Quotes About Living Abroad and How it Changes You for the Better
I love to read quotes about living abroad since that has become a way of life for our family! Here are some that really resonated with me as part of an American family who lives abroad in Germany.
“A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places.”
My Favorite Quotes about Living Abroad
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with other cultures and languages. The first time I remember wanting to travel and explore the world was at only six years old! My parents took us for the first time my parents to Disney World, and I saw the “It’s a Small World After All” ride.
There’s a Whole World Out There to Explore!
I can still remember the excitement and wonder I felt as my eyes were opened to all that is out in the world. Different looking people, different traditional clothing, different languages, different landscapes. A seed was planted in my heart that trip that continued to grow all throughout my life.
“When living in one place, it’s easy to get stuck in a bubble. Exploring the planet reveals the world we live in: a kind, wondrous and joyful place. – Dave Cornthwaite
“Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain
“It is a bittersweet thing knowing two cultures. Once you leave your birthplace, nothing is ever the same.” – Sarah Turnbull
Kevin and I feel this deeply! He’s lived in Sweden and Japan before, and we both lived in France together. Once you live abroad, your heart is forever in more than one place. You become a citizen of the world. If more people become citizens of the world, we will have less fighting, conflicts, and wars.
“Learn all you can about other cultures. Understanding how different people live, work, and play teaches us to respect them and promote peace everywhere.” – Carol Bellamy
This is so true! Learning about what other people, even within our own countries, believe, value, and think helps us to have empathy and compassion, which is the anecdote to conflict.
“The best way to travel abroad is to live with the locals.”
This is one of my favorite quotes about living abroad! It’s so true. You learn the most by living among other people and really immersing yourself in the culture.
“You’ll never be completely at home again because part of your heart is elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” – Miriam Adeney
Dealing with Homesickness as a Foreigner
While we lived in the USA, Kevin and I were homesick for Europe and the lives we had in France and Sweden. Now here in Germany, we can be homesick for our friends and family in the USA. It can be very tough, but I choose to remind myself that it’s a good problem to have. We have good memories we’ve made and lovely people we’ve met in many different countries. It speaks to the adventures we’ve experienced and how there are good people all over the world!
“We have so much wisdom to gain by learning to understand other people’s cultures and permitting ourselves to accept that there is more than one version of reality.” – Louis Menard
The more we understand and accept that there are other ways to live our lives and think about our human experience, the more we can have peace and harmony. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true! Controlling how another person chooses to live their life, as long as it harms no one else, is essential to us all feeling freedom.
“The world in which you were born is only one version of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being like you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit.” – Wade Davis
“When you understand and know other cultures, you don’t fear the “other.” There is no “other.” We should be shepherds of the earth.” – Helene Cardona
One of the most toxic things humans have ever believed is that there are “others.” We are much more alike than we are different. When you travel and live abroad, you see our commonalities more than our differences.
