--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People say 'Why would you learn Dutch?…" description: "\"People say 'Why would you learn Dutch? Nobody speaks it. Why not French?' Even the Dutch say that to me! I say because I want to live here, I think it'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg" --- # People say 'Why would you learn Dutch? Nobody speaks it… ![“People say 'Why would you learn Dutch? Nobody speaks it. Why not French?' Even the Dutch say that to me! I say because I want to live here, I think it's only common courtesy that I speak the language.” quote by Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg) > “People say 'Why would you learn Dutch? Nobody speaks it. Why not French?' Even the Dutch say that to me! I say because I want to live here, I think it's only common courtesy that I speak the language.” [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning the local language shows respect and facilitates integration, despite common objections. **In simple terms:** Speak the local language out of courtesy. Key Takeaway Learn the language to respect locals. Themes respect integration language Mood respectful determined Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - moving abroad - community involvement - workplace communication Key Concepts cultural adaptation social etiquette Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to learn a new language? - How will you practice daily? A Different Perspective Learning a language is challenging and time‑consuming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-courtesy/) [Courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courtesy/) [Dutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dutch/) [Dutch Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dutch-say-6091649/) [Dutch Speaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dutch-speaks-6091647/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french/) [Here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Learn Dutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-dutch-6091650/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Nobody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobody/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-say/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Spanish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spanish/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speak Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-language/) [Speaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaks/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Why not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why-not/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [“We both speak Dutch and English. But we never could speak the same language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/we-both-speak-dutch-and-english-but-we-never-could-speak-the-same/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [They do not air 'GH' in Holland, so I don't get recognized. But the Dutch are wonderfully unimpressed with celebrity, so even if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/they-do-not-air-gh-in-holland-so-i-don-t-get-recognized-but-the-dutch/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [“Kelly swallowed her mounting dread as she and Ryan entered the restaurant. Ryan spoke in low tones to the maître d’ and then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/kelly-swallowed-her-mounting-dread-as-she-and-ryan-entered-the/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) > [“Be yourself one hundred and one thousand percent. Everybody man, from the sides to the back to the middle to the sides, you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mccartney/be-yourself-one-hundred-and-one-thousand-percent-everybody-man-from/) [Brandon McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mccartney/) > [He who sows courtesy reaps friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/he-who-sows-courtesy-reaps-friendship/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [I understand the power of symbols, and if I had anything on my house that seriously offended someone, I'd take it down if for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-understand-the-power-of-symbols-and-if-i-had-anything-on-my-house/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) > [“The Madame deplored fat men. They had no laps, and of what use is a lapless human? Nevertheless, she gave him the common courtesy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-jackson-braun/the-madame-deplored-fat-men-they-had-no-laps-and-of-what-use-is-a/) [Lilian Jackson Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-jackson-braun/) > [People spend more time analyzing and judging people as opposed to meeting the person and seeing what they're like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/people-spend-more-time-analyzing-and-judging-people-as-opposed-to/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [“Cersei wondered what it would feel like to kiss another woman. Not lightly on the cheek, as was common courtesy amongst ladies of high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cersei-wondered-what-it-would-feel-like-to-kiss-another-woman-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This was our last night. We only had one curtain call, Bree. And I thought they were going to give us a standing ovation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stanton/this-was-our-last-night-we-only-had-one-curtain-call-bree-and-i/) [Mary Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stanton/) > [“You know, when a beautiful bleeding woman shows up at your door, it's common courtesy to let her in or help her or something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-ivy/you-know-when-a-beautiful-bleeding-woman-shows-up-at-your-door-it-s/) [Allison Ivy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-ivy/) > [“It looked like Tohr and the kid had a lot in common: Courtesy of their tempers, both were now dressed in the Captain Asshole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/it-looked-like-tohr-and-the-kid-had-a-lot-in-common-courtesy-of-their/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Common courtesy dictates that we never drain the lifeblood of anyone to whom we've been formally introduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/common-courtesy-dictates-that-we-never-drain-the-lifeblood-of-anyone/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [“Maybe the ability to confer attention to another person was not simply common courtesy, but was the fundamental act of humanity. When it came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jourdan/maybe-the-ability-to-confer-attention-to-another-person-was-not/) [Carolyn Jourdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jourdan/) > [“When you’re ready to have the conversation, pick the time and place very carefully. Most people choose to terminate people at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-andersen/when-you-re-ready-to-have-the-conversation-pick-the-time-and-place/) [Erika Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-andersen/) ## More by Anthony Geary > [They do not air 'GH' in Holland, so I don't get recognized. But the Dutch are wonderfully unimpressed with celebrity, so even if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/they-do-not-air-gh-in-holland-so-i-don-t-get-recognized-but-the-dutch/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [I've always said, I prefer the opera to the soap - those extreme characters and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/i-ve-always-said-i-prefer-the-opera-to-the-soap-those-extreme/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [In soaps, people come back from the dead all the time, to the point where death is just a bus stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/in-soaps-people-come-back-from-the-dead-all-the-time-to-the-point/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [Usually, new producers and writers want to put their stamp on a show. They don't want to continue what's working. They want to reinvent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/usually-new-producers-and-writers-want-to-put-their-stamp-on-a-show/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [I worked with Dalton Trumbo, who served time for refusing to give up names of people that were accused of being Communists. I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/i-worked-with-dalton-trumbo-who-served-time-for-refusing-to-give-up/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [I usually get up not before 9. I have a huge library - I'm a big fan of Scandinavian crime fiction - so I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/i-usually-get-up-not-before-9-i-have-a-huge-library-i-m-a-big-fan-of/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [I was a terrific liar as a child, and I believe my lies. So it's a natural step into acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/i-was-a-terrific-liar-as-a-child-and-i-believe-my-lies-so-it-s-a/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) > [I have friends in France who are artists. I go to gallery openings and things like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/i-have-friends-in-france-who-are-artists-i-go-to-gallery-openings-and/) [Anthony Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) [Explore all 9 Anthony Geary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People say 'Why would you learn Dutch? Nobody speaks it. Why not French?' Even the Dutch say that to me! I say because I want to live here, I think it's only common courtesy that I speak the language.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Geary" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nobody-speaks-it-why-not-french/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Because" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nobody-speaks-it-why-not-french/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/anthony-geary-45595_because_people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nob_3227445.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People say 'Why would you learn Dutch? Nobody speaks it. Why not French?' Even the Dutch say that to me! I…” — Anthony Geary", "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": "Anthony Geary", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-geary/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People say 'Why would you learn...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nobody-speaks-it-why-not-french/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-geary/people-say-why-would-you-learn-dutch-nobody-speaks-it-why-not-french/#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 } } ] } ```