"It was a good place for getting lost in, a city no one ever knew, a city explored from the neutral heart outward, until after many years, it defined itself into a jumble of clearings separated by stretches of the unknown, through which the narrowest of paths had been cut"

In the quote from V.S. Naipaul, the description of the city acts as a metaphor for both the intricacy of metropolitan landscapes and the intricacies of human experience within them. Initially, the city is described as "a great location for getting lost in", suggesting that its vastness and unpredictability use an environment ripe for expedition and discovery. This aligns with cities being centers of variety and energy, where people can roam and come across untold stories and encounters.

Referred to as "a city nobody ever understood", it speaks with the concept that cities, much like human lives, are layered, diverse, and hold unlimited tricks. The phrase catches the transient and ever-changing nature of city settings, where even the most well-trod parts remain unknowable and constantly developing. This unpredictability can be both difficult and thrilling, reflective of life's unpredictability.

The city is "explored from the neutral heart external", implying that expedition begins from a core that is unbiased and without preconceptions. As one endeavors outward, the city gradually "specifies itself into a jumble of clearings", representing moments of clearness and understanding amidst the turmoil. These cleanings may signify personal epiphanies or locations of familiarity that individuals carve out on their own in the midst of overwhelming intricacy.

The "stretches of the unidentified" are illustrative of the undiscovered and often intimidating aspects of both cities and individual journeys. Regardless of attempts to browse through life or a city, large portions remain enigmatic and odd, similar to the paths individuals pick amid uncertainty.

The idea that only "the narrowest of courses had been cut" through the unidentified underscores the restricted understanding and the continuous battle to understand the world. These courses symbolize efforts to draw up a course in a place where direction is typically uncertain.

Overall, Naipaul's quote poignantly records the layered nature of cities as analogous to the intricacy of human existence, where discovery, uncertainty, and the pursuit of understanding define our experiences.