---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The West Indian is not exactly hostile to…"
description: "\"“The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he is not much inclined to believe in it. This comes from a piece of wisdom that his climate of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/herman-wouk-7342_caribbean_the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-t_134084.jpg"
---

#  The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he…

![“The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he is not much inclined to believe in it. This comes from a piece of wisdom that his climate of eternal summer teaches him. It is that, under all the parade of human effort and noise, today is like yesterday, and tomorrow will be like today…” quote by Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/herman-wouk-7342_caribbean_the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-t_134084.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/herman-wouk-7342_caribbean_the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-t_134084.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/herman-wouk-7342_caribbean_the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-t_134084.jpg)

> ““The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he is not much inclined to believe in it. This comes from a piece of wisdom that his climate of eternal summer teaches him. It is that, under all the parade of human effort and noise, today is like yesterday, and tomorrow will be like today; that existence is a wheel of recurring patterns from which no one escapes; that all anybody does in this life is live for a while and then die for good, without finding out much; and that therefore the idea is to take things easy and enjoy the passing time under the sun. The white people charging hopefully around the islands these days in the noon glare, making deals, bulldozing airstrips, hammering up hotels, laying out marinas, opening new banks, night clubs, and gift shops, are to him merely a passing plague. They have come before and gone before.””

[Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-wouk/)

## About This Quote

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

West Indians view change skeptically, seeing life as a repetitive wheel, while outsiders bring fleeting developments that seem temporary.

**In simple terms:** Change is seen as fleeting and repetitive.

Key Takeaway

Recognize cultural perspectives on progress.

Themes

cultural perception change impermanence colonial impact

Mood

reflective critical observational

Type

cultural historical

When to use this quote

- tourism
- development projects
- historical analysis

Key Concepts

anthropology social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does climate shape attitudes?
- What role do outsiders play in local change?

A Different Perspective

May generalize a diverse region.

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[Caribbean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caribbean/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Hopefully Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopefully-islands-1530264/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-today-430005/) [Modernity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernity/) [Passing Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-time/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Today Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-existence-1530266/) [Tropics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tropics/) [West Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-indian-380373/) [West indies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-indies/) [White people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-people/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Yesterday and tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday-and-tomorrow/)

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