--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can live in the same city your entire…" description: "\"You can live in the same city your entire life and still be completely a foreigner when you step out, in your old age, onto the street.\" — Mohsin Hamid" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg" --- # You can live in the same city your entire life and still… ![“You can live in the same city your entire life and still be completely a foreigner when you step out, in your old age, onto the street.” quote by Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg) > “You can live in the same city your entire life and still be completely a foreigner when you step out, in your old age, onto the street.” [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even lifelong residents can feel alienated when they become older and encounter unfamiliar surroundings, highlighting how place and identity shift over time. **In simple terms:** Old age can make familiar places feel foreign. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and stay open to new perspectives. Themes identity age place alienation Mood reflective melancholic Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - retirement - travel - urban change - intergenerational dialogue Key Concepts existentialism social geography Questions to Reflect On - How does aging change your sense of belonging? - What can you do to reconnect with familiar spaces? A Different Perspective May overlook the role of personal choice in feeling alienated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Foreigners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) ## Related quotes > [I love New York! It's probably my favorite city in the entire world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/i-love-new-york-it-s-probably-my-favorite-city-in-the-entire-world/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [I think sometimes feeling that you've been marginalized opens you up to the realization that, in their own lives, almost everyone experiences marginalization, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-sometimes-feeling-that-you-ve-been-marginalized-opens-you-up/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/life-seems-completely-different-exciting-and-worthwhile-your-only/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [Have you ever just stopped and realized that if you hadn't met a certain person in your life, your life would be completely different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-you-ever-just-stopped-and-realized-that-if-you-hadn-t-met-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To rest is not to withdraw from your life completely, but to participate in it fully, deeply, wildly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmie-rae/to-rest-is-not-to-withdraw-from-your-life-completely-but-to/) Emmie Rae > [“success is an approach to life that is completely under your control. It does not depend on the outer circumstances of your life but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newberry-tommy/success-is-an-approach-to-life-that-is-completely-under-your-control/) [Newberry, Tommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newberry-tommy/) > [I feel birth, death, marriage is destined, and these things can't be manipulated. I have surrendered my life completely. So, whenever it happens, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakshi-tanwar/i-feel-birth-death-marriage-is-destined-and-these-things-can-t-be/) [Sakshi Tanwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakshi-tanwar/) > [LIFE IS COMPLETELY PERFECT, BUT ONLY FEW PEOPLE DO REALIZE THIS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/life-is-completely-perfect-but-only-few-people-do-realize-this/) NO VOICE > [I turned my life around. I have completely redeemed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-stanton-king/i-turned-my-life-around-i-have-completely-redeemed-my-life/) [Angela Stanton-King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-stanton-king/) > [The truth is that, no matter what kind of game you find yourself in, no matter how good or bad the luck, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-truth-is-that-no-matter-what-kind-of-game-you-find-yourself-in-no/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [“What is the Good for man? It must be the ultimate end or object of human life: something that is in itself completely satisfying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/what-is-the-good-for-man-it-must-be-the-ultimate-end-or-object-of/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“I've come to learn that determination only gets you so far in life when you're completely devoid of ability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-costello/i-ve-come-to-learn-that-determination-only-gets-you-so-far-in-life/) Jane Costello > [I have to protect my family and have a life with them that is completely private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youssou-n-dour/i-have-to-protect-my-family-and-have-a-life-with-them-that-is/) [Youssou N'Dour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youssou-n-dour/) > [ She \[Mandy Ingber\] brought yoga into my life. It completely changed my life . . . It's one of the most fun workouts I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/she-mandy-ingber-brought-yoga-into-my-life-it-completely-changed-my/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [But I've always felt a need to have a life which is completely separate - at least as far as possible - from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/but-i-ve-always-felt-a-need-to-have-a-life-which-is-completely/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) ## More by Mohsin Hamid > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“I met her eyes, and for the first time I perceived that there was something broken behind them, like a tiny crack in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-met-her-eyes-and-for-the-first-time-i-perceived-that-there-was/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“muscularity, made more pronounced by her gauntness, and the near-inanimate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/muscularity-made-more-pronounced-by-her-gauntness-and-the-near/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“In this group, everyone was foreign, and so, in a sense, no one was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/in-this-group-everyone-was-foreign-and-so-in-a-sense-no-one-was/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“It seemed to me then - and to be honest, sir, seems to me still - that America was engaged only in posturing. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seemed-to-me-then-and-to-be-honest-sir-seems-to-me-still-that/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [When the uncertain future becomes the past, the past in turn becomes uncertain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-uncertain-future-becomes-the-past-the-past-in-turn-becomes/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [When the machine of a human being is turned on, it seems to produce a protagonist, just as a television produces an image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-machine-of-a-human-being-is-turned-on-it-seems-to-produce-a/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I think fiction allows you to inhabit new domains and it's you, the reader living in that domain for a few days that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-fiction-allows-you-to-inhabit-new-domains-and-it-s-you-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Often, during my stay in your country, such comparisons troubled me. In fact, they did more than trouble me: they made me resentful. Four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/often-during-my-stay-in-your-country-such-comparisons-troubled-me-in/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Americans need to educate themselves, from elementary school onward, about what their country has done abroad. And they need to play a more active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/americans-need-to-educate-themselves-from-elementary-school-onward/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I'm not a representative of Pakistan; I'm just an example that Pakistanis are different from each other. I believe it in my fiction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-not-a-representative-of-pakistan-i-m-just-an-example-that/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“end of a couple is like a death, and the notion of death, of temporariness, can remind us of the value of things,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/end-of-a-couple-is-like-a-death-and-the-notion-of-death-of/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [NYC doesn't have a big sign saying "You must love diversity and the rights of all people." And that's not what makes you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/nyc-doesn-t-have-a-big-sign-saying-you-must-love-diversity-and-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) [Explore all 361 Mohsin Hamid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [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/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can live in the same city your entire life and still be completely a foreigner when you step out, in your old age, onto the street.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mohsin Hamid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entire-life-and-still-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entire-life-and-still-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/mohsin-hamid-798_age_you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entir_692837.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can live in the same city your entire life and still be completely a foreigner when you step out, in…” — Mohsin Hamid", "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": "Mohsin Hamid", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can live in the same...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entire-life-and-still-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/you-can-live-in-the-same-city-your-entire-life-and-still-be/#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 } } ] } ```