--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was really inspired by my own…" description: "\"I was really inspired by my own experience, and specifically my own identity crisis but larger than that, I also wanted to explore the trend of reverse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/cherien-dabis-28887_adopted_i-was-really-inspired-by-my-own-experien_2187422.jpg" --- # I was really inspired by my own experience, and… ![“I was really inspired by my own experience, and specifically my own identity crisis but larger than that, I also wanted to explore the trend of reverse immigration, of the immigrant returning home after being in a host country or an adopted home for 20 years, and finding themselves at various…” quote by Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/cherien-dabis-28887_adopted_i-was-really-inspired-by-my-own-experien_2187422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/cherien-dabis-28887_adopted_i-was-really-inspired-by-my-own-experien_2187422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/cherien-dabis-28887_adopted_i-was-really-inspired-by-my-own-experien_2187422.jpg) > “I was really inspired by my own experience, and specifically my own identity crisis but larger than that, I also wanted to explore the trend of reverse immigration, of the immigrant returning home after being in a host country or an adopted home for 20 years, and finding themselves at various levels of discord with the home culture. I wanted to explore people building lives across multiple geographies. I think that's, something that we're experiencing more and more as travel becomes easier, as people are traveling more for work. People can work from anywhere.” [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on personal identity crisis and the broader phenomenon of reverse immigration, where long‑term migrants return home and face cultural discord while navigating multi‑geographic lives. **In simple terms:** Returning migrants often feel out of place at home after years abroad. Key Takeaway Explore and bridge cultural gaps when returning home. Themes identity migration culture homecoming Mood reflective hopeful Type analytical empathetic When to use this quote - career moves - family reunions - remote work - expatriate communities Key Concepts sociology globalization personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does your identity shift after returning? - What strategies help reconcile home and host cultures? A Different Perspective Reverse immigration can intensify feelings of alienation and loss of belonging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Geography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geography/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Identity crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-crisis/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Returning home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/returning-home/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [Gardens do offer a temporal tableau and certainly mean differently in different eras and indeed geographies (think of the formal gardens in France).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/gardens-do-offer-a-temporal-tableau-and-certainly-mean-differently-in/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [“She was returning home to be the wife of, mother of, First Lady of, but what did that really mean?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-hawkins-adams/she-was-returning-home-to-be-the-wife-of-mother-of-first-lady-of-but/) [Stacy Hawkins Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-hawkins-adams/) > [I am really inspired when I am in an experience, at the front lines of conservation, and I see someone - a woman, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-corwin/i-am-really-inspired-when-i-am-in-an-experience-at-the-front-lines-of/) [Jeff Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-corwin/) > [Research states that we have a two-week window to act after being inspired by an experience, before the brain is compelled to move on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/research-states-that-we-have-a-two-week-window-to-act-after-being/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [But one day, when I was still young, I was parted from my family and left my native country. I hunted and searched for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-solti/but-one-day-when-i-was-still-young-i-was-parted-from-my-family-and/) [Georg Solti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-solti/) > [“We find a model for learning how to live in stories about heroism. The heroic quest is about saying yes to yourself and, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-pearson/we-find-a-model-for-learning-how-to-live-in-stories-about-heroism-the/) Carol S. Pearson > [Life is going forth; death is returning home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/life-is-going-forth-death-is-returning-home/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking; You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-ross/returning-home-is-the-most-difficult-part-of-long-distance-hiking-you/) Cindy Ross > [“They Served ...reliving memories that will not die giving their all for you and I - friends taken lives shaken...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/they-served-reliving-memories-that-will-not-die-giving-their-all-for/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [“A monk lived near the temple of Shiva. In the house opposite lived a prostitute. Noticing the large number of men who visited her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-monk-lived-near-the-temple-of-shiva-in-the-house-opposite-lived-a/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The leaving him thus did not a little gratify one that was more fond of travelling than of returning home to be buried in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/the-leaving-him-thus-did-not-a-little-gratify-one-that-was-more-fond/) [Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/) > [And so much of my life has been about returning home and longing for home, wanting my children to know about my roots. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/and-so-much-of-my-life-has-been-about-returning-home-and-longing-for/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) > [“Your alcoholics may include some of your brightest stars. The problem is to identify them, protected as they always are by their secretaries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/your-alcoholics-may-include-some-of-your-brightest-stars-the-problem/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [This is the rarest thing ever happen to us Everyone is crying bro. Mom is weeping bro. Is there any shortcut to returning home?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-bond/this-is-the-rarest-thing-ever-happen-to-us-everyone-is-crying-bro-mom/) [Sammy Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-bond/) > [“My cheeks are red hot, my lip still trembles, because I sent my heart to speak; every word of it delusional and awkward, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-walser/my-cheeks-are-red-hot-my-lip-still-trembles-because-i-sent-my-heart/) [Robert Walser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-walser/) ## More by Cherien Dabis > [Some of my favorite all-time movies - Wong Kar-wai is just amazing. In the Mood for Love is probably my favorite film ever. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/some-of-my-favorite-all-time-movies-wong-kar-wai-is-just-amazing-in/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I think that you have to have a really specific type of personality to be able to both direct and act, because it requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-think-that-you-have-to-have-a-really-specific-type-of-personality/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I definitely did not play myself. As the writer of the script, I have traits of all the characters. I can relate to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-definitely-did-not-play-myself-as-the-writer-of-the-script-i-have/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [When it comes to identity, that was an issue that plagued me for a lot of my life. It's something that I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/when-it-comes-to-identity-that-was-an-issue-that-plagued-me-for-a-lot/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I knew that I wanted to live in a city, but had never really been to New York. But I was begging my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-knew-that-i-wanted-to-live-in-a-city-but-had-never-really-been-to/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [From as early as I can remember, I wanted to have something to do with the acting business. I was a TV junkie as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/from-as-early-as-i-can-remember-i-wanted-to-have-something-to-do-with/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [It's why I fell in love with movies. You can sit in a movie theater and be transported to a place that you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/it-s-why-i-fell-in-love-with-movies-you-can-sit-in-a-movie-theater/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [When you step in to act, you just zoom way in on the longest possible lens and you're just totally in the point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/when-you-step-in-to-act-you-just-zoom-way-in-on-the-longest-possible/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I watch everything from independent art-house cinema to foreign film. I don't watch as many Hollywood blockbusters but once in a while, I'm curious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-watch-everything-from-independent-art-house-cinema-to-foreign-film/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I discovered myself in the back-and-forth and in the hyphenated Arab-American way, and one of the things that I discovered was that I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-discovered-myself-in-the-back-and-forth-and-in-the-hyphenated-arab/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [When there's an actor involved, the actor's talking to the director or the director's talking to the actor. But when there are not those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/when-there-s-an-actor-involved-the-actor-s-talking-to-the-director-or/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [Jordan is many different things and there's many different parts of it. We don't ever really get to see a modern Arab city, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/jordan-is-many-different-things-and-there-s-many-different-parts-of/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [Keep doing what you're doing no matter what anyone says. Defy your own doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/keep-doing-what-you-re-doing-no-matter-what-anyone-says-defy-your-own/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [On the American side, some of the movies that I watched when I was a kid, like E.T. or The Wizard of Oz, those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/on-the-american-side-some-of-the-movies-that-i-watched-when-i-was-a/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I grew up watching a lot of Egyptian movies. My parents had this huge VHS collection of every Egyptian movie you can possibly imagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-grew-up-watching-a-lot-of-egyptian-movies-my-parents-had-this-huge/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) [Explore all 19 Cherien Dabis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) ## More Adopted quotes > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/somehow-destiny-comes-into-play-these-children-end-up-with-you-and/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) > [I'm not at all against white people adopting black children, because we're all human beings who need to give love and be nurtured in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-m-not-at-all-against-white-people-adopting-black-children-because/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [Susan, an only child who never had any roots, and I, a lone wolf who got married 20 years to late, were adopted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harpo-marx/susan-an-only-child-who-never-had-any-roots-and-i-a-lone-wolf-who-got/) [Harpo Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harpo-marx/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [A son or daughter in any human family is either born to or adopted by the parents. By definition, a child can't be both.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/a-son-or-daughter-in-any-human-family-is-either-born-to-or-adopted-by/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) > [. . . by natural selection our mind has adapted itself to the conditions of the external world. It has adopted the geometry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/by-natural-selection-our-mind-has-adapted-itself-to-the-conditions-of/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. And when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-was-adopted-my-black-americans-i-feel-that-i-m-a-hybrid-when-i-m/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [I did this one movie with a great director named Wayne Kramer. It was 'Crossing Over,' and Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chon/i-did-this-one-movie-with-a-great-director-named-wayne-kramer-it-was/) [Justin Chon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chon/) > [I had severed relations with the Romanian exiles who had become politically conservative and even extremely right wing; I was giving chess lessons to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dumitru-tepeneag/i-had-severed-relations-with-the-romanian-exiles-who-had-become/) [Dumitru Tepeneag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dumitru-tepeneag/) > [People, the common people, can genuinely see what I'm doing. Moreover, people know that I have adopted four principles in living my life: simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-sattar-edhi/people-the-common-people-can-genuinely-see-what-i-m-doing-moreover/) [Abdul Sattar Edhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-sattar-edhi/) > [To a large extent, the American church has become merged with the world. It has adopted so many of the world's ideals and standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/to-a-large-extent-the-american-church-has-become-merged-with-the/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When you're adopted, no matter what, you've got issues with unconditional love. And you find out you're the product of the worst situation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/when-you-re-adopted-no-matter-what-you-ve-got-issues-with/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [Capitalism justified itself and was adopted as an economic principle on the express ground that it provides selfish motives for doing good, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/capitalism-justified-itself-and-was-adopted-as-an-economic-principle/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) Browse all 735 Adopted quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was really inspired by my own experience, and specifically my own identity crisis but larger than that, I also wanted to explore the trend of reverse immigration, of the immigrant returning home after being in a host country or an adopted home for 20 years, and finding themselves at various levels of discord with the home culture. 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