--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tesla,” the vicar mused. “That’s a…" description: "\"“Tesla,” the vicar mused. “That’s a foreign name, is it not? Hungarian, is it?” “Serbian,” I corrected him. “I’m afraid the ——shire Teslas are a scant ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/vinnie-tesla-47005_history_tesla-the-vicar-mused-that-s-a-foreign-n_279407.jpg" --- # Tesla,” the vicar mused. “That’s a foreign name, is it… ![“Tesla,” the vicar mused. “That’s a foreign name, is it not? Hungarian, is it?” “Serbian,” I corrected him. “I’m afraid the ——shire Teslas are a scant three centuries in these parts, having constructed Tesla Hall in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.We are a restless people, and no doubt will be moving…” quote by Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/vinnie-tesla-47005_history_tesla-the-vicar-mused-that-s-a-foreign-n_279407.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/vinnie-tesla-47005_history_tesla-the-vicar-mused-that-s-a-foreign-n_279407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/vinnie-tesla-47005_history_tesla-the-vicar-mused-that-s-a-foreign-n_279407.jpg) > ““Tesla,” the vicar mused. “That’s a foreign name, is it not? Hungarian, is it?” “Serbian,” I corrected him. “I’m afraid the ——shire Teslas are a scant three centuries in these parts, having constructed Tesla Hall in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.We are a restless people, and no doubt will be moving on again any century now.”” [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character reflects on the historical depth of a place, noting its long-standing heritage and inevitable change. **In simple terms:** People often forget how long traditions last and that change is constant. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect deep roots while embracing change. Themes history identity change heritage continuity Mood reflective nostalgic Type narrative historical When to use this quote - urban planning - genealogy research - community storytelling - heritage tourism Key Concepts cultural memory temporal perspective regional identity Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging deep history affect present decisions? - What role does change play in cultural identity? A Different Perspective Assuming all places have such long histories may overlook recent developments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ## Related quotes > [When I'm in L.A., I see Teslas like they're Hondas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/when-i-m-in-l-a-i-see-teslas-like-they-re-hondas/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [She is the rock 'n' roll queen. Weirdly enough, that is one of the things her reign will be remembered for. Queen Elizabeth I,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/she-is-the-rock-n-roll-queen-weirdly-enough-that-is-one-of-the-things/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [“Of all public figures and benefactors of mankind, no one is loved by history more than the literary patron. Napoleon was just a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/of-all-public-figures-and-benefactors-of-mankind-no-one-is-loved-by/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [Several people have told me that Queen Elizabeth made slighting comments about Philip within their hearing, and referred to him - not entirely humorously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/several-people-have-told-me-that-queen-elizabeth-made-slighting/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [“It’s not his friendship I miss,’ Elizabeth said bluntly. ‘It’s him. The very person of him. His presence. I want his shadow on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/it-s-not-his-friendship-i-miss-elizabeth-said-bluntly-it-s-him-the/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [Some years later I met Queen Elizabeth II, in our capital Ottawa at a Canada Day celebration. David Foster and I were doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/some-years-later-i-met-queen-elizabeth-ii-in-our-capital-ottawa-at-a/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [“We may be tempted to think of Christianity primarily as 'I must...,' but that is not the starting place. You cannot make yourself a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-snyder/we-may-be-tempted-to-think-of-christianity-primarily-as-i-must-but/) [John Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-snyder/) > [It's no stretch to picture me standing next to Al Pacino or Robert De Niro. Those are ethnic New York men. I'm an ethnic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/it-s-no-stretch-to-picture-me-standing-next-to-al-pacino-or-robert-de/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [Say 'Toronto' or 'Ontario,' and the immediate thought associations are with a somewhat blander version of North America: a United States with a welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/say-toronto-or-ontario-and-the-immediate-thought-associations-are/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The Queen Elizabeth II provides vast amounts of entertainment for an age that has forgotten how to amuse itself unaided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-koning/the-queen-elizabeth-ii-provides-vast-amounts-of-entertainment-for-an/) [Hans Koning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-koning/) > [“This is what you get when you found a political system on the family values of Henry VIII. At a point in the not-too-remote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/this-is-what-you-get-when-you-found-a-political-system-on-the-family/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“How reassuring." - Queen Elizabeth, when told during a walking tour of Scotland that she looks like the Queen”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-petrella/how-reassuring-queen-elizabeth-when-told-during-a-walking-tour-of/) Kate Petrella > [“Your Majesty, I'm afraid everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong," said Major Sir Michael Parker, an impresario for royal events with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-bedell-smith/your-majesty-i-m-afraid-everything-that-could-possibly-go-wrong-is/) [Sally Bedell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-bedell-smith/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [“All my possessions for a moment of time. This was Queen Elizabeth I’s last words. Rest assured that he who has the longest time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/all-my-possessions-for-a-moment-of-time-this-was-queen-elizabeth-i-s/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Vinnie Tesla > [“Perhaps if you were to refrain from deploying the phrase ‘ignorant buffoon’ with a liberality most writers reserve for ‘it’ and ‘the,’ you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/perhaps-if-you-were-to-refrain-from-deploying-the-phrase-ignorant/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) > [“Fiction inhabits the zone between the real and the impossible. The tug of those two poles is what gives it motion, vitality. Tethering fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/fiction-inhabits-the-zone-between-the-real-and-the-impossible-the-tug/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) > [“I am certain you are not one of those dreary fellows one reads of who demands that their lady friends be in possession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/i-am-certain-you-are-not-one-of-those-dreary-fellows-one-reads-of-who/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) > [“I work hard to stay cynical enough! I keep my expectations of our culture and our leaders low, low, low, and I do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/i-work-hard-to-stay-cynical-enough-i-keep-my-expectations-of-our/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) > [“A lesser man might have begrudged him that, but remembering the old adage, "The finder’s goods shall he retain / Nor mind the loser’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/a-lesser-man-might-have-begrudged-him-that-but-remembering-the-old/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) > [“Our culture teaches that sex is for the sexy, and the only way to be sexy is to be pretty. No wait--that's still too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/our-culture-teaches-that-sex-is-for-the-sexy-and-the-only-way-to-be/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) > [“Celibacy is the Tesla family secret, passed down through the generations.” “Celibacy, passed down through the generations?”Victor asked dryly. I flushed. “Its efficacy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-tesla/celibacy-is-the-tesla-family-secret-passed-down-through-the/) [Vinnie Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) [Explore all 8 Vinnie Tesla quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-tesla/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Tesla,” the vicar mused. “That’s a foreign name, is it not? 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