--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parisians are always in a big hurry, but…" description: "\"“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they belong:..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg" --- # Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially… ![“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they belong: in front of you. It’s a whole other story when you’re behind them, especially when it’s their turn: suddenly they seem to have all the time in the…” quote by David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg) > ““Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they belong: in front of you. It’s a whole other story when you’re behind them, especially when it’s their turn: suddenly they seem to have all the time in the world.”” [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parisians prioritize being ahead, viewing time as a status symbol; being behind feels chaotic. **In simple terms:** Being ahead feels urgent; being behind feels calm. Key Takeaway Respect others’ pace and manage expectations. Themes culture time perception status Mood observational reflective Type cultural analytical When to use this quote - travel - customer service - project management - social interactions Key Concepts sociology behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How does your culture view time? - What strategies help when you feel behind? A Different Perspective Cultural generalizations may not apply universally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parisians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parisians/) ## Related quotes > [Love is something that sneaks up on you, one day you turn around and suddenly it is standing there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-something-that-sneaks-up-on-you-one-day-you-turn-around-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Random acts of kindness show that even amidst the hustle and bustle, Paris inhabitants are more welcoming that their reputation gives them credit for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lesage/random-acts-of-kindness-show-that-even-amidst-the-hustle-and-bustle/) [Vicki Lesage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lesage/) > [Parisians won't admit that they go to the gym, let alone that they're scared of terrorists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/parisians-won-t-admit-that-they-go-to-the-gym-let-alone-that-they-re/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [“I was supposed to stay for 3 months. But I think I always knew I would stay a little longer, despite the crazy Frenchies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lesage/i-was-supposed-to-stay-for-3-months-but-i-think-i-always-knew-i-would/) [Vicki Lesage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lesage/) > [“These Parisians came, one from Toulouse, another from Limoges, the third from Cahors, and the fourth from Montauban; but they were students; and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/these-parisians-came-one-from-toulouse-another-from-limoges-the-third/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Paris had more sex than most church-laden places, and more church than most sex-laden places. Parisians crowed about Travail-Famille-Patrie while frequenting brothels. They enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/paris-had-more-sex-than-most-church-laden-places-and-more-church-than/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [“Vampires took offense SO easily—and Parisian vampires were the worst of all.' - The Runaway Queen (The Bane Chronicles, 2) by Cassandra Clare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/vampires-took-offense-so-easily-and-parisian-vampires-were-the-worst/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Paris Syndrome” affects roughly a dozen Japanese tourists every year, who arrive in Paris bearing romantic expectations of the French capital, but end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lindstrom/paris-syndrome-affects-roughly-a-dozen-japanese-tourists-every-year/) [Martin Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lindstrom/) > [“Giveaway T-shirts stretched over monstrous beer bellies. Puffy NFL jackets and porky jowls. Granted, I'm in a bowling alley,but the differences between Americans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/giveaway-t-shirts-stretched-over-monstrous-beer-bellies-puffy-nfl/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [I like Paris. My problem is I don't like Parisians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-martinez/i-like-paris-my-problem-is-i-don-t-like-parisians/) [Olivier Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-martinez/) > [“Many French people were difficult conversationalists. Asking them not only where they were originally from but what they did in life was considered rude—I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/many-french-people-were-difficult-conversationalists-asking-them-not/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“Apparently foreigners were not welcome, or Parisians thought they were superior to all other peoples of the earth. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/apparently-foreigners-were-not-welcome-or-parisians-thought-they-were/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I thought of the fifteen years I lived 'sans papiers' in France and how Paris had belonged to me. I was like a king…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/i-thought-of-the-fifteen-years-i-lived-sans-papiers-in-france-and-how/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“It has become somewhat trite, nowadays, to say that after so many years of destruction it is a kind of miracle that Paris is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/it-has-become-somewhat-trite-nowadays-to-say-that-after-so-many-years/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) > [Parisians are so besotted, so silly and so naturally inept that a street player, a seller of indulgences, a mule with its cymbals,a fiddler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/parisians-are-so-besotted-so-silly-and-so-naturally-inept-that-a/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) ## More by David Lebovitz > [“You never feel more American than when you leave America.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/you-never-feel-more-american-than-when-you-leave-america/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Speciàl" is one of those elusive French words that means something (or someone is...peculiar. The use of it is one of the rare times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/speci-l-is-one-of-those-elusive-french-words-that-means-something-or/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Although I’ve come to love the precision of the “hose” that the French favor for taking a shower, I can’t fathom why many homes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/although-i-ve-come-to-love-the-precision-of-the-hose-that-the-french/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“I attended a dinner party where the hostess kept the bottle of water sequestered under the table, guarded by her feet during the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/i-attended-a-dinner-party-where-the-hostess-kept-the-bottle-of-water/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Shaping the mounds of dough is easiest to do with a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, although you can use two spoons or a pastry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/shaping-the-mounds-of-dough-is-easiest-to-do-with-a-spring-loaded-ice/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“The Bastille, where I live, is best known as the site where the infamous prison was seized and ransacked by the masses, igniting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/the-bastille-where-i-live-is-best-known-as-the-site-where-the/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Although I considered not replacing the dishwasher and resigning myself to the drudgery of hand washing, my painter-pushing friend Randal slapped some sense into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/although-i-considered-not-replacing-the-dishwasher-and-resigning/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) [Explore all 8 David Lebovitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) ## More Parisians quotes > [“Random acts of kindness show that even amidst the hustle and bustle, Paris inhabitants are more welcoming that their reputation gives them credit for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lesage/random-acts-of-kindness-show-that-even-amidst-the-hustle-and-bustle/) [Vicki Lesage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lesage/) > [“It has become somewhat trite, nowadays, to say that after so many years of destruction it is a kind of miracle that Paris is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/it-has-become-somewhat-trite-nowadays-to-say-that-after-so-many-years/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) > [“I thought of the fifteen years I lived 'sans papiers' in France and how Paris had belonged to me. I was like a king…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/i-thought-of-the-fifteen-years-i-lived-sans-papiers-in-france-and-how/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“Apparently foreigners were not welcome, or Parisians thought they were superior to all other peoples of the earth. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/apparently-foreigners-were-not-welcome-or-parisians-thought-they-were/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Many French people were difficult conversationalists. Asking them not only where they were originally from but what they did in life was considered rude—I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/many-french-people-were-difficult-conversationalists-asking-them-not/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I like Paris. My problem is I don't like Parisians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-martinez/i-like-paris-my-problem-is-i-don-t-like-parisians/) [Olivier Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-martinez/) > [“Giveaway T-shirts stretched over monstrous beer bellies. Puffy NFL jackets and porky jowls. Granted, I'm in a bowling alley,but the differences between Americans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/giveaway-t-shirts-stretched-over-monstrous-beer-bellies-puffy-nfl/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“Paris Syndrome” affects roughly a dozen Japanese tourists every year, who arrive in Paris bearing romantic expectations of the French capital, but end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lindstrom/paris-syndrome-affects-roughly-a-dozen-japanese-tourists-every-year/) [Martin Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lindstrom/) > [“Vampires took offense SO easily—and Parisian vampires were the worst of all.' - The Runaway Queen (The Bane Chronicles, 2) by Cassandra Clare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/vampires-took-offense-so-easily-and-parisian-vampires-were-the-worst/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Paris had more sex than most church-laden places, and more church than most sex-laden places. Parisians crowed about Travail-Famille-Patrie while frequenting brothels. They enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/paris-had-more-sex-than-most-church-laden-places-and-more-church-than/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [“These Parisians came, one from Toulouse, another from Limoges, the third from Cahors, and the fourth from Montauban; but they were students; and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/these-parisians-came-one-from-toulouse-another-from-limoges-the-third/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“I was supposed to stay for 3 months. But I think I always knew I would stay a little longer, despite the crazy Frenchies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lesage/i-was-supposed-to-stay-for-3-months-but-i-think-i-always-knew-i-would/) [Vicki Lesage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lesage/) > [Parisians won't admit that they go to the gym, let alone that they're scared of terrorists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/parisians-won-t-admit-that-they-go-to-the-gym-let-alone-that-they-re/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [Parisians are so besotted, so silly and so naturally inept that a street player, a seller of indulgences, a mule with its cymbals,a fiddler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/parisians-are-so-besotted-so-silly-and-so-naturally-inept-that-a/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [People are often frightened of Parisians, but an American in Paris will find no harsher critic than another American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/people-are-often-frightened-of-parisians-but-an-american-in-paris/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) [Browse all 23 Parisians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parisians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they belong: in front of you. It’s a whole other story when you’re behind them, especially when it’s their turn: suddenly they seem to have all the time in the world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Lebovitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but-are-especially-frantic-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Parisians" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but-are-especially-frantic-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/david-lebovitz-45906_parisians_parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but_2832409.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to…” — David Lebovitz", "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": "David Lebovitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Parisians are always in a big...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but-are-especially-frantic-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/parisians-are-always-in-a-big-hurry-but-are-especially-frantic-if/#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 } } ] } ```