25 The Namesake Quotes From the Powerful Novel
Published August 20, 2023
Literature lovers will rejoice to read our The Namesake quotes.
The Namesake is the type of novel that makes you feel empathy on higher levels.
Learn more about how Jhumpa Lahiri told a story that captured the hearts of millions of readers with our The Namesake quotes.
What is The Namesake?
The Namesake is a tale about change
The Namesake is a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri about a Bengali family living in the West.
Fans of the book love the way Jhumpa Lahiri is able to paint a picture of a family and the transitional phases of life.
The Namesake explores themes regarding:
- Love
- Family
- Culture
The Namesake chronicles the evolution of the Ganguli family
In The Namesake, we see how the Ganguli family evolves, creating new identities and attaching themselves to old ones.
The book is centered on the idea that certain truths remain the same regardless of how situations and conditions change.
Life is a series of ebbs and flows, and sometimes we can only appreciate experiences and people once it is too late.
Gogol’s ignorance of his father’s car crash makes him shortsighted in how he perceives his parent’s legacy and identity.
It is natural for families to avoid retelling old trauma to children.
Lahiri is able to tackle the nuanced and complex nature of family trauma in a way that is refreshing and authentic.
The Namesake reminds that change is the only constant
Ironically change is one of the only constants in life.
One of The Namesake’s most compelling aspects is how Gogol’s identity is shaped around his name.
The names we have can impact our lives in many ways.
Names can make us feel empowered and proud, or they can make us feel shame and guilt.
Gogol refusing his Bengali name represents the struggle many people go through in coming full circle with their identity.
If you love coming-of-age stories about families, The Namesake is the book for you.
Short The Namesake quotes from Jhumpa Lahiri
We begin with these short and sweet The Namesake quotes.
1. “One is not all things to all people.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
2. “She has the gift of accepting her life.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
3. “It’s not the type of thing Bengali wives do.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
4. “You remind me of everything that followed.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
5. “That’s what books are for; to travel without moving an inch.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
Famous The Namesake quotes about seeing the world while you are young
These quotes remind us how regret is the ultimate missed opportunity.
6. “You will not regret it.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
7. “You are still young, free.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
8. “One day it will be too late.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
9. “Do yourself a favor. Before it’s too late.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
10. “Without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
The best The Namesake quotes about Ashima
Get to know Ashima’s personality better with these The Namesake quotes.
11. “It was the closest thing she had ever experienced to the touch of a man.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
12. “Ashima, unable to resist a sudden and overwhelming urge, stepped into the shoes at her feet.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
13. “Ashima never thinks of her husband’s name when she thinks of her husband, even though she knows perfectly well what it is.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
14. “She has adopted his surname but refuses, for propriety’s sake, to utter his first.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
15. “Like a kiss or caress in a Hindi movie, a husband’s name is something intimate and therefore unspoken, cleverly patched over.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
The top The Namesake quotes and observations
These quotes remind us why perseverance and privacy are important aspects of a happy life.
16. “But she has gathered that Americans, in spite of their public declarations of affection, prefer their privacy.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
17. “Somehow, bad news, however, ridden with static, however, filled with echoes, always manages to be conveyed.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
18. “Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
19. “Things that should never have happened, that seemed out of place and wrong, these were what prevailed, what endured, in the end.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
20. “They were things for which it was impossible to prepare but which one spent a lifetime looking back at, trying to accept, interpret, comprehend.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
The Namesake quotes and sayings to live by
We close our list with some The Namesake quotes about life.
21. “Do what I will never do.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
22. “She has given birth to vagabonds.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
23. “One hand, five homes. A lifetime in a fist.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
24. “Remember that you and I made this journey together to a place where there was nowhere left to go.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
25. “In so many ways, his family’s life feels like a string of accidents, unforeseen, unintended, one incident begetting another.” — Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake
What is your namesake?
In life, our namesakes can take many forms.
Some of us come from namesakes; others pass them down.
What is your favorite quote from The Namesake?
Be sure to let us know in the comments.
