--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A person can only be born in one place…" description: "\"A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the oc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/mahmoud-darwish-6881_born_a-person-can-only-be-born-in-one-place-h_803130.jpg" --- # A person can only be born in one place. However, he may… ![“A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare.” quote by Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/mahmoud-darwish-6881_born_a-person-can-only-be-born-in-one-place-h_803130.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/mahmoud-darwish-6881_born_a-person-can-only-be-born-in-one-place-h_803130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/mahmoud-darwish-6881_born_a-person-can-only-be-born-in-one-place-h_803130.jpg) > “A person can only be born in one place. However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a nightmare.” [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exile forces a person to die repeatedly in different forms—physically, emotionally, and socially—while the homeland becomes a place of suffering under oppression. **In simple terms:** Exile reshapes identity and home. Key Takeaway Acknowledge the lasting impact of displacement. Themes displacement oppression identity home exile nightmare Mood somber thoughtful poignant Type literary political When to use this quote - refugee experiences - political activism - historical analysis - human rights work Key Concepts colonialism psychological trauma nationalism Questions to Reflect On - What does “dying” mean in exile? - How can one rebuild identity after oppression? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook resilience and hope that can arise from such suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) [Exiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exiles/) [Homeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeland/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) ## Related quotes > [“A person can only be born in one place.However, he may die several times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-can-only-be-born-in-one-place-however-he-may-die-several-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poem is neither here nor there, and with a girl's breast it can illuminate the nights. With the glow of an apple it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/the-poem-is-neither-here-nor-there-and-with-a-girl-s-breast-it-can/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [“It would be the simplest thing to say, my homeland is where I was born. But when you returned, you found nothing. What does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/it-would-be-the-simplest-thing-to-say-my-homeland-is-where-i-was-born/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Exile is more than a geographical concept. You can be an exile in your homeland, in your own house, in a room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/exile-is-more-than-a-geographical-concept-you-can-be-an-exile-in-your/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [“Words are a homeland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/words-are-a-homeland/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I learnt all the words worthy of the court of blood So that I could break the rule I learnt all the words and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-learnt-all-the-words-worthy-of-the-court-of-blood-so-that-i-could/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [My homeland is not a suitcase, and I am no traveller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/my-homeland-is-not-a-suitcase-and-i-am-no-traveller/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I've built my homeland, I've even founded my state - in my language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-ve-built-my-homeland-i-ve-even-founded-my-state-in-my-language/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Where can I free myself of the homeland in my body?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/where-can-i-free-myself-of-the-homeland-in-my-body/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I grew up with a lot of exiles from Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Colombia - I grew up with them, and I gained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-garcia-bernal/i-grew-up-with-a-lot-of-exiles-from-chile-mexico-argentina-brazil/) [Gael Garcia Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-garcia-bernal/) > [“Griffin stared at me, his expression grave. "There are only three things both light and dark exiles have in common. They despise each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shirvington/griffin-stared-at-me-his-expression-grave-there-are-only-three-things/) [Jessica Shirvington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shirvington/) > [“It's at moment of misfortune that we remember we're all exiles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-izzo/it-s-at-moment-of-misfortune-that-we-remember-we-re-all-exiles/) [Jean-Claude Izzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-izzo/) > [People who feel themselves to be exiles in this world are mightily inclined to believe themselves citizens of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/people-who-feel-themselves-to-be-exiles-in-this-world-are-mightily/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“We are all exiles from our past , and, as such, we need to recapture it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-salaman/we-are-all-exiles-from-our-past-and-as-such-we-need-to-recapture-it/) Esther Salaman > [“On one level, Americans are too distant from the Middle East, too naive to understand its complexities and history. On another, it's the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/on-one-level-americans-are-too-distant-from-the-middle-east-too-naive/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) ## More by Mahmoud Darwish > [“I see a bird carrying me and carrying you, with us as its wings, beyond the dream, to a journey that has no end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-see-a-bird-carrying-me-and-carrying-you-with-us-as-its-wings-beyond/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Life defined only as the opposite of death is not life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/life-defined-only-as-the-opposite-of-death-is-not-life/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [My love, I fear the silence of your hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/my-love-i-fear-the-silence-of-your-hands/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [“I'll search in mythology and archeology and in every -ology to my old name. one of the goddesses of Canaan will side with me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-ll-search-in-mythology-and-archeology-and-in-every-ology-to-my-old/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I see what I want of Love... I see horses making the meadow dance, fifty guitars sighing, and a swarm of bees suckling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-see-what-i-want-of-love-i-see-horses-making-the-meadow-dance-fifty/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I have learned and dismantled all the words in order to draw from them a single word: Home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-have-learned-and-dismantled-all-the-words-in-order-to-draw-from/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [My homeland is not a suitcase, and I am no traveller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/my-homeland-is-not-a-suitcase-and-i-am-no-traveller/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Where can I free myself of the homeland in my body?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/where-can-i-free-myself-of-the-homeland-in-my-body/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [She does not love you. Your metaphors thrill her you are her poet. But that's all there's to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/she-does-not-love-you-your-metaphors-thrill-her-you-are-her-poet-but/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I've built my homeland, I've even founded my state - in my language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-ve-built-my-homeland-i-ve-even-founded-my-state-in-my-language/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [“Please take your time. I want you to kill me slowly so I can write my last poem to my wife's heart. They laughed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/please-take-your-time-i-want-you-to-kill-me-slowly-so-i-can-write-my/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [I want to find a language that transforms language itself into steel for the spirit--a language to use against these sparkling insects, these jets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-want-to-find-a-language-that-transforms-language-itself-into-steel/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Nothing, nothing justifies terrorism,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/nothing-nothing-justifies-terrorism/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Sometimes I feel as if I am read before I write. When I write a poem about my mother, Palestinians think my mother is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/sometimes-i-feel-as-if-i-am-read-before-i-write-when-i-write-a-poem/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [... For me it is essential, essential for the poet to have a new toast, new songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/for-me-it-is-essential-essential-for-the-poet-to-have-a-new-toast-new/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) [Explore all 94 Mahmoud Darwish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) ## More Born quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/) [Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. 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