---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It…"
description: "\"The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It has narrowed everyone's horizons in Whitehall so they're not thinking about the big things in the world. They're..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg"
---

#  The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It has narrowed…

![“The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It has narrowed everyone's horizons in Whitehall so they're not thinking about the big things in the world. They're not thinking about the forces changing it or what Britain can really do to contribute to them.” quote by Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg)

> “The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It has narrowed everyone's horizons in Whitehall so they're not thinking about the big things in the world. They're not thinking about the forces changing it or what Britain can really do to contribute to them.”

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The EU limits perspective, causing officials to focus on narrow, immediate concerns rather than broader global challenges and opportunities.

**In simple terms:** EU narrows focus, limiting big‑picture thinking.

Key Takeaway

Broaden outlook beyond EU constraints.

Themes

politics globalism policy perspective

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- government planning
- foreign policy
- public discourse
- academic analysis

Key Concepts

institutional inertia strategic thinking geopolitics

Questions to Reflect On

- How might wider global thinking improve national policy?
- What alternatives exist to expand perspective?

A Different Perspective

EU membership also offers resources and collaborative benefits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Big things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-things/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I am grateful that my horizons were not narrowed at the outset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/i-am-grateful-that-my-horizons-were-not-narrowed-at-the-outset/)

[Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/)

> [President Barack Obama is a doer. And we in America will do big things with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hunt/president-barack-obama-is-a-doer-and-we-in-america-will-do-big-things/)

[Jim Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hunt/)

> [“When it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are-no-accidents-everything/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“He wanted me to understand two big things: First, that nobody, no group, is above others. Public servants are obliged to level with everybody,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/he-wanted-me-to-understand-two-big-things-first-that-nobody-no-group/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [I promise you this: at the end of your days, you will discover that the things you now perceive to be the big things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/i-promise-you-this-at-the-end-of-your-days-you-will-discover-that-the/)

[Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/)

> [The little things are being early to meetings and lifts, stretching and warming up - doing all these things consistently, the walk-throughs that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-herbert/the-little-things-are-being-early-to-meetings-and-lifts-stretching/)

[Justin Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-herbert/)

> [The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-little-things-i-can-obey-but-the-big-things-how-we-think-what-we/)

[Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/)

> [ITS FUNNY HOW YOU CAN MAKE SILENT HAPPINESS TO OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR NONE SENSE ACTIONS. BECAUSE SOMETHINGS IT MAYBE LITTLE AS WE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/its-funny-how-you-can-make-silent-happiness-to-other-people-out-of/)

NO VOICE

> [Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-dale-bell/show-me-a-man-who-cannot-bother-to-do-little-things-and-i-ll-show-you/)

Lawrence Dale Bell

> [It's silly to have as one's sole object in life just making money, accumulating wealth. I work because I enjoy what I'm doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/it-s-silly-to-have-as-one-s-sole-object-in-life-just-making-money/)

[Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/)

> [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [I would not have lasted a minute, literally a minute, on this Earth without God and angels by my side, because I was born.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-would-not-have-lasted-a-minute-literally-a-minute-on-this-earth/)

[Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/)

> [Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/little-things-make-the-difference-everyone-is-well-prepared-in-the/)

[Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/)

> [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/)

[Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/)

> [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/)

[Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/)

## More by Dominic Cummings

> [The reason why Whitehall is full of people failing in predictable ways on an hourly basis is because, first, there is general system-wide failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-reason-why-whitehall-is-full-of-people-failing-in-predictable/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [The audience for facts, evidence and research about microtargeting, Facebook and Brexit is tiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-audience-for-facts-evidence-and-research-about-microtargeting/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [In the commercial world, big companies mostly die within a few decades because they cannot maintain an internal system to keep them aligned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/in-the-commercial-world-big-companies-mostly-die-within-a-few-decades/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Physicists and mathematicians regularly invade other fields but other fields do not invade theirs so we can see which fields are hardest for very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/physicists-and-mathematicians-regularly-invade-other-fields-but-other/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Fundamental to real expertise is 1: whether the informational structure of the environment is sufficiently regular that it's possible to make good predictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/fundamental-to-real-expertise-is-1-whether-the-informational/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [The panic over Sputnik brought many good things such as a huge increase in science funding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-panic-over-sputnik-brought-many-good-things-such-as-a-huge/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [In history books, luck is always underplayed and the talent of individuals is usually overplayed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/in-history-books-luck-is-always-underplayed-and-the-talent-of/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Changing the world in a profound and beneficial way is not enough to put a dint in bureaucracies which operate on their own dynamics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/changing-the-world-in-a-profound-and-beneficial-way-is-not-enough-to/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [I make judgments about people and ideas individually - for me, parties are just a vehicle of convenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/i-make-judgments-about-people-and-ideas-individually-for-me-parties/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Usually in politics everything is done on hunches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/usually-in-politics-everything-is-done-on-hunches/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Technology enables people to improve communication with unprecedented speed, scale and iterative testing. It also allows people to wreak chaos with high leverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/technology-enables-people-to-improve-communication-with-unprecedented/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [If you want to avoid the usual fate in politics of failure, you need to understand some basic principles about why people make mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/if-you-want-to-avoid-the-usual-fate-in-politics-of-failure-you-need/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [It is hard to change people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/it-is-hard-to-change-people-s-minds/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Music is similar to sport. There is very fast feedback, learning, and a clear hierarchy of expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/music-is-similar-to-sport-there-is-very-fast-feedback-learning-and-a/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [MPs have no real knowledge of how to function other than via gimmick and briefings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/mps-have-no-real-knowledge-of-how-to-function-other-than-via-gimmick/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

[Explore all 100 Dominic Cummings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

## More Big quotes

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [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/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/)

[Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/)

> [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/)

[Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/)

> [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/)

[Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/)

> [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/)

[Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/)

> [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/)

[Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/)

> [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/)

[Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/)

> [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/)

[Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/)

Browse all 12,477 Big quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It has narrowed everyone's horizons in Whitehall so they're not thinking about the big things in the world. They're not thinking about the forces changing it or what Britain can really do to contribute to them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dominic Cummings"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has-narrowed-everyone-s-horizons/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Big"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has-narrowed-everyone-s-horizons/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60d/dominic-cummings-5896_big_the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has_1692647.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The E.U. has narrowed our horizons. It has narrowed everyone's horizons in Whitehall so they're not thinking…” — Dominic Cummings",
                "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": "Dominic Cummings",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The E.U. has narrowed our horizons....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has-narrowed-everyone-s-horizons/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-e-u-has-narrowed-our-horizons-it-has-narrowed-everyone-s-horizons/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
