--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in Britain before it became a…" description: "\"I grew up in Britain before it became a multicultural place, so in many ways I have a nostalgia for an England that's vanished - the England of my chil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg" --- # I grew up in Britain before it became a multicultural… ![“I grew up in Britain before it became a multicultural place, so in many ways I have a nostalgia for an England that's vanished - the England of my childhood has actually disappeared.” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg) > “I grew up in Britain before it became a multicultural place, so in many ways I have a nostalgia for an England that's vanished - the England of my childhood has actually disappeared.” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author reflects on lost cultural identity and nostalgic longing for a vanished England. **In simple terms:** Nostalgia for a changing homeland. Key Takeaway Embrace present diversity. Themes memory nostalgia identity Mood reflective melancholic Type essay personal When to use this quote - personal essays - public speaking - teaching Key Concepts cultural change personal history migration Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your past shape your present? - How can you honor memory while embracing change? A Different Perspective Nostalgia can hinder adaptation to new realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Britain Multicultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain-multicultural-5377984/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [England Vanished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england-vanished-5377982/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-up/) [Multicultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multicultural/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Nostalgia England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia-england-5377981/) [Vanished England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanished-england-5377983/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Britain is multicultural and it will become more multicultural, not less, and you have to think about who is on your team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/britain-is-multicultural-and-it-will-become-more-multicultural-not/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [New York is one of the greatest cities in the world. It is a fitting host to its many international visitors, who can come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/new-york-is-one-of-the-greatest-cities-in-the-world-it-is-a-fitting/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [Well, it's like, the neighborhood I grew up in is very multicultural. It goes from Chinese to white to black to Jamaican, everything, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nav/well-it-s-like-the-neighborhood-i-grew-up-in-is-very-multicultural-it/) [Nav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nav/) > [I really feel that I had a genuinely diverse, multicultural upbringing, and I just don't find New York to be quite as diverse. Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-ejogo/i-really-feel-that-i-had-a-genuinely-diverse-multicultural-upbringing/) [Carmen Ejogo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-ejogo/) > [In world history, those who have helped to build the same culture are not necessarily of one race, and those of the same race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/in-world-history-those-who-have-helped-to-build-the-same-culture-are/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [I feel it's my duty as a human being, as a person who is trying - like everybody else who thinks about the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-feel-it-s-my-duty-as-a-human-being-as-a-person-who-is-trying-like/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Barcelona is an open and multicultural city. It's brimming with a very special creative energy. If you pay attention, you may be easily inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/barcelona-is-an-open-and-multicultural-city-it-s-brimming-with-a-very/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [I never would like to be a country that is that multicultural that, for instance, the Islamic values become more dominant. We should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/i-never-would-like-to-be-a-country-that-is-that-multicultural-that/) [Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/) > [When I say Afro-American aesthetic, I'm not just talking about the United States, I'm talking about the Americas. People in the Latin countries read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/when-i-say-afro-american-aesthetic-i-m-not-just-talking-about-the/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [In a multicultural, diverse society there are countless ways in which people negotiate the everyday lived experience and reality of diversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randa-abdel-fattah/in-a-multicultural-diverse-society-there-are-countless-ways-in-which/) [Randa Abdel-Fattah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randa-abdel-fattah/) > [“Although people all over the world pray in different ways, it is to each heart the most precious light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-york-lumbard/although-people-all-over-the-world-pray-in-different-ways-it-is-to/) [Alexis York Lumbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-york-lumbard/) > [Pat Buchanan... was fired by MSNBC for doing nothing more than voicing his rock-solid conservative thoughts on the otherwise failing network... The real message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/pat-buchanan-was-fired-by-msnbc-for-doing-nothing-more-than-voicing/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I want to engage people in an honest, enlightened, and provocative conversation about the nature of erotic desire and the intricacies of intimacy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-want-to-engage-people-in-an-honest-enlightened-and-provocative/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Some say there is no uniquely Canadian identity, that our multicultural fabric is too varied to establish a common thread. I disagree. My grandfather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kielburger/some-say-there-is-no-uniquely-canadian-identity-that-our/) [Craig Kielburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kielburger/) > [Speaking more than one language and living in a multicultural family and environment did not seem like anything but what it was: the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/speaking-more-than-one-language-and-living-in-a-multicultural-family/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More Britain quotes > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [In Britain, the press want to kill a show by revealing what's coming up and spoiling the pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/in-britain-the-press-want-to-kill-a-show-by-revealing-what-s-coming/) [Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/) > [If we don't like modern Britain, then it is very unlikely that modern Britain will like us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/if-we-don-t-like-modern-britain-then-it-is-very-unlikely-that-modern/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [It is time Britain put its trust back into the Labour Party. I believe I am the candidate that can make this happen precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/it-is-time-britain-put-its-trust-back-into-the-labour-party-i-believe/) [Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/) > [Britain has the IRA and no one cancels concerts there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-osbourne/britain-has-the-ira-and-no-one-cancels-concerts-there/) [Sharon Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-osbourne/) > [The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/the-establishment-in-britain-is-certainly-against-the-arts-and/) [Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/) > [We from every religion feel comfortable in Britain because there is a host. The Church of England is a good host, it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-from-every-religion-feel-comfortable-in-britain-because-there-is-a/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [I am the last of Britain's stately homos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-am-the-last-of-britain-s-stately-homos/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [ As for whether what happened in Britain improves\[Donald\] Trump's chances of winning, I don't think so. He has the same chances; we may just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-michael-cillizza/as-for-whether-what-happened-in-britain-improves-donald-trump-s/) [Christopher Michael Cillizza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-michael-cillizza/) > [Britain, like other European states, is not and never will again be in the top-world-power league, so its male leaders can afford to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/britain-like-other-european-states-is-not-and-never-will-again-be-in/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It was very hard breaking into the film industry in Britain. I had been to art school, and I was painting and doing commercials.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/it-was-very-hard-breaking-into-the-film-industry-in-britain-i-had/) [Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/) > [Germany has always stood for an E.U. of the 27 countries. But in light of Britain's continued resistance to further integration steps, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/germany-has-always-stood-for-an-e-u-of-the-27-countries-but-in-light/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) [Browse all 1,648 Britain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up in Britain before it became a multicultural place, so in many ways I have a nostalgia for an England that's vanished - the England of my childhood has actually disappeared.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a-multicultural-place-so-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Britain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a-multicultural-place-so-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_britain_i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a_2290181.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I grew up in Britain before it became a multicultural place, so in many ways I have a nostalgia for an…” — Kazuo Ishiguro", "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": "Kazuo Ishiguro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I grew up in Britain before...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a-multicultural-place-so-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-grew-up-in-britain-before-it-became-a-multicultural-place-so-in/#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 } } ] } ```