---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a whole Scottish existence until we…"
description: "\"I had a whole Scottish existence until we moved to London when I was four.\" — Kenneth Cranham"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg"
---

#  I had a whole Scottish existence until we moved to London…

![“I had a whole Scottish existence until we moved to London when I was four.” quote by Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg)

> “I had a whole Scottish existence until we moved to London when I was four.”

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

## About This Quote

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

Describes a personal identity shift from a Scottish upbringing to an English environment during early childhood.

**In simple terms:** Identity reshaped by relocation.

Key Takeaway

Early environments shape self‑perception.

Themes

identity culture migration childhood adaptation

Mood

nostalgic reflective

Type

personal anecdote cultural observation

When to use this quote

- moving to a new city
- starting school in a different country
- family relocation

Key Concepts

national identity social integration

Practical Applications

- cultural adaptation workshops
- personal narrative writing

Questions to Reflect On

- How does early relocation affect cultural identity?
- What aspects of a childhood environment persist after moving?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [Scottish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scottish/)

## Related quotes

> [When I moved to London, you could park your motorcycle in the pavement, on the sidewalk. We would stay here and just leave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/when-i-moved-to-london-you-could-park-your-motorcycle-in-the-pavement/)

[Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/)

> [One of my favourite places is Hampstead Heath. When I first moved to London, I lived in Highgate, and I would walk on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gugu-mbatha-raw/one-of-my-favourite-places-is-hampstead-heath-when-i-first-moved-to/)

[Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gugu-mbatha-raw/)

> [What I noticed about living by the sea when I moved to London was that it's really bad when you only have lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/what-i-noticed-about-living-by-the-sea-when-i-moved-to-london-was/)

[KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/)

> [My grandfather, Harry Ferguson, was a butcher in Hill of Beath; so even though my grandparents lived in some poverty, we got loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/my-grandfather-harry-ferguson-was-a-butcher-in-hill-of-beath-so-even/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [I was the suburban kid of Scottish parents, and the idea of an acting career was so beyond my experience. I didn't even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-duncan/i-was-the-suburban-kid-of-scottish-parents-and-the-idea-of-an-acting/)

[Lindsay Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-duncan/)

> [One of the very, very exciting things I have found here in L.A. is that no one talks to you about being Scottish. Whereas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/one-of-the-very-very-exciting-things-i-have-found-here-in-l-a-is-that/)

[Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/)

> [Since leaving 'Hollyoaks', I've moved down to London and I've been auditioning here quite a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandip-gill/since-leaving-hollyoaks-i-ve-moved-down-to-london-and-i-ve-been/)

[Mandip Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandip-gill/)

> [Once I moved to London I thought it was unbeatable. I work a lot in L.A. and love it, but would never give up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/once-i-moved-to-london-i-thought-it-was-unbeatable-i-work-a-lot-in-l/)

[Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/)

> [When I first moved to London, I felt very homesick and yearned after the countryside a lot. Because London's hard. It's a big place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-kebbell/when-i-first-moved-to-london-i-felt-very-homesick-and-yearned-after/)

[Toby Kebbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-kebbell/)

> [After school I moved to London to get involved in music. I took the whole thing very seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hawkins/after-school-i-moved-to-london-to-get-involved-in-music-i-took-the/)

[Dan Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hawkins/)

> [I don't get to go home as much as I used to, which is a shame. But I don't mind because my mum moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-horan/i-don-t-get-to-go-home-as-much-as-i-used-to-which-is-a-shame-but-i/)

[Niall Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-horan/)

> [I moved to Manchester to join a band and ended up getting into acting, and I moved back to London to become an actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sturgess/i-moved-to-manchester-to-join-a-band-and-ended-up-getting-into-acting/)

[Jim Sturgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sturgess/)

> [When I was 23, I moved to London. It was not an easy thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-phillips/when-i-was-23-i-moved-to-london-it-was-not-an-easy-thing-to-do/)

[Arlene Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-phillips/)

> [I moved to London when I was 18 to develop my acting career, but I still love going home to Ireland to recharge my batteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-moved-to-london-when-i-was-18-to-develop-my-acting-career-but-i/)

[Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/)

> [“He was from Yorkshire, or somewhere like that, and like many Northerners with issues, he'd moved to London as a cheap alternative to psychotherapy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/he-was-from-yorkshire-or-somewhere-like-that-and-like-many/)

[Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/)

## More by Kenneth Cranham

> [The great thing about stage is that you have more control. The stage is yours. The time is yours. Film is really the editor's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/the-great-thing-about-stage-is-that-you-have-more-control-the-stage/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [You create a blueprint of your best performance, and you're happiest the night you surpass that blueprint. That won't happen that often, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/you-create-a-blueprint-of-your-best-performance-and-you-re-happiest/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [The only acting I knew when I was a boy came from Lochgelly. With a double bill, people would live their lives in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/the-only-acting-i-knew-when-i-was-a-boy-came-from-lochgelly-with-a/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [The first thing I wanted to do, as a boy, was to be a skier, because I had seen film footage of somebody skiing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/the-first-thing-i-wanted-to-do-as-a-boy-was-to-be-a-skier-because-i/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [My grandfather, Harry Ferguson, was a butcher in Hill of Beath; so even though my grandparents lived in some poverty, we got loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/my-grandfather-harry-ferguson-was-a-butcher-in-hill-of-beath-so-even/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [Christopher Plummer once told me that he never orders a wine without first confirming that the restaurant has a second bottle in case he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/christopher-plummer-once-told-me-that-he-never-orders-a-wine-without/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [Great wine is always enhanced by great food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/great-wine-is-always-enhanced-by-great-food/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [When I was in Lochgelly as a boy, I went to the cinema every night - and on Sundays, I used to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/when-i-was-in-lochgelly-as-a-boy-i-went-to-the-cinema-every-night-and/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [Cinema dominated the Fife coalfield towns. We lived in Lochgelly, but my mum was caught up in Hollywood. She was in love with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/cinema-dominated-the-fife-coalfield-towns-we-lived-in-lochgelly-but/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [When you act for a living, you are lucky enough to get to say things you really want to say. You get lines that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/when-you-act-for-a-living-you-are-lucky-enough-to-get-to-say-things/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [I feel at home in Scotland and go back whenever I can. I've played the Edinburgh Festival twice, and I get the train across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/i-feel-at-home-in-scotland-and-go-back-whenever-i-can-i-ve-played-the/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [I was fantastically well versed by the time I left school. I had a teacher who put 'A Clockwork Orange' my way, and 'Catcher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/i-was-fantastically-well-versed-by-the-time-i-left-school-i-had-a/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [Buying a particular vintage because everyone tips it and then waiting for it to mature is like gambling. The thrill is in placing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/buying-a-particular-vintage-because-everyone-tips-it-and-then-waiting/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [If you swap it about, do television, theatre, film, you can go on surprising yourself. The problem is you get employed to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/if-you-swap-it-about-do-television-theatre-film-you-can-go-on/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

> [You have to succeed as a young actor, then as a dad actor, those would be my 'Harvey Moon' years, then as an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/you-have-to-succeed-as-a-young-actor-then-as-a-dad-actor-those-would/)

[Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

[Explore all 18 Kenneth Cranham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/)

## More Existence quotes

> [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [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/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

> [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/)

[L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/)

> [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

[Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had a whole Scottish existence until we moved to London when I was four.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kenneth Cranham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-we-moved-to-london-when-i-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Existence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-we-moved-to-london-when-i-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/kenneth-cranham-29156_existence_i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-w_64194.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had a whole Scottish existence until we moved to London when I was four.” — Kenneth Cranham",
                "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": "Kenneth Cranham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had a whole Scottish existence...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-we-moved-to-london-when-i-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/i-had-a-whole-scottish-existence-until-we-moved-to-london-when-i-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
