--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In one way, traveling has narrowed my…" description: "\"In one way, traveling has narrowed my mind. What I have discovered is something very ordinary and unexciting, which is that humans are the same everywh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg" --- # In one way, traveling has narrowed my mind. What I have… ![“In one way, traveling has narrowed my mind. What I have discovered is something very ordinary and unexciting, which is that humans are the same everywhere and that the degree of variation between members of our species is very slight. This is of course an encouraging finding; it helps arm you…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg) > “In one way, traveling has narrowed my mind. What I have discovered is something very ordinary and unexciting, which is that humans are the same everywhere and that the degree of variation between members of our species is very slight. This is of course an encouraging finding; it helps arm you against news programs back home that show seething or abject masses of either fanatical or torpid people. In another way it is a depressing finding; the sorts of things that make people quarrel and make them stupid are the same everywhere.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Travel reveals human similarity, reducing fear of foreign masses; both comforting and disheartening. **In simple terms:** Travel shows humans are alike, easing fear but highlighting shared flaws. Key Takeaway Recognise common humanity, avoid stereotypes. Themes humanity travel stereotypes Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - media consumption - cross‑cultural interaction - education - conflict resolution Key Concepts cultural anthropology psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing similarity affect prejudice? - What actions can reduce global conflict? A Different Perspective Common flaws persist; travel alone won’t solve deep societal issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-way/) [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Back home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-home/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Depressing Finding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing-finding-3374468/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Narrowed Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrowed-mind-1795972/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [One way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-way/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Quarrels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quarrels/) [Seething](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seething/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Species Slight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-slight-3374466/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Torpid People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torpid-people-3374467/) [Unexciting Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexciting-humans-3374465/) [Variation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variation/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [You again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-again/) ## Related quotes > [“He had further narrowed his mind by a considerable amount of travel abroad, where he had again always made his way to the small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-hamilton/he-had-further-narrowed-his-mind-by-a-considerable-amount-of-travel/) [Patrick Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-hamilton/) > [The Brother's eyes narrowed. "But here's something to keep in mind. You ever hurt him on purpose and I will consider you my enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/the-brother-s-eyes-narrowed-but-here-s-something-to-keep-in-mind-you/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Nothing ever gets settled in this town (Washington). It's not like running a company or even a university. It's a seething debating society, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-shultz/nothing-ever-gets-settled-in-this-town-washington-it-s-not-like/) [George P. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-shultz/) > [It has never occurred to me before, but this is truly how it is: all of us on earth walk constantly over a seething,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/it-has-never-occurred-to-me-before-but-this-is-truly-how-it-is-all-of/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [Lovers and madmen have such seething brains Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lovers-and-madmen-have-such-seething-brains-such-shaping-fantasies/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [So long as a man remains a gregarious and sociable being, he cannot cut himself off from the gratification of the instinct of imparting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joseph-sylvester/so-long-as-a-man-remains-a-gregarious-and-sociable-being-he-cannot/) [James Joseph Sylvester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joseph-sylvester/) > [No, we don't accomplish our love in a single year as the flowers do; an immemorial sap flows up through our arms when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/no-we-don-t-accomplish-our-love-in-a-single-year-as-the-flowers-do-an/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [The lancet fluke (Dicrocoelium) infects the brain of ants by taking control and driving them to climb to the top of a blade of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrel-ray/the-lancet-fluke-dicrocoelium-infects-the-brain-of-ants-by-taking/) [Darrel Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrel-ray/) > [“Even if there are moments during the day when all seems normal and when every action of your own and of those around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/even-if-there-are-moments-during-the-day-when-all-seems-normal-and/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Be like the rocky headland on which the waves constantly break. It stands firm, and round it the seething waters are laid to rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/be-like-the-rocky-headland-on-which-the-waves-constantly-break-it/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Golf cannot be played in anger, or in any mood of emotiional excess. Half the golf balls struck by amateurs are hit if not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-plimpton/golf-cannot-be-played-in-anger-or-in-any-mood-of-emotiional-excess/) [George Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-plimpton/) > [As Steve draws me closer to the band, all I can see is a frenzied mass of seething, writhing people, like a many-headed sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/as-steve-draws-me-closer-to-the-band-all-i-can-see-is-a-frenzied-mass/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [The Enormous Room seems to me to be the book that has nearest approached the mood of reckless adventure in which men will reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-enormous-room-seems-to-me-to-be-the-book-that-has-nearest/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [It may look as though two chess players are sitting at the board peacefully calculating possibilities, but in actuality they are seething with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shankarananda/it-may-look-as-though-two-chess-players-are-sitting-at-the-board/) [Shankarananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shankarananda/) > [My photographs are not pure: they are a seething wealth of imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-sommer/my-photographs-are-not-pure-they-are-a-seething-wealth-of-imperfection/) [Frederick Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-sommer/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Another way quotes > [Cooking brings me so much joy. I love everything, down to the execution of the plate to picking out fresh ingredients at the market.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-budig/cooking-brings-me-so-much-joy-i-love-everything-down-to-the-execution/) [Kathryn Budig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-budig/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [I've got the public. I don't care about the critics. I did at one time. I don't any more. I did when I needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/i-ve-got-the-public-i-don-t-care-about-the-critics-i-did-at-one-time/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [... we need to interrogate "reverence," for idolization can be another way one is objectified and not really taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-interrogate-reverence-for-idolization-can-be-another-way/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/and-after-hearing-what-our-church-can-say-if-still-our-reason-runs/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [I'm really fascinated and you know I've been wondering about that usage of language, various breathing techniques and why in these practices language is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-acker/i-m-really-fascinated-and-you-know-i-ve-been-wondering-about-that/) [Kathy Acker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-acker/) > [The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fact-that-you-are-not-sure-means-that-it-is-possible-that-there/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Congress decides who becomes a citizen and how. To automatically say the 14th Amendment grants birthright citizenship, no, we can't change that. Amending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/congress-decides-who-becomes-a-citizen-and-how-to-automatically-say/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Just because somebody swings one way and I swing another way doesn't mean he's better than me or I'm better than him ... Does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-pedroia/just-because-somebody-swings-one-way-and-i-swing-another-way-doesn-t/) [Dustin Pedroia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-pedroia/) > [The spirit of Christianity proclaims the brotherhood of the race and the meaning of that strong word has not been left to guesswork, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-spirit-of-christianity-proclaims-the-brotherhood-of-the-race-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Suffering, if you're a Christian, suffering is a part of life. And it's not a bad thing, it is an essential thing in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/suffering-if-you-re-a-christian-suffering-is-a-part-of-life-and-it-s/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Rather than admit a mistake, nations have gone to war, families have separated, and good people have sacrificed everything dear to them. Admitting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ward/rather-than-admit-a-mistake-nations-have-gone-to-war-families-have/) [Don Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ward/) > [Painting is the most magical of mediums. The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/painting-is-the-most-magical-of-mediums-the-transcendence-is-truly/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [I don't know about forgiving, but it's an "I'm still here." And it's not just because I have nowhere else to go. It's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-rankine/i-don-t-know-about-forgiving-but-it-s-an-i-m-still-here-and-it-s-not/) [Claudia Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-rankine/) > [There is no finer way to demonstrate love of God than by serving Him in the positions to which we may be called. Occasionally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/there-is-no-finer-way-to-demonstrate-love-of-god-than-by-serving-him/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) [Browse all 421 Another way quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-way/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In one way, traveling has narrowed my mind. What I have discovered is something very ordinary and unexciting, which is that humans are the same everywhere and that the degree of variation between members of our species is very slight. This is of course an encouraging finding; it helps arm you against news programs back home that show seething or abject masses of either fanatical or torpid people. In another way it is a depressing finding; the sorts of things that make people quarrel and make them stupid are the same everywhere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-mind-what-i-have-discovered-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Another way" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-mind-what-i-have-discovered-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/christopher-hitchens-117_another-way_in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-min_2790301.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In one way, traveling has narrowed my mind. What I have discovered is something very ordinary and…” — Christopher Hitchens", "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": "Christopher Hitchens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In one way, traveling has narrowed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-mind-what-i-have-discovered-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-one-way-traveling-has-narrowed-my-mind-what-i-have-discovered-is/#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 } } ] } ```