--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If he were allowed to contact with…" description: "\"“If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told abou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg" --- # If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would… ![“If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies.” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg) > ““If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies.”” [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. Isolation breeds fear; contact reveals common humanity and exposes false narratives. **In simple terms:** Empathy through interaction Key Takeaway Shared humanity dispels myths Themes humanity prejudice truth communication fear Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - cross‑cultural dialogue - political propaganda - education reform Key Concepts social perception cognitive bias Practical Applications - media literacy programs - diplomatic exchange initiatives Questions to Reflect On - How does personal contact challenge stereotypes? - What mechanisms sustain misinformation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foreigners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners/) [Foreigners Discover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners-discover-742739/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Similar Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/similar-told-1100946/) [Told Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-lies-247283/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [“The average citizen of Oceania never sets eyes on a citizen of either Eurasia or Eastasia, and he is forbidden the knowledge of foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-average-citizen-of-oceania-never-sets-eyes-on-a-citizen-of-either/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Everybody gathered at my Aunt Hannah's house, and we sat around and talked, ate, drank and told lies. That's what people do, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/everybody-gathered-at-my-aunt-hannah-s-house-and-we-sat-around-and/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [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/) > [I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-would-sooner-be-a-foreigner-in-spain-than-in-most-countries-how/) [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/) > [“You've been my teachers, clergy, my fellow students, coworkers, bosses, principals, sometimes you were a former friend or even family I once trusted. You've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-ve-been-my-teachers-clergy-my-fellow-students-coworkers-bosses/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“She glances at each of her three companions, at the protective veneers they’re all wearing, trying to mask the different lies they’ve told one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/she-glances-at-each-of-her-three-companions-at-the-protective-veneers/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [All we are is what we're told, and most of that's been lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goo-goo-dolls/all-we-are-is-what-we-re-told-and-most-of-that-s-been-lies/) [Goo Goo Dolls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goo-goo-dolls/) > [“It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it; but the young know they are wretched for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-is-an-illusion-that-youth-is-happy-an-illusion-of-those-who-have/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [You told me lies, made up goodbyes, youve watched me cry, and so heres my last goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiney-goins/you-told-me-lies-made-up-goodbyes-youve-watched-me-cry-and-so-heres/) [Destiney Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiney-goins/) ## 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 Foreigners quotes > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Do you realize that in the past sixty years, the only foreigners the French have been able to drive out are American tourists?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/do-you-realize-that-in-the-past-sixty-years-the-only-foreigners-the/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [“I don't want foreigners involved in my business. Jinn are one thing but I draw the line at Americans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-willow-wilson/i-don-t-want-foreigners-involved-in-my-business-jinn-are-one-thing/) [G. Willow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-willow-wilson/) > [Nearly all the Gauls are of a lofty stature, white, and of ruddy complexion; terrible from the sternness of their eyes, very quarrelsome, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammianus-marcellinus/nearly-all-the-gauls-are-of-a-lofty-stature-white-and-of-ruddy/) [Ammianus Marcellinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammianus-marcellinus/) > [I'm getting less good at faking it. People in my family are noticing and asking what's wrong. My friends give me invitations to talk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-manning/i-m-getting-less-good-at-faking-it-people-in-my-family-are-noticing/) [Martha Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-manning/) > [Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God, this is the secret of greatness.If you have faith in all the three hundred and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/faith-faith-faith-in-ourselves-faith-faith-in-god-this-is-the-secret/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Half of the time I don't know what they're talking about; their jokes seem to relate to a past that everyone but me has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/half-of-the-time-i-don-t-know-what-they-re-talking-about-their-jokes/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [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/) > [People love to hear the brag of the local boy, because they want him to be great, but the foreigner must deny that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/people-love-to-hear-the-brag-of-the-local-boy-because-they-want-him/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Tapi yang menyenangkan dalam sebuah perjalanan adalah menemukan diri kita sendiri; sebuah rumah yang sesungguhnya. Yang membuat kita tak akan merasa asing meski berada…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/windy-ariestanty/tapi-yang-menyenangkan-dalam-sebuah-perjalanan-adalah-menemukan-diri/) [Windy Ariestanty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/windy-ariestanty/) > [I first went to Barcelona in 1975 after university, and I stayed for three years. I learnt Catalan because that's what everyone speaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-first-went-to-barcelona-in-1975-after-university-and-i-stayed-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [We of alien looks or words must stick together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/we-of-alien-looks-or-words-must-stick-together/) [C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/) > [A foreigner is an individual who is considered either comic or sinister. When the victim of a disaster - preferably natural but sometimes political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/a-foreigner-is-an-individual-who-is-considered-either-comic-or/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [I agree with you, Mr. Chairman, that the working men are the basis of all governments, for the plain reason that they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-agree-with-you-mr-chairman-that-the-working-men-are-the-basis-of/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Modern man is educated to understand foreign languages and misunderstand foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/modern-man-is-educated-to-understand-foreign-languages-and/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 430 Foreigners quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Orwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Foreigners" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/george-orwell-57_foreigners_if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-forei_87898.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If he were allowed to contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself…” — 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": "“If he were allowed to contact...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-he-were-allowed-to-contact-with-foreigners-he-would-discover-that/#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 } } ] } ```