--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For an overwhelming majority of my life…" description: "\"For an overwhelming majority of my life, my country has been a source of pain, fear, and embarrassment.\" — Hisham Matar" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png" --- # For an overwhelming majority of my life, my country has… ![“For an overwhelming majority of my life, my country has been a source of pain, fear, and embarrassment.” quote by Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png) > “For an overwhelming majority of my life, my country has been a source of pain, fear, and embarrassment.” [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His country caused him pain, fear, and embarrassment throughout life. **In simple terms:** His nation was a source of suffering. Key Takeaway Seek healing beyond national identity. Themes identity pain nationalism Mood melancholic reflective Type autobiographical emotional When to use this quote - therapy - exile support groups - political activism Key Concepts memoir post‑colonial studies Questions to Reflect On - How does national identity shape self‑perception? - What paths lead to personal peace? A Different Perspective Healing may require confronting personal and collective trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Embarrassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) ## Related quotes > [Comedy has traditionally been about fear of embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/comedy-has-traditionally-been-about-fear-of-embarrassment/) [Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/) > [The best gift you can give yourself is getting over the fear of embarrassment because then you're completely free to try anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-itzler/the-best-gift-you-can-give-yourself-is-getting-over-the-fear-of/) [Jesse Itzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-itzler/) > [“Conformity comes into this, too: I sure would look like an idiot if I rushed to help and it turned out to be nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/conformity-comes-into-this-too-i-sure-would-look-like-an-idiot-if-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I came to the startling realization that if there really is no reason to do anything, then there is also no reason to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/i-came-to-the-startling-realization-that-if-there-really-is-no-reason/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [The pressure is really what makes you work. The fear and the embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/the-pressure-is-really-what-makes-you-work-the-fear-and-the/) [Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/) > [Women face so much at various levels - it can be as simple as the common belief that a woman is incapable of doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumi-pednekar/women-face-so-much-at-various-levels-it-can-be-as-simple-as-the/) [Bhumi Pednekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumi-pednekar/) > [“So this is what it’s like to have so much desire for something it clouds all fear and embarrassment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-cross/so-this-is-what-it-s-like-to-have-so-much-desire-for-something-it/) [Julie Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-cross/) > [I think that fear of embarrassment is the essence of the human challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/i-think-that-fear-of-embarrassment-is-the-essence-of-the-human/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Only 3 to 5 percent of people are aware of being a part of history; the overwhelming majority think things will always be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-voinovich/only-3-to-5-percent-of-people-are-aware-of-being-a-part-of-history/) [Vladimir Voinovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-voinovich/) > [The fact is that seven per cent of the global population emits 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and the proportions are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-arthus-bertrand/the-fact-is-that-seven-per-cent-of-the-global-population-emits-50-per/) [Yann Arthus-Bertrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-arthus-bertrand/) > [I divide the world into three Classes - The few who make things happen, the many who watch things happen, the overwhelming majority who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-murray-butler/i-divide-the-world-into-three-classes-the-few-who-make-things-happen/) [Nicholas Murray Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-murray-butler/) > [If you talk to these young men and women who are fighting, they'll tell you that they think it's a worthwhile cause, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/if-you-talk-to-these-young-men-and-women-who-are-fighting-they-ll/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The overwhelming majority of Americans are possessed of two great qualities a sense of humor and a sense of proportion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/the-overwhelming-majority-of-americans-are-possessed-of-two-great/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I don't imagine you will dispute the fact that at present the stupid people are in an absolutely overwhelming majority all the world over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/i-don-t-imagine-you-will-dispute-the-fact-that-at-present-the-stupid/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-is-never-right-never-i-tell-you-that-s-one-of-these-lies-2/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) ## More by Hisham Matar > [There and then, sitting beside her and within the strength of my adoration, I felt invincible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/there-and-then-sitting-beside-her-and-within-the-strength-of-my/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [To be okay with not knowing is a sign of a mature person and a mature society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/to-be-okay-with-not-knowing-is-a-sign-of-a-mature-person-and-a-mature/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [“History remembers Mussolini as the buffoonish Fascist, the ineffective silly man of Italy who led a lame military campaign in the Second World War,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/history-remembers-mussolini-as-the-buffoonish-fascist-the-ineffective/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Grief loves the hollow; all it wants is to hear its own echo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/grief-loves-the-hollow-all-it-wants-is-to-hear-its-own-echo/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Dreams have consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/dreams-have-consequences/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Language is not just a code; you are writing into its history, into its tides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/language-is-not-just-a-code-you-are-writing-into-its-history-into-its/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain things about which they were very strict. 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It is a rare narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/season-of-migration-to-the-north-by-tayeb-salih-is-an-eloquent-and/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Turgenev's achievement lies in how he succeeded, in spite of himself, his country, and his time, in exempting his work from public duty. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/turgenev-s-achievement-lies-in-how-he-succeeded-in-spite-of-himself/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [Over the centuries, close-knit tribes have played an important part in the cohesion of Libyan society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/over-the-centuries-close-knit-tribes-have-played-an-important-part-in/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [My work is my shelter, particularly in these moments when things are happening fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-work-is-my-shelter-particularly-in-these-moments-when-things-are/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) [Explore all 116 Hisham Matar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) ## More Embarrassment quotes > [Having no regrets is very unrealistic. Everyone has that awkward or embarrassing moment they wish they could take back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayden-hayes/having-no-regrets-is-very-unrealistic-everyone-has-that-awkward-or/) [Jayden Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayden-hayes/) > [So many wonderful books to write, and not enough hours in the day. An embarrassment of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/so-many-wonderful-books-to-write-and-not-enough-hours-in-the-day-an/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“George's hand lifted and fell away again. It seemed an insult to imply that anything so small as a touch could stop the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mette-ivie-harrison/george-s-hand-lifted-and-fell-away-again-it-seemed-an-insult-to-imply/) [Mette Ivie Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mette-ivie-harrison/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [One day each scene that you spent in this life will flash before you, make sure you're not embarrassed watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/one-day-each-scene-that-you-spent-in-this-life-will-flash-before-you/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [“-I die. Before I die my body turns hair-side-in. People come from everywhere to see the insides of themselves. But the sight makes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-die-before-i-die-my-body-turns-hair-side-in-people-come-from/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [I don't want to be the embarrassment of the galaxy to have had the power to deflect an asteroid, and then not and end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-be-the-embarrassment-of-the-galaxy-to-have-had-the/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [That awkward moment, when you're out in public and you hear someone call your name. Just to turn around and figure out that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-swenson/that-awkward-moment-when-you-re-out-in-public-and-you-hear-someone/) [Emma Swenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-swenson/) > [“I understand how families become estranged, not by design, but by embarrassment. You come to a point when so much time has passed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-understand-how-families-become-estranged-not-by-design-but-by/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush, but remember also that a bird in the hand is a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/a-bird-in-the-hand-may-be-worth-two-in-the-bush-but-remember-also/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [“No one has ever died of embarrassment-never, not once in the whole history of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/no-one-has-ever-died-of-embarrassment-never-not-once-in-the-whole/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [ \[Winning the White House was an achievement\], but as an African-American, \[Barack Obama\], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/winning-the-white-house-was-an-achievement-but-as-an-african-american/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The job of the media is not to protect the powerful from embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jenkins/the-job-of-the-media-is-not-to-protect-the-powerful-from-embarrassment/) [Simon Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jenkins/) > [I have no qualms: no shame, no guilt, no embarrassment. I tend to act out a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-have-no-qualms-no-shame-no-guilt-no-embarrassment-i-tend-to-act-out/) [Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/) > [The secret of the creative life is to feel at ease with your own embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/the-secret-of-the-creative-life-is-to-feel-at-ease-with-your-own/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) [Browse all 633 Embarrassment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For an overwhelming majority of my life, my country has been a source of pain, fear, and embarrassment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hisham Matar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life-my-country-has-been-a-source/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Embarrassment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life-my-country-has-been-a-source/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/hisham-matar-4118_embarrassment_for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life_2947810.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For an overwhelming majority of my life, my country has been a source of pain, fear, and embarrassment.” — Hisham Matar", "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": "Hisham Matar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For an overwhelming majority of my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life-my-country-has-been-a-source/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/for-an-overwhelming-majority-of-my-life-my-country-has-been-a-source/#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 } } ] } ```