---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a simple thing, a name. We are…"
description: "\"“It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in to it, we bear it. Simple for the rest of creation.”\" — Katherine Govier"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg"
---

#  It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in…

![“It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in to it, we bear it. Simple for the rest of creation.” quote by Katherine Govier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg)

> ““It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in to it, we bear it. Simple for the rest of creation.””

Katherine Govier

## About This Quote

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

Names shape identity and destiny, influencing how we develop.

**In simple terms:** Names affect who we become.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the power of naming.

Themes

identity language growth

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal branding
- character development
- cultural naming practices

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your name influence your self‑perception?
- Can you redefine yourself beyond a given name?

A Different Perspective

Names can also limit or stereotype individuals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/)

## Related quotes

> [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the debt is acknowledged; it's the intention, not the face-value of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-spirit-in-which-a-thing-is-given-determines-that-in-which-the/)

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

> [Do the thing and you will be given the power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/do-the-thing-and-you-will-be-given-the-power/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“He gave me the one thing he's never given to anyone before.. He gave me his heart, and his trust. And in return, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-towle/he-gave-me-the-one-thing-he-s-never-given-to-anyone-before-he-gave-me/)

[Samantha Towle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-towle/)

> [“Where do we go from here? Would books help us?" "Only if the third necessary thing could be given us. Number one, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/where-do-we-go-from-here-would-books-help-us-only-if-the-third/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The hardest thing I have done is given up power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-lauder/the-hardest-thing-i-have-done-is-given-up-power/)

[Ronald Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-lauder/)

> [“has ever done this or that is a good thing. When given an unfair task, some rightly see it as a chance to test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/has-ever-done-this-or-that-is-a-good-thing-when-given-an-unfair-task/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing to be given, established, or conferred; it is. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is-not-a-thing-to-be-given/)

[Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/)

> [He did and said all the right things. Things that went straight to her heart, and worse, they inspired the one thing that she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/he-did-and-said-all-the-right-things-things-that-went-straight-to-her/)

[Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/)

> [I've permitted myself to learn and to fail with some regularity. And that is probably the one thing I was given, and that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-ve-permitted-myself-to-learn-and-to-fail-with-some-regularity-and/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [Being a mum is the best thing that has ever been given to me in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-fox/being-a-mum-is-the-best-thing-that-has-ever-been-given-to-me-in-my/)

[Emilia Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-fox/)

> [“If you really love someone,you must give all your love to her and make her feel that she's the very special thing that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venzyr-baslot/if-you-really-love-someone-you-must-give-all-your-love-to-her-and/)

Venzyr Baslot

> [The best thing we're put here for's to see; The strongest thing that's given us to see with's a telescope. Someone in every town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-best-thing-we-re-put-here-for-s-to-see-the-strongest-thing-that-s/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [“these two people who had everything money could buy but the one thing that could be given freely: love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen/these-two-people-who-had-everything-money-could-buy-but-the-one-thing/)

[Justina Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen/)

> [Only if the third necessary thing could be given us. Number one, as I said: quality of information. Number two: leisure to digest it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/only-if-the-third-necessary-thing-could-be-given-us-number-one-as-i/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

## More by Katherine Govier

> [“To learn from him, I did not have to believe he was a good man or a fair man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/to-learn-from-him-i-did-not-have-to-believe-he-was-a-good-man-or-a/)

Katherine Govier

> [“Pictures and words don't hurt anyone, except for those who are afraid of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/pictures-and-words-don-t-hurt-anyone-except-for-those-who-are-afraid/)

Katherine Govier

> [“What if . . . you come to the wild and discover that it is not wild at all? What if half the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/what-if-you-come-to-the-wild-and-discover-that-it-is-not-wild-at-all/)

Katherine Govier

Explore all 4 Katherine Govier quotes

## More Creation quotes

> [“am not suggesting that successes in academics, athletics, or vocation somehow stand outside God’s good plan. Learning and play are joys that God himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-paul-jones/am-not-suggesting-that-successes-in-academics-athletics-or-vocation/)

[Timothy Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-paul-jones/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/)

[Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/)

> [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/)

[Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/)

> [I believe if there is a creator it will basically ask me two questions, how well did you enjoy my creation and what did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/i-believe-if-there-is-a-creator-it-will-basically-ask-me-two/)

[Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/)

> [With no other choices open to us, we'd turned our gaze seaward. The oceans were our America: they reached farther than any prairie, untamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carsten-jensen/with-no-other-choices-open-to-us-we-d-turned-our-gaze-seaward-the/)

[Carsten Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carsten-jensen/)

> [In the quiet moments of your day, what do you think and do? When you are with your Self and no one else, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/in-the-quiet-moments-of-your-day-what-do-you-think-and-do-when-you/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/)

[Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/)

> [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/)

[Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/)

> [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [To be part of the creation, I must act humbly. I'll take that over a goddess any day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-o-hara/to-be-part-of-the-creation-i-must-act-humbly-i-ll-take-that-over-a/)

[Maureen O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-o-hara/)

> [The country of Iraq is somewhat of an artificial creation going back to colonial days. And so you have the Kurds and then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clapper/the-country-of-iraq-is-somewhat-of-an-artificial-creation-going-back/)

[James Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clapper/)

[Browse all 5,225 Creation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in to it, we bear it. Simple for the rest of creation.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katherine Govier"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given-one-we-grow-in-to-it-we-bear/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given-one-we-grow-in-to-it-we-bear/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/katherine-govier-72329_creation_it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given_2790435.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in to it, we bear it. Simple for the rest of creation.” — Katherine Govier",
                "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": "Katherine Govier",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-govier/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It is a simple thing, a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given-one-we-grow-in-to-it-we-bear/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given-one-we-grow-in-to-it-we-bear/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
