--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And my grandfather... was forever knocked…" description: "\"“And my grandfather... was forever knocked into that middle place, unable to worship a God in whose existence he could not wholly disbelieve. Permanent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/520/salman-rushdie-153_god_and-my-grandfather-was-forever-knocked-i_63839.jpg" --- # And my grandfather... was forever knocked into that middle… ![“And my grandfather... was forever knocked into that middle place, unable to worship a God in whose existence he could not wholly disbelieve. Permanent alteration: a hole.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/520/salman-rushdie-153_god_and-my-grandfather-was-forever-knocked-i_63839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/520/salman-rushdie-153_god_and-my-grandfather-was-forever-knocked-i_63839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/520/salman-rushdie-153_god_and-my-grandfather-was-forever-knocked-i_63839.jpg) > ““And my grandfather... was forever knocked into that middle place, unable to worship a God in whose existence he could not wholly disbelieve. Permanent alteration: a hole.”” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a perpetual limbo where belief is impossible because the divine is neither fully accepted nor fully rejected, leaving an existential void. **In simple terms:** Existential limbo caused by ambiguous faith. Key Takeaway Ambiguity in belief creates a lasting inner void. Themes existentialism faith uncertainty identity spiritual conflict Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal crisis - intergenerational trauma - cultural displacement - intellectual doubt Key Concepts theology psychology philosophy Practical Applications - literary analysis - theological debate Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty shape one's sense of self? - Can a void become a source of creative insight? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) ## Related quotes > [You can't judge an internal injury by the size of the hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-can-t-judge-an-internal-injury-by-the-size-of-the-hole/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I've met the Dalai Lama briefly, but I would probably say my grandfather was the wisest person I ever met. He was my mother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-ve-met-the-dalai-lama-briefly-but-i-would-probably-say-my/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A hole in one is amazing when you think of the different universes this white mass of molecules has to pass through on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-o-grady/a-hole-in-one-is-amazing-when-you-think-of-the-different-universes/) [Mac O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-o-grady/) > [“God has no interest in filling the holes within us. Rather, He wishes to eliminate them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/god-has-no-interest-in-filling-the-holes-within-us-rather-he-wishes/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [It's not who you know, it's who you blow. I don't have a hole in my jeans for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-richardson/it-s-not-who-you-know-it-s-who-you-blow-i-don-t-have-a-hole-in-my/) [Terry Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-richardson/) > [The road is opend but you have a hole in your shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salah-lhouiouri/the-road-is-opend-but-you-have-a-hole-in-your-shoes/) Salah Lhouiouri > [I was big into grunge, like Nirvana and Hole, when I was younger, which has been a really huge inspiration because of its rawness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-lo/i-was-big-into-grunge-like-nirvana-and-hole-when-i-was-younger-which/) [Tove Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-lo/) > [It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/it-was-a-hobbit-hole-and-that-means-comfort/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [How deep can you dig the hole before you see the light at the end of the tunnel?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-deep-can-you-dig-the-hole-before-you-see-the-light-at-the-end-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This…hole in the world, man-shaped. Me-shaped. A vacancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/this-hole-in-the-world-man-shaped-me-shaped-a-vacancy/) [Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/) > [continue to advance until you run out of ammunition. Then, dig in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/continue-to-advance-until-you-run-out-of-ammunition-then-dig-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Supermassive black hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/supermassive-black-hole/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [“Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/nothing-will-ever-be-enough-to-satisfy-the-black-hole-in-our-hearts/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [Go get your shovel and we'll dig a deep hole. To bury the castle, bury the castle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramore/go-get-your-shovel-and-we-ll-dig-a-deep-hole-to-bury-the-castle-bury/) [Paramore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramore/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. 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