--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a way I am saying the nation-state…" description: "\"In a way I am saying the nation-state doesn't exist, borders don't exist, you can try going anywhere. It is a kind of pre-Internet consensus I always h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/aleksandra-mir-18415_borders_in-a-way-i-am-saying-the-nation-state-do_1530571.jpg" --- # In a way I am saying the nation-state doesn't exist… ![“In a way I am saying the nation-state doesn't exist, borders don't exist, you can try going anywhere. It is a kind of pre-Internet consensus I always had in me.” quote by Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/aleksandra-mir-18415_borders_in-a-way-i-am-saying-the-nation-state-do_1530571.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/aleksandra-mir-18415_borders_in-a-way-i-am-saying-the-nation-state-do_1530571.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/301/aleksandra-mir-18415_borders_in-a-way-i-am-saying-the-nation-state-do_1530571.jpg) > “In a way I am saying the nation-state doesn't exist, borders don't exist, you can try going anywhere. It is a kind of pre-Internet consensus I always had in me.” [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Borders and nation-states are becoming less relevant in a digitally connected world, suggesting a shift toward a global, internet-like consensus. **In simple terms:** Digital connectivity reduces the importance of physical borders. Key Takeaway Embrace global digital collaboration. Themes technology globalization politics identity Mood optimistic reflective Type philosophical speculative When to use this quote - remote work - online education - cross‑border trade - digital activism Key Concepts Digital citizenship network theory geopolitics Questions to Reflect On - Will digital consensus replace traditional sovereignty? - How can we protect local cultures online? A Different Perspective Political realities and regulations still enforce borders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) ## Related quotes > [Without sovereignty, a nation cannot exist. Without borders, it can't be defined or protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/without-sovereignty-a-nation-cannot-exist-without-borders-it-can-t-be/) [Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/) > [Everybody since the '60s has been saying the nation is a fiction - the nation is an imaginary unity - but people didn't connect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/everybody-since-the-60s-has-been-saying-the-nation-is-a-fiction-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Blowback is simply another way of saying that a nation reaps what it sows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalmers-johnson/blowback-is-simply-another-way-of-saying-that-a-nation-reaps-what-it/) [Chalmers Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalmers-johnson/) > [The State doesn't just want you to obey, it wants to make you WANT to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-state-doesn-t-just-want-you-to-obey-it-wants-to-make-you-want-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [This history of a secular state doesn't exist, no. The state is Christian, and those who are against it can leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/this-history-of-a-secular-state-doesn-t-exist-no-the-state-is/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [The state doesn’t own your children. Parents own the children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/the-state-doesn-t-own-your-children-parents-own-the-children/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [You see, greatness for a state doesn't require some huge monument for all to see. It is not a journey to a particular destination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-perdue/you-see-greatness-for-a-state-doesn-t-require-some-huge-monument-for/) [Sonny Perdue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-perdue/) > [The National Surveillance State doesn't want anyone to be able to communicate without the authorities being able to monitor that communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-national-surveillance-state-doesn-t-want-anyone-to-be-able-to/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [Even if we are all doomed to live under the state, it doesn't follow that there is, or even can be, such a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/even-if-we-are-all-doomed-to-live-under-the-state-it-doesn-t-follow/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [The border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-nattiez/the-border-between-music-and-noise-is-always-culturally-defined-which/) Jean-Jacques Nattiez > [Because European countries now resolve differences through negotiation and consensus, there's sometimes an assumption that the entire world functions in the same way. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/because-european-countries-now-resolve-differences-through/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The real issue is control. The Internet is too widespread to be easily dominated by any single government. By creating a seamless global economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/the-real-issue-is-control-the-internet-is-too-widespread-to-be-easily/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [“The nation-state at best is based on the social contract that is also an emotional contract, stamped by the charisma of the past.” —SVETLANA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-alexander/the-nation-state-at-best-is-based-on-the-social-contract-that-is-also/) [Brian Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-alexander/) > [Basically, I see Iran as an authentic nation-state. And that authentic identity gives it cohesion, which most of the Middle East lacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/basically-i-see-iran-as-an-authentic-nation-state-and-that-authentic/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [“Nationalism always preserved this initial intimate loyalty to the government and never quite lost its function of preserving a precarious balance between nation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/nationalism-always-preserved-this-initial-intimate-loyalty-to-the/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) ## More by Aleksandra Mir > [Of course I can have a simple reaction of sympathy and sorrow to destruction. But you also know that you can't have new things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/of-course-i-can-have-a-simple-reaction-of-sympathy-and-sorrow-to/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [I'm so extremely well prepared for negative response, I've taken precautions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/i-m-so-extremely-well-prepared-for-negative-response-i-ve-taken/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [There are ends, occasionally, with projects. That happens. But they are natural dead ends. It's usually the outside situation that demands an ending. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/there-are-ends-occasionally-with-projects-that-happens-but-they-are/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [Of course, I'd welcome protest. Good criticism is hard to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/of-course-i-d-welcome-protest-good-criticism-is-hard-to-find/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > ["Naming Tokyo" kicked off at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in June, and it's going to travel to various art institutions for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/naming-tokyo-kicked-off-at-the-palais-de-tokyo-in-paris-in-june-and/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [I follow these intimate connections of strangers and, surprise!, end up finding even myself in the work at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/i-follow-these-intimate-connections-of-strangers-and-surprise-end-up/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [Seeing your work go into storage in an art museum is obviously a tragedy of any cultural product - which doesn't mean I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/seeing-your-work-go-into-storage-in-an-art-museum-is-obviously-a/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [You pick people, and they pick you sometimes. It's especially great to connect with people you think you have nothing in common with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/you-pick-people-and-they-pick-you-sometimes-it-s-especially-great-to/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [In 1989 I came to New York to go to the School of Visual Arts. Then, after two years, I switched over to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/in-1989-i-came-to-new-york-to-go-to-the-school-of-visual-arts-then/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [I find myself doing fieldwork physically, in the tradition of anthropology. I literally go to the opposite end of the world, to the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/i-find-myself-doing-fieldwork-physically-in-the-tradition-of/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [I think the wildest wildlife you can find these days is in Chernobyl, where wolves are running around breeding quite well in the nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/i-think-the-wildest-wildlife-you-can-find-these-days-is-in-chernobyl/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [People get upset when Baghdad, the "Cradle of Civilization" is burning, or when the Buddhas in Afghanistan are falling. These are real concerns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/people-get-upset-when-baghdad-the-cradle-of-civilization-is-burning/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [I'm very jealous of an era where people were inventing something so beautiful as the Concorde and thinking that's the next step. I'm jealous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/i-m-very-jealous-of-an-era-where-people-were-inventing-something-so/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [I was a lousy academic. I spent most of my time in the cafeteria. But I met fantastic people from all kinds of fields;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/i-was-a-lousy-academic-i-spent-most-of-my-time-in-the-cafeteria-but-i/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) > [Dutch beaches were known to me as man-made territories, as part of various land reclamation projects. But I was also interested in the media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandra-mir/dutch-beaches-were-known-to-me-as-man-made-territories-as-part-of/) [Aleksandra Mir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) [Explore all 35 Aleksandra Mir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandra-mir/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/house-republicans-want-to-pass-a-strong-border-security-illegal/) [John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/) [Browse all 1,650 Borders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a way I am saying the nation-state doesn't exist, borders don't exist, you can try going anywhere. 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