--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is good to come to a country you know…" description: "\"It is good to come to a country you know practically nothing about. Your thoughts grow still, useless. Everything must be rebuilt. In a country you kno..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png" --- # It is good to come to a country you know practically… ![“It is good to come to a country you know practically nothing about. Your thoughts grow still, useless. Everything must be rebuilt. In a country you know nothing about, there is no reference point. You struggle to associate colors, smells, dim memories. You live a little like a child, or an animal…” quote by Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png) > “It is good to come to a country you know practically nothing about. Your thoughts grow still, useless. Everything must be rebuilt. In a country you know nothing about, there is no reference point. You struggle to associate colors, smells, dim memories. You live a little like a child, or an animal. Objects and events may bring things to mind, but in the end they remain no more than what they are in fact. They begin only when you experience them, vanish when others follow.” [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When you enter an unfamiliar place, your mind lacks reference, forcing you to perceive everything anew, like a child or animal. **In simple terms:** Unfamiliar surroundings reset perception. Key Takeaway Embrace the fresh perspective. Themes perception novelty identity learning Mood curious reflective Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - travel - immigration - cultural immersion - first-time experiences Key Concepts existentialism phenomenology cognitive reset Questions to Reflect On - How does unfamiliarity change your assumptions? - What can you learn from seeing the world as a child? A Different Perspective The lack of prior knowledge can also cause disorientation and anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Associates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/associates/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Country Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-know-1119632/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Experience Vanish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-vanish-2917256/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Live A Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-a-little/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Things Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-mind/) [Thoughts Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-grow-1467815/) [Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useless/) ## Related quotes > [Allowing negative thoughts to grow within your mind influences your reaction to situations, producing negative results. Consciously make an effort to replace these with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/allowing-negative-thoughts-to-grow-within-your-mind-influences-your/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“Every giant tree started its life journey being a Seed. Seed your mind today with beautiful thoughts and it will grow into a tree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-mushtaq-gk/every-giant-tree-started-its-life-journey-being-a-seed-seed-your-mind/) [Mohammed Mushtaq GK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-mushtaq-gk/) > [Small thoughts grow into a picture. It may suggest an individual or it may suggest a place, but generally the painting's job is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cooke/small-thoughts-grow-into-a-picture-it-may-suggest-an-individual-or-it/) [Nigel Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cooke/) > [In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abram-l-urban/in-my-garden-there-is-a-large-place-for-sentiment-my-garden-of/) [Abram L. Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abram-l-urban/) > [“Sometimes I still feel that there are two of me: one clean, flawless picture, the other imperfect and cracked; one boy, one girl; one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-tarttelin/sometimes-i-still-feel-that-there-are-two-of-me-one-clean-flawless/) [Abigail Tarttelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-tarttelin/) > [It is only in the country that we can get to know a person or a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/it-is-only-in-the-country-that-we-can-get-to-know-a-person-or-a-book/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [All I can say is God loves this country. We all know it. We wouldn't be where we are without him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/all-i-can-say-is-god-loves-this-country-we-all-know-it-we-wouldn-t-be/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [The City is, in terms of its basic functioning, a far-off country of which we know little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/the-city-is-in-terms-of-its-basic-functioning-a-far-off-country-of/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [I want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/i-want-to-show-to-those-who-deprive-people-the-right-to-love-of/) [Jose Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/) > [ The people know more about \[Jazz\] in other countries than in America. America is the last country to know about anything, because we're too… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-blakey/the-people-know-more-about-jazz-in-other-countries-than-in-america/) [Art Blakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-blakey/) > [If you don't know how great this country is, I know someone who does; Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/if-you-don-t-know-how-great-this-country-is-i-know-someone-who-does/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [You lock your windows before you leave. You put on an alarm if you live in the country because you know that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/you-lock-your-windows-before-you-leave-you-put-on-an-alarm-if-you/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [I can tell you, all the intelligence services in the world were running my name through their databases to see did anyone by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/i-can-tell-you-all-the-intelligence-services-in-the-world-were/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [When you are in a new country, and you are alone and know that your family don't stay here, it is not simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-conte/when-you-are-in-a-new-country-and-you-are-alone-and-know-that-your/) [Antonio Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-conte/) > [“If you would know this country, you must know its stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-marshall-stoneking/if-you-would-know-this-country-you-must-know-its-stories/) [Billy Marshall Stoneking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-marshall-stoneking/) ## More by Andrzej Stasiuk > [“Czułem jego łzy i smarki. A może to były pocałunki.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/czu-em-jego-zy-i-smarki-a-mo-e-to-by-y-poca-unki/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [Sometimes it seems to me that things hold together only thanks to the borders, that the true identify of these lands and peoples is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/sometimes-it-seems-to-me-that-things-hold-together-only-thanks-to-the/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“Sen jest najlepszym przyjacielem człowieka.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/sen-jest-najlepszym-przyjacielem-cz-owieka/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“Dlaczego kraj, który i tak ma nieustannie przesrane – bo a to Ruscy, a to Niemcy, a to Tatarzy, a to własna szlachta, a to własna głupota – dodatkowo straumatyzowano największą…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/dlaczego-kraj-kt-ry-i-tak-ma-nieustannie-przesrane-bo-a-to-ruscy-a-to/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“The homeland, the myth of the homeland, becomes a fundamental value for those who have nothing else(...)In a world where power, like wealth, falls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/the-homeland-the-myth-of-the-homeland-becomes-a-fundamental-value-for/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“That's why I drove there in the middle of February, patches of snow still on the fields. I had the strong feeling that somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/that-s-why-i-drove-there-in-the-middle-of-february-patches-of-snow/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [Freedom has become a commodity whose availability, paradoxically, keeps society in check. The threat of its loss seems to enable us to tolerate its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/freedom-has-become-a-commodity-whose-availability-paradoxically-keeps/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“Pale and massive, he absorbed time like a sponge. Moved something, wiped something, adjusted something, but the future never came.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/pale-and-massive-he-absorbed-time-like-a-sponge-moved-something-wiped/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“- Strachliwego masz chłopa, Maryśka. - Edek nalał kieliszek i podał męzczyźnie. - Pij! Na odwagę! - Jaki on mój. Tak przychodzę... - powiedziała…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/strachliwego-masz-ch-opa-mary-ka-edek-nala-kieliszek-i-poda-m-zczy/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“Resztę pamiętam słabo i zarazem wyraźnie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/reszt-pami-tam-s-abo-i-zarazem-wyra-nie/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [Travel is no more than a relatively healthy form of narcotic, after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/travel-is-no-more-than-a-relatively-healthy-form-of-narcotic-after-all/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“Wychodziło na to, że zbrodnia w afekcie. Innych wtedy nie było. Nie to, co teraz. My zasadniczo nie popełnialiśmy poważnych przestępstw. A już na…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/wychodzi-o-na-to-e-zbrodnia-w-afekcie-innych-wtedy-nie-by-o-nie-to-co/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“Now it all seems so simple. Events intersect free of any logic of sequence; they cover space and time in an even, translucent layer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/now-it-all-seems-so-simple-events-intersect-free-of-any-logic-of/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“it is the West’s provincialism, which leads it to perceive the rest of the continent as a failed copy of itself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/it-is-the-west-s-provincialism-which-leads-it-to-perceive-the-rest-of/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) > [“it gives me no rest, my wish to know the fate of all these scenes that entered my eyes and have remained in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/it-gives-me-no-rest-my-wish-to-know-the-fate-of-all-these-scenes-that/) [Andrzej Stasiuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) [Explore all 31 Andrzej Stasiuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is good to come to a country you know practically nothing about. Your thoughts grow still, useless. Everything must be rebuilt. In a country you know nothing about, there is no reference point. You struggle to associate colors, smells, dim memories. You live a little like a child, or an animal. Objects and events may bring things to mind, but in the end they remain no more than what they are in fact. They begin only when you experience them, vanish when others follow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrzej Stasiuk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know-practically-nothing-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know-practically-nothing-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03b/andrzej-stasiuk-13419_animal_it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know_1916550.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is good to come to a country you know practically nothing about. Your thoughts grow still, useless…” — Andrzej Stasiuk", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andrzej Stasiuk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-stasiuk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is good to come to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know-practically-nothing-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-stasiuk/it-is-good-to-come-to-a-country-you-know-practically-nothing-about/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```