What is exile?

Exile

Exile means to be away from one's home (i.e. city, state or country), while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return. It can be a form of punishment and solitude.

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Famous quotes containing the word exile:

    “Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say “death”;
    For exile hath more terror in his look,
    Much more than death. Do not say “banishment!””
    —William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    “The bond between a man and his profession is similar to that which ties him to his country; it is just as complex, often ambivalent, and in general it is understood completely only when it is broken: by exile or emigration in the case of one’s country, by retirement in the case of a trade or profession.”
    —Primo Levi (1919–1987)

    “the bird in the poplar tree
    dreaming, his head
    tucked into
    far-and-near exile under his wing ...”
    —Denise Levertov (b. 1923)