---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The simple and astonishing truth about…"
description: "\"The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides you more wisely ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png"
---

#  The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian…

![“The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides you more wisely than your head. There's nowhere else in the world where that's quite so true.” quote by Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png)

> “The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides you more wisely than your head. There's nowhere else in the world where that's quite so true.”

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote suggests that emotional intuition often outperforms rational analysis when interacting with Indian culture, implying a deep, relational understanding that guides decisions.

**In simple terms:** Emotion trumps logic in India.

Key Takeaway

Trust intuition over analysis.

Themes

cultural intuition emotional intelligence cross‑cultural interaction human connection decision making

Mood

warmth curiosity respect

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- business negotiations in India
- travel experiences
- team collaboration with Indian colleagues

Key Concepts

intuition cultural norms relationship building

Practical Applications

- Design culturally‑aware negotiation strategies
- Create empathy‑focused onboarding for Indian teams

Questions to Reflect On

- How might relying on intuition change outcomes in cross‑cultural settings?
- When could logical analysis still be essential?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Guides Wisely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides-wisely-312694/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [India Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india-indian-312692/) [Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian/) [Indian people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-india-312693/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is-2/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Those who want to destroy the unity of India are enemies of India, Indian people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-stalin/those-who-want-to-destroy-the-unity-of-india-are-enemies-of-india/)

[M. K. Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-k-stalin/)

> [“You can take an Indian out of India, but you can never take India out of an Indian”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-indian/you-can-take-an-indian-out-of-india-but-you-can-never-take-india-out/)

[An Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-indian/)

> [Nobody who has done business in any country with an Indian would doubt the shrewdness of Indians, but what Indian people bring to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/nobody-who-has-done-business-in-any-country-with-an-indian-would/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/)

[Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/)

> [Children in poverty aren't trying to get out of poverty; they're just trying to rip off a pair of Nikes. So we Indian people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/children-in-poverty-aren-t-trying-to-get-out-of-poverty-they-re-just/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [India brings out so many different feelings in me. I've been fascinated with India and Indian culture as long as I can remember -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/india-brings-out-so-many-different-feelings-in-me-i-ve-been/)

[Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/)

> [HE IS PRIME MANISTER OF INDIA INDIAN ARE PROUD OF HIM…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-rana/he-is-prime-manister-of-india-indian-are-proud-of-him/)

[Rohit Rana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-rana/)

> [There's such a want for Indian people to be represented in large scale movies. Hopefully, it will happen more and more, whether it's with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-soni/there-s-such-a-want-for-indian-people-to-be-represented-in-large/)

[Karan Soni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-soni/)

> [I've learned that for Indian people, the opportunity for us to succeed is very slim. So acting was a great tool for that. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-beach/i-ve-learned-that-for-indian-people-the-opportunity-for-us-to-succeed/)

[Adam Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-beach/)

> [Usually the Indian people are outsiders who have to look up at the people who look down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-gonzalez/usually-the-indian-people-are-outsiders-who-have-to-look-up-at-the/)

[Luis Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-gonzalez/)

> [She was mother not only to me but to the whole nation. She served the Indian people to the last drop of her blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/she-was-mother-not-only-to-me-but-to-the-whole-nation-she-served-the/)

[Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/)

> [I had been a radical, a left-wing politico, and meeting the Indian people made me realize that the politics of the left and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/i-had-been-a-radical-a-left-wing-politico-and-meeting-the-indian/)

[Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/)

> [“We Indian people, we look at the people more poor, more low, more hard than us and we be thanking God we are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-macdonald/we-indian-people-we-look-at-the-people-more-poor-more-low-more-hard/)

[Sarah Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-macdonald/)

> [When I first came to Harvard, I thought to myself, 'What kind of an Indian am I?' because I did not grow up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-laduke/when-i-first-came-to-harvard-i-thought-to-myself-what-kind-of-an/)

[Winona LaDuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-laduke/)

## More by Gregory David Roberts

> [I think the novel form chose me. I was a writer before I became a criminal... my first instinct was to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-think-the-novel-form-chose-me-i-was-a-writer-before-i-became-a/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“Men are just men - it is what they do, or refuse to do, that links them to good and evil. The truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/men-are-just-men-it-is-what-they-do-or-refuse-to-do-that-links-them/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Indians are the Italians of Asia and vice versa. Every man in both countries is a singer when he is happy, and every woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/indians-are-the-italians-of-asia-and-vice-versa-every-man-in-both/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [A lot of bad stuff in the world wasn’t really that bad until someone tried to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/a-lot-of-bad-stuff-in-the-world-wasn-t-really-that-bad-until-someone/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Of course I wanted to know. I was a writer. I wanted to know everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/of-course-i-wanted-to-know-i-was-a-writer-i-wanted-to-know-everything/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/sometimes-we-love-with-nothing-more-than-hope-sometimes-we-cry-with/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Love is the passionate search for a truth other than your own; and once you feel it, honestly and completely, love is forever..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/love-is-the-passionate-search-for-a-truth-other-than-your-own-and/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“I know now that it's the sweet, sweating smell of hope, which is opposite of hate; and it's the sour, stifled smell of greed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-know-now-that-it-s-the-sweet-sweating-smell-of-hope-which-is/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I don't know what frightens me more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-don-t-know-what-frightens-me-more/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“I hesitated. Karla once said that men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-hesitated-karla-once-said-that-men-reveal-what-they-think-when-they/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [you can't kill love. you can't even kill it with hate. you can kill in-love, and loving, and even loveliness. you can kill them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/you-can-t-kill-love-you-can-t-even-kill-it-with-hate-you-can-kill-in/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Some loves are like that. Your heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/some-loves-are-like-that-your-heart-starts-to-feel-like-an/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [I sometimes think that the size of our happiness is inversely proportional to the size of our house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-sometimes-think-that-the-size-of-our-happiness-is-inversely/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [“Love survives in us precisely because it isn't wise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/love-survives-in-us-precisely-because-it-isn-t-wise/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

[Explore all 276 Gregory David Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

## More Deals quotes

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [When you reach that competing point, when you reach that time when the gun is about to go off, everyone's level is pretty much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/when-you-reach-that-competing-point-when-you-reach-that-time-when-the/)

[Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [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/)

> [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/)

[Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [I don't really resent being on the red carpet as much as I do having to deal with the paparazzi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-don-t-really-resent-being-on-the-red-carpet-as-much-as-i-do-having/)

[Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/)

> [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/)

[Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/)

> [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate, and glorify the obvious - because the obvious is what people need to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-deal-with-the-obvious-i-present-reiterate-and-glorify-the-obvious/)

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

> [But when you have to deal with notes, and to be able to make a full definition of what a sound is - if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-brown/but-when-you-have-to-deal-with-notes-and-to-be-able-to-make-a-full/)

[Dennis Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-brown/)

[Browse all 7,121 Deals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides you more wisely than your head. There's nowhere else in the world where that's quite so true.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gregory David Roberts"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Deals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/gregory-david-roberts-1039_deals_the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-i_6223.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with…” — Gregory David Roberts",
                "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": "Gregory David Roberts",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The simple and astonishing truth about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
