--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Australians are decent people with the…" description: "\"Australians are decent people with the right instincts and they wish everybody well; but if all is not well, it is none of their business and they will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/george-mikes-4493_australia_australians-are-decent-people-with-the-r_1761382.png" --- # Australians are decent people with the right instincts and… ![“Australians are decent people with the right instincts and they wish everybody well; but if all is not well, it is none of their business and they will not lose too much sleep over it. The shrug of the shoulders has become - only temporarily, I daresay - the national gesture of Australia.” quote by George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/george-mikes-4493_australia_australians-are-decent-people-with-the-r_1761382.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/george-mikes-4493_australia_australians-are-decent-people-with-the-r_1761382.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/george-mikes-4493_australia_australians-are-decent-people-with-the-r_1761382.png) > “Australians are decent people with the right instincts and they wish everybody well; but if all is not well, it is none of their business and they will not lose too much sleep over it. The shrug of the shoulders has become - only temporarily, I daresay - the national gesture of Australia.” [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Australians tend to be friendly and helpful, but they avoid getting involved in others' problems, preferring personal peace over collective responsibility. **In simple terms:** People are kind but keep distance from others' issues. Key Takeaway Balance caring with healthy boundaries. Themes civility individualism national identity Mood detached pragmatic Type observational cultural commentary When to use this quote - Workplace teamwork - community volunteering - family disputes - political activism Key Concepts Collectivism social responsibility cultural stereotypes Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when to intervene? - What are the costs of disengagement? A Different Perspective May lead to neglect of societal issues needing collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) [Australians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australians/) [Australians Decent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australians-decent-1695409/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Decent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent/) [Decent people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent-people/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Gesture Australia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gesture-australia-1695411/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [National Gesture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-gesture-1695410/) [Over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over-it/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“I don’t think Australians ever use a couple of words when twenty will do just fine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-lothlorien/i-don-t-think-australians-ever-use-a-couple-of-words-when-twenty-will/) [Elle Lothlorien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-lothlorien/) > [Sydney has such a cosmopolitan feel to it. The food is great and Australians are so friendly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-lewis/sydney-has-such-a-cosmopolitan-feel-to-it-the-food-is-great-and/) [Denise Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-lewis/) > [“The very essence of Australia is our lack of sophistication–our refusal to conform to pretension and superficiality. We ought to be upholding our ‘fair-dinkumness’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-macartney-snape/the-very-essence-of-australia-is-our-lack-of-sophistication-our/) [Tim Macartney-Snape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-macartney-snape/) > [Australians aren't really that crazy; in L.A. you get a little crazier. From my experience at least, Aussies don't really care that much about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brody-jenner/australians-aren-t-really-that-crazy-in-l-a-you-get-a-little-crazier/) [Brody Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brody-jenner/) > [As a result of all this hardship, dirt, thirst, and wombats, you would expect Australians to be a dour lot. Instead, they are genial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/as-a-result-of-all-this-hardship-dirt-thirst-and-wombats-you-would/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/if-30-australians-drowned-in-sydney-harbour-it-would-be-a-national/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [There hasn't been that many indigenous Australians who have made it in the pop industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mauboy/there-hasn-t-been-that-many-indigenous-australians-who-have-made-it/) [Jessica Mauboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mauboy/) > [Australians have more fun. They just do. I guess I should not be surprised by this fact given that this is the place that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/australians-have-more-fun-they-just-do-i-guess-i-should-not-be/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [What's fascinating about the Australians is they have this quality that they are impervious to majesty. They're not awed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/what-s-fascinating-about-the-australians-is-they-have-this-quality/) [Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/) > [We moved, and there was a golden era in the '40s when we were so conscious of who we were as Australians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-murphy/we-moved-and-there-was-a-golden-era-in-the-40s-when-we-were-so/) [Graeme Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-murphy/) > [To me, being Australian is about looking after your mates, taking care of the less fortunate, supporting the underdog and enhancing the spirit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-waugh/to-me-being-australian-is-about-looking-after-your-mates-taking-care/) [Steve Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-waugh/) > [If anything, global response to the Rising only confirmed something that many Australians had quietly believed for quite some time: If forced to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/if-anything-global-response-to-the-rising-only-confirmed-something/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [What I appreciated was the fact that the script delved into how Australians were - and still are - condescended to by the English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/what-i-appreciated-was-the-fact-that-the-script-delved-into-how/) [Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/) > [Australia has embraced migrants from all different races, making us one of the most multiracial nations on earth. Most have assimilated and are proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/australia-has-embraced-migrants-from-all-different-races-making-us/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [We are building together a nation in which there are no second-class Australians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/we-are-building-together-a-nation-in-which-there-are-no-second-class/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) ## More by George Mikes > [THE British are brave people. They can face anything, except reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-are-brave-people-they-can-face-anything-except-reality/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [The British suffer from a most unfortunate superiority complex - unjustified even under Victoria and most certainly hopelessly out-of-date today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-suffer-from-a-most-unfortunate-superiority-complex/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Remember that those five hundred words an average Englishman uses are far from being the whole vocabulary of the language. You may learn another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/remember-that-those-five-hundred-words-an-average-englishman-uses-are/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [English humor resembles the Loch Ness Monster in that both are famous but there is a strong suspicion that neither exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/english-humor-resembles-the-loch-ness-monster-in-that-both-are-famous/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“Before you are admitted to British citizenship you are not even considered a natural human being. I looked up the word natural (na’tural) in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/before-you-are-admitted-to-british-citizenship-you-are-not-even/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“In the last century, when a wicked and unworthy subject annoyed the Sultan of Turkey or the Czar of Russia, he had his head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/in-the-last-century-when-a-wicked-and-unworthy-subject-annoyed-the/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“While all this goes on, the English remain staunch believers in equality. Equality is a notion the English have given to humanity. Equality means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/while-all-this-goes-on-the-english-remain-staunch-believers-in/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [I asked many friends if Australian anti-intellectualism was still a living force and they all told me it was. If you are above average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/i-asked-many-friends-if-australian-anti-intellectualism-was-still-a/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Once you start buying first aid kits you start having accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/once-you-start-buying-first-aid-kits-you-start-having-accidents/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“Mr S. got angry. ‘Yes, I do have a son. He’s a good-for-nothing. A dead loss.’ I couldn’t ask which prison he was in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s-a-good-for-nothing-a-dead/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“I have been told that my above-described theory is all wrong and is only due to my Central European conceit, because the English do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/i-have-been-told-that-my-above-described-theory-is-all-wrong-and-is/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Rich people (in Australia) have swimming pools in their gardens but, at least, they do swim in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/rich-people-in-australia-have-swimming-pools-in-their-gardens-but-at/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“An average English house combines all the curses of civilisation with the vicissitudes of life in the open. It is all right to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/an-average-english-house-combines-all-the-curses-of-civilisation-with/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Australia objects to the mini-skirt not on moral but on economic grounds. Australians are no prudes and the lovely, healthy, sporty Australian girls have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/australia-objects-to-the-mini-skirt-not-on-moral-but-on-economic/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [The Art of Conversation could not die in Australia; it never lived. Television did not kill it; there was nothing there to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-art-of-conversation-could-not-die-in-australia-it-never-lived/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Explore all 110 George Mikes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) ## More Australia quotes > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I wanted to have a peaceful married life with my wife, so we both moved to Sydney in Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-roy/i-wanted-to-have-a-peaceful-married-life-with-my-wife-so-we-both/) [Rahul Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-roy/) > [It will be nice to play against Australia. It's a great country, and football is getting bigger and bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-mata/it-will-be-nice-to-play-against-australia-it-s-a-great-country-and/) [Juan Mata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-mata/) > [We don't have any sailors in Australia, we have rowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lexcen/we-don-t-have-any-sailors-in-australia-we-have-rowers/) [Ben Lexcen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lexcen/) > [I think that prosecuting some college kid because she shared a file is a lot like sending somebody to Australia 200 years ago for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-think-that-prosecuting-some-college-kid-because-she-shared-a-file/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Sydney CBD is the eastern city, Parramatta is the central city and Badgerys will be the third city in greater Sydney.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/sydney-cbd-is-the-eastern-city-parramatta-is-the-central-city-and/) [Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/) > [No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/no-matter-what-day-we-celebrate-australia-day-let-s-celebrate-it/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [As a young kid you stay up late to watch the Ashes, getting told off for not being in bed, and dream of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-bairstow/as-a-young-kid-you-stay-up-late-to-watch-the-ashes-getting-told-off/) [Jonny Bairstow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-bairstow/) > [I love coming out to Australia, if it weren't so far away I would go all the time. I've worked with a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erick-morillo/i-love-coming-out-to-australia-if-it-weren-t-so-far-away-i-would-go/) [Erick Morillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erick-morillo/) > [What I appreciated was the fact that the script delved into how Australians were - and still are - condescended to by the English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/what-i-appreciated-was-the-fact-that-the-script-delved-into-how/) [Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/) > [Okay the names 360, I run around tipsy. My fellas in Australia all sit with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/360/okay-the-names-360-i-run-around-tipsy-my-fellas-in-australia-all-sit/) [360](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/360/) > [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/) [Marc Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-morano/) > [I want to be part of the team that wins a Test series in England and Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/i-want-to-be-part-of-the-team-that-wins-a-test-series-in-england-and/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [I was brought up in a Christian home in Australia with a father who was very bold about his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/i-was-brought-up-in-a-christian-home-in-australia-with-a-father-who/) [Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/) [Browse all 1,907 Australia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Australians are decent people with the right instincts and they wish everybody well; but if all is not well, it is none of their business and they will not lose too much sleep over it. 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