---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain…"
description: "\"I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!\" — George Orwell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg"
---

#  I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most…

![“I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg)

> “I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!”

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

## About This Quote

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

Spain’s culture makes it unusually easy to form friendships, highlighting the country’s welcoming social atmosphere.

**In simple terms:** Spain makes making friends easy.

Key Takeaway

Spend time in Spain to experience its friendly social environment.

Themes

friendship culture social ease hospitality

Mood

warm curious

Type

travel cultural commentary

When to use this quote

- traveling abroad
- studying overseas
- working in Spain
- language immersion
- expat communities

Key Concepts

social bonding cultural openness expatriate life

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes Spanish friendships feel so natural?
- How can you cultivate lasting bonds beyond initial ease?

A Different Perspective

Friendship may be superficial without deeper cultural understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Countries Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries-easy-2681249/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Foreigner Spain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigner-spain-2681247/) [Foreigners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners/) [Friends Spain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-spain-2681248/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Make Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-friends-284705/) [Spain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spain/)

## Related quotes

> [And I say that Your Highnesses ought not to consent that any foreigner does business or sets foot here, except Christian Catholics, since this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-i-say-that-your-highnesses-ought-not-to-consent-that-any/)

[Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/)

> [If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that-2/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“and he is forbidden the knowledge of foreign languages. If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-he-is-forbidden-the-knowledge-of-foreign-languages-if-he-were/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“War prisoners apart, the average citizen of Oceania never sets eyes on a citizen of either Eurasia or Eastasia, and he is forbidden the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/war-prisoners-apart-the-average-citizen-of-oceania-never-sets-eyes-on/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Football, a game in which everyone gets hurt and every nation has its own style of play which seems unfair to foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/football-a-game-in-which-everyone-gets-hurt-and-every-nation-has-its/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“The Spaniards are good at many things, but not at making war. All foreigners are alike appalled by their inefficiency, above all their maddening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-spaniards-are-good-at-many-things-but-not-at-making-war-all/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [All people who have reached the point of becoming nations tend to despise foreigners, but there is not much doubt that the English-speaking races…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-people-who-have-reached-the-point-of-becoming-nations-tend-to/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I have the most evil memories of Spain, but I have very few bad memories of Spaniards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-have-the-most-evil-memories-of-spain-but-i-have-very-few-bad/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Except for the small revolutionary groups which exist in all countries, the whole world was determined upon preventing revolution in Spain. In particular the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/except-for-the-small-revolutionary-groups-which-exist-in-all/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I'm not trying to make friends, I'm just trying to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-leary/i-m-not-trying-to-make-friends-i-m-just-trying-to-make-money/)

[Kevin O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-o-leary/)

> [A big part of why I wanted to go to college is to meet people and make friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-cosgrove/a-big-part-of-why-i-wanted-to-go-to-college-is-to-meet-people-and/)

[Miranda Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-cosgrove/)

> [A sense of humor saves your life, and being able to make friends wherever you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-o-mara/a-sense-of-humor-saves-your-life-and-being-able-to-make-friends/)

[Jason O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-o-mara/)

> [You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/you-can-make-more-friends-in-two-months-by-becoming-more-interested/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

## More by George Orwell

> [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/)

> [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“The actual writing would be easy. All he had to do was to transfer to paper the interminable restless monologue that had been running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-actual-writing-would-be-easy-all-he-had-to-do-was-to-transfer-to/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-felt-as-though-he-were-wandering-in-the-forests-of-the-sea-bottom/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“if you took 1 Corinthians, chapter thirteen, and in every verse wrote 'money' instead of 'charity', the chapter had ten times as much meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-took-1-corinthians-chapter-thirteen-and-in-every-verse-wrote/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Happiness can exist only in acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/happiness-can-exist-only-in-acceptance/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“Whitman himself "accepted" a great deal that his contemporaries found unmentionable. For he is not only writing of the prairie, he also wanders through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/whitman-himself-accepted-a-great-deal-that-his-contemporaries-found/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Whatever the Party holds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/but-i-tell-you-winston-that-reality-is-not-external-reality-exists-in/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“And the people under the sky were also very much the same...everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-people-under-the-sky-were-also-very-much-the-same-everywhere/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/don-t-you-see-that-the-whole-aim-of-newspeak-is-to-narrow-the-range/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on--that is, badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/windmill-or-no-windmill-he-said-life-would-go-on-as-it-had-always/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/man-is-the-only-creature-that-consumes-without-producing-he-does-not/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“Any writer or journalist who wants to retain his integrity finds himself thwarted by the general drift of society rather than by active persecution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/any-writer-or-journalist-who-wants-to-retain-his-integrity-finds/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

[Explore all 1,657 George Orwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

## More Country quotes

> [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/)

[Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/)

[Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/)

[Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/)

> [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/)

> ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/)

[Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/)

> [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/)

[Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/)

[Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Orwell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-than-in-most-countries-how/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Country"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-than-in-most-countries-how/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22b/george-orwell-57_country_i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-t_1072748.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!” — George Orwell",
                "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": "George Orwell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would sooner be a foreigner...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-than-in-most-countries-how/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-than-in-most-countries-how/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
