-the-streets-in-a-desolate-funk-i-would-ask-myself-the/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/hence-my-obstinate-emphasis-on-stylistic-continuity-from-work-to-work/) [Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/) > [I've been called 'hardheaded,' 'obstinate,' 'unreasonable,' etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benigno-aquino-iii/i-ve-been-called-hardheaded-obstinate-unreasonable-etc/) [Benigno Aquino III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benigno-aquino-iii/) > [It's only by being obstinate that anything is got, or done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/it-s-only-by-being-obstinate-that-anything-is-got-or-done/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [Narrowness of mind is often the cause of obstinacy; we do not easily believe beyond what we see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/narrowness-of-mind-is-often-the-cause-of-obstinacy-we-do-not-easily/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The pastoral labours of the archbishop of Constantinople provoked and gradually united against him two sorts of enemies; the aspiring clergy, who envied his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-pastoral-labours-of-the-archbishop-of-constantinople-provoked-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [A powerful portfolio of physiological and behavioural evidence now exists to support the case that fish feel pain and that this feeling matters. 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