--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first came to Canada, I thought it…" description: "\"“When I first came to Canada, I thought it was going to be easy to be a Canadian; like so many stupid Americans, I pictured Canada as simply some north..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg" --- # When I first came to Canada, I thought it was going to be… ![“When I first came to Canada, I thought it was going to be easy to be a Canadian; like so many stupid Americans, I pictured Canada as simply some northern, colder, possibly more provincial region of the United States-I imagined it would be like moving to Maine, or Minnesota.” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg) > ““When I first came to Canada, I thought it was going to be easy to be a Canadian; like so many stupid Americans, I pictured Canada as simply some northern, colder, possibly more provincial region of the United States-I imagined it would be like moving to Maine, or Minnesota.”” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He expected Canada to be similar to northern US states, underestimating its distinct identity. **In simple terms:** He thought Canada was just a colder US region. Key Takeaway Research cultural differences before moving. Themes culture expectation identity Mood curious open‑minded Type reflective informative When to use this quote - relocating - travel planning - cultural immersion Key Concepts national identity stereotype immigration Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you hold about new places? - How can you verify them? A Different Perspective Assumptions can lead to disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Came Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-canada-1953817/) [Canada Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada-thought-2304803/) [Canadian Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canadian-like-3867675/) [Maine Minnesota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maine-minnesota-3867677/) [Pictured Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pictured-canada-3867676/) ## Related quotes > [“God, you’re so cute. I dated a Canadian like you once. Dirty and creative but unbelievably polite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-g-alexander/god-you-re-so-cute-i-dated-a-canadian-like-you-once-dirty-and/) [R.G. Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-g-alexander/) > [Canada evolved within the British Empire: it inherited the Parliamentary system, the Cabinet system and all the other features of the British constitutional system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stockwell-day/canada-evolved-within-the-british-empire-it-inherited-the/) [Stockwell Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stockwell-day/) > [There's still a lot of Americans who think that those who perpetrated the attacks on 9/11 came from Canada, which is absolutely and totally incorrect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fadden/there-s-still-a-lot-of-americans-who-think-that-those-who-perpetrated/) [Richard Fadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fadden/) > [We came to a great country like Canada that took us in, which is amazing looking back at it. At that time, I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/we-came-to-a-great-country-like-canada-that-took-us-in-which-is/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [I came to Canada at a young age and I've been here for most of my life, so being able to play for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/i-came-to-canada-at-a-young-age-and-i-ve-been-here-for-most-of-my/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [My wife and I came to Canada for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and we really liked the B.C. lifestyle and environment. The following year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-brown/my-wife-and-i-came-to-canada-for-the-1994-commonwealth-games-and-we/) [Jonathan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-brown/) > [I came from Canada, where it's freezing cold for seven months out of the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachelle-lefevre/i-came-from-canada-where-it-s-freezing-cold-for-seven-months-out-of/) [Rachelle Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachelle-lefevre/) > [I came from Canada when I was about 10 years old, and our family settled in Cleveland, Ohio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-shuster/i-came-from-canada-when-i-was-about-10-years-old-and-our-family/) [Joe Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-shuster/) > [We came to Canada as refugees from Africa and worked hard for everything we have. I think my life can show people that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/we-came-to-canada-as-refugees-from-africa-and-worked-hard-for/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [Yeah, I'm a young immigrant and I came to Canada with nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-balshe/yeah-i-m-a-young-immigrant-and-i-came-to-canada-with-nothing/) [Ahmad Balshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-balshe/) > [Not until I came to Canada did I realize that snow was a four-letter word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/not-until-i-came-to-canada-did-i-realize-that-snow-was-a-four-letter/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [My parents are two academics that came to Canada to pursue academic opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simu-liu/my-parents-are-two-academics-that-came-to-canada-to-pursue-academic/) [Simu Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simu-liu/) > [I was born in India, and we came from a poor family and lived in a rural village. My dad came over to Canada…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/i-was-born-in-india-and-we-came-from-a-poor-family-and-lived-in-a/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) ## More by John Irving > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-desire-to-never-leave-your-side-the-desire-to-never-see-you-again/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“God, I think I just hit a high E-flat - and I really held it!" Esmeralda said, after one of her more prolonged orgasms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/god-i-think-i-just-hit-a-high-e-flat-and-i-really-held-it-esmeralda/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nostalgia!" Miss Frost cried. "You´re nostalgic!" She repeated. "Just how old are you, William?" She asked. "Seventeen, " I told her. "Seventeen!" Miss Frost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/nostalgia-miss-frost-cried-you-re-nostalgic-she-repeated-just-how-old/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is much easier to be flexible about where a story begins than it ever was for me to change my mind about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-is-much-easier-to-be-flexible-about-where-a-story-begins-than-it/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Explore all 641 John Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More Came Canada quotes > [There's still a lot of Americans who think that those who perpetrated the attacks on 9/11 came from Canada, which is absolutely and totally incorrect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fadden/there-s-still-a-lot-of-americans-who-think-that-those-who-perpetrated/) [Richard Fadden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fadden/) > [My parents are two academics that came to Canada to pursue academic opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simu-liu/my-parents-are-two-academics-that-came-to-canada-to-pursue-academic/) [Simu Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simu-liu/) > [Not until I came to Canada did I realize that snow was a four-letter word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/not-until-i-came-to-canada-did-i-realize-that-snow-was-a-four-letter/) [Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/) > [Yeah, I'm a young immigrant and I came to Canada with nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-balshe/yeah-i-m-a-young-immigrant-and-i-came-to-canada-with-nothing/) [Ahmad Balshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-balshe/) > [We came to Canada as refugees from Africa and worked hard for everything we have. I think my life can show people that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/we-came-to-canada-as-refugees-from-africa-and-worked-hard-for/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [I came from Canada when I was about 10 years old, and our family settled in Cleveland, Ohio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-shuster/i-came-from-canada-when-i-was-about-10-years-old-and-our-family/) [Joe Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-shuster/) > [I came from Canada, where it's freezing cold for seven months out of the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachelle-lefevre/i-came-from-canada-where-it-s-freezing-cold-for-seven-months-out-of/) [Rachelle Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachelle-lefevre/) > [My wife and I came to Canada for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and we really liked the B.C. lifestyle and environment. The following year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-brown/my-wife-and-i-came-to-canada-for-the-1994-commonwealth-games-and-we/) [Jonathan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-brown/) > [I came to Canada at a young age and I've been here for most of my life, so being able to play for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/i-came-to-canada-at-a-young-age-and-i-ve-been-here-for-most-of-my/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [We came to a great country like Canada that took us in, which is amazing looking back at it. At that time, I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/we-came-to-a-great-country-like-canada-that-took-us-in-which-is/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [I was born in India, and we came from a poor family and lived in a rural village. My dad came over to Canada…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/i-was-born-in-india-and-we-came-from-a-poor-family-and-lived-in-a/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) [Browse all 12 Came Canada quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-canada-1953817/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I first came to Canada, I thought it was going to be easy to be a Canadian; like so many stupid Americans, I pictured Canada as simply some northern, colder, possibly more provincial region of the United States-I imagined it would be like moving to Maine, or Minnesota.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it-was-going-to-be-easy-to-be-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Came Canada" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it-was-going-to-be-easy-to-be-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/john-irving-337_came-canada_when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it_441034.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I first came to Canada, I thought it was going to be easy to be a Canadian; like so many stupid…” — John Irving", "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": "John Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When I first came to Canada,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it-was-going-to-be-easy-to-be-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/when-i-first-came-to-canada-i-thought-it-was-going-to-be-easy-to-be-a/#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 } } ] } ```