--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had neither kith nor kin in England…" description: "\"I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air -- or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/arthur-conan-doyle-273_air_i-had-neither-kith-nor-kin-in-england-an_874250.jpg" --- # I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore… ![“I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air -- or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire…” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/arthur-conan-doyle-273_air_i-had-neither-kith-nor-kin-in-england-an_874250.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/arthur-conan-doyle-273_air_i-had-neither-kith-nor-kin-in-england-an_874250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b60/arthur-conan-doyle-273_air_i-had-neither-kith-nor-kin-in-england-an_874250.jpg) > “I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air -- or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.” [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator feels unbound by family ties, seeking freedom in London’s chaotic, opportunistic society. **In simple terms:** Freedom feels like drifting in a crowded city. Key Takeaway Embrace independence but beware aimlessness. Themes freedom urban life social mobility alienation Mood reflective critical Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - career pursuit - migration - urban exploration - social networking Key Concepts individualism social critique class dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does lack of roots affect one's choices? - What are the costs of seeking freedom in a chaotic environment? A Different Perspective Freedom can lead to isolation and loss of purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-naturally-gravitated-to-london-that-great-cesspool-into-which-all/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/london-that-great-cesspool-into-which-all-the-loungers-and-idlers-of/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“I appear inadvertently to have caused much trouble, sir." "Jeeves!" I said. "Sir?" "How much money is there on the dressing-table?" "In addition to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/i-appear-inadvertently-to-have-caused-much-trouble-sir-jeeves-i-said/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [I'd rather that England should be free than that England should be compulsorily sober. With freedom we might in the end attain sobriety, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-magee/i-d-rather-that-england-should-be-free-than-that-england-should-be/) William Magee > [The transfer of three shillings and sixpence a day to every labourer would not increase the quantity of meat in the country. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-transfer-of-three-shillings-and-sixpence-a-day-to-every-labourer/) [Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/) > [It would be better that England should be free than that England should be compulsorily sober.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-would-be-better-that-england-should-be-free-than-that-england/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the youth now in England of free men, who are rich enough to be able to devote themselves to it, be set to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/all-the-youth-now-in-england-of-free-men-who-are-rich-enough-to-be/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [To cash paid for saddlery, a letter case, maps, glasses, etc etc etc. for the use of my Command: 29 pounds 13 shillings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/to-cash-paid-for-saddlery-a-letter-case-maps-glasses-etc-etc-etc-for/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“O, in the solitude of those mountains I feel free, free as the air, like a light blasting unharnessed through space. A thousand cities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/o-in-the-solitude-of-those-mountains-i-feel-free-free-as-the-air-like/) [José Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/) > [“I would be as free as air; and I'm down in the whole world's books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/i-would-be-as-free-as-air-and-i-m-down-in-the-whole-world-s-books/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Free as air; that's what they say- "free as air". 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I ejaculated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/wonderful-i-ejaculated/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Ex-Professor Moriarty of mathematical celebrity... is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/ex-professor-moriarty-of-mathematical-celebrity-is-the-napoleon-of/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-small-we-feel-with-our-petty-ambitions-and-strivings-in-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [You wish to put me in the dark. I tell you that I will never be put in the dark. You wish to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-wish-to-put-me-in-the-dark-i-tell-you-that-i-will-never-be-put-in/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections but no actual money in his pocket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-hard-luck-on-a-young-fellow-to-have-expensive-tastes-great/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/in-the-year-1878-i-took-my-degree-of-doctor-of-medicine-of-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) [Explore all 740 Arthur Conan Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. 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But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. 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