--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What everybody forgets is that when I was…" description: "\"What everybody forgets is that when I was a journalist in Britain and in the United States, I was always a Canadian. And the price of expatriation does..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_what-everybody-forgets-is-that-when-i-wa_542402.jpg" --- # What everybody forgets is that when I was a journalist in… ![“What everybody forgets is that when I was a journalist in Britain and in the United States, I was always a Canadian. And the price of expatriation does not go down, it goes up. I never felt part of the political common sense of Britain. I never felt it in the United States. I had no natural home…” quote by Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_what-everybody-forgets-is-that-when-i-wa_542402.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_what-everybody-forgets-is-that-when-i-wa_542402.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/michael-ignatieff-3146_always_what-everybody-forgets-is-that-when-i-wa_542402.jpg) > “What everybody forgets is that when I was a journalist in Britain and in the United States, I was always a Canadian. And the price of expatriation does not go down, it goes up. I never felt part of the political common sense of Britain. I never felt it in the United States. I had no natural home in Britain and the U.S.” [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expatriates often feel disconnected from any nation, experiencing a lack of belonging that intensifies with distance. **In simple terms:** Expats may feel they have no true home. Key Takeaway Seek community and define personal identity beyond borders. Themes identity belonging exile Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - immigration counseling - online diaspora groups - international work assignments Key Concepts cultural displacement nationalism Questions to Reflect On - What does “home” mean to you? - How can societies better integrate expatriates? A Different Perspective Finding a sense of home can be challenging without supportive networks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [“expatriation, like love, is not only a condition that devastates and reconfigures the self; it is, like love, a trope, a figure with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/expatriation-like-love-is-not-only-a-condition-that-devastates-and/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [ The evidence of \[the\] natural right \[of expatriation\], like that of our right to life, liberty, the use of our faculties, the pursuit of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-evidence-of-the-natural-right-of-expatriation-like-that-of-our/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The evidence of the natural rights of expatriation, like that of our right to life, liberty, the use of our faculties, the pursuit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-evidence-of-the-natural-rights-of-expatriation-like-that-of-our/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [When the one you can't seem to forget…forgets about you ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/when-the-one-you-can-t-seem-to-forget-forgets-about-you/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [He's like Super Librarian, y'know? Everyone forgets, Willow, that knowledge is the ultimate weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/he-s-like-super-librarian-y-know-everyone-forgets-willow-that/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [In this world,” Franny once observed, “just as you’re trying to think of yourself as memorable, there is always someone who forgets that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/in-this-world-franny-once-observed-just-as-you-re-trying-to-think-of/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Scorpio forgives but never forgets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scorpio-forgives-but-never-forgets/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its really good to have so distinctive a name as an actress. No one ever forgets it. My sister and brother are called Perdita…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honeysuckle-weeks/its-really-good-to-have-so-distinctive-a-name-as-an-actress-no-one/) [Honeysuckle Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honeysuckle-weeks/) > [Quit the world, and the world forgets you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/quit-the-world-and-the-world-forgets-you/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [God forgives,but he never forgets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/god-forgives-but-he-never-forgets/) Patience > [“He captures memories because if he forgets them, it's as though they didn't happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/he-captures-memories-because-if-he-forgets-them-it-s-as-though-they/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/the-nation-which-forgets-its-defenders-will-itself-be-forgotten/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [No actor ever forgets a role, so I should have realized something was wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-reagan/no-actor-ever-forgets-a-role-so-i-should-have-realized-something-was/) [Maureen Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-reagan/) > [My boyfriend does this really cute thing where he forgets to exsist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/my-boyfriend-does-this-really-cute-thing-where-he-forgets-to-exsist/) Unkown > [Flesh forgets. Bone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-bass/flesh-forgets-bone-remembers/) [Jefferson Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-bass/) ## More by Michael Ignatieff > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [What really matters is getting new people in. The constitutional changes matter, but the thing that the party mustn't do is turn in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/what-really-matters-is-getting-new-people-in-the-constitutional/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [The medium's gaze is brief, intense, and promiscuous. The shelf life of the moral causes it makes its own is brutally short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-medium-s-gaze-is-brief-intense-and-promiscuous-the-shelf-life-of/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [There are lots of nations in the world or national peoples who don't yet have states. They're inside someone else's state and they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-are-lots-of-nations-in-the-world-or-national-peoples-who-don-t/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [There's a civic nationalism in Britain and dozens of other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-s-a-civic-nationalism-in-britain-and-dozens-of-other-countries/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Affirming belief that America is an exceptional nation has become a test of patriotism in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/affirming-belief-that-america-is-an-exceptional-nation-has-become-a/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Both Iraq and Syria are a fissile mixture of ethnicities and religions thrown together after Versailles by departing French and British imperialists and only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/both-iraq-and-syria-are-a-fissile-mixture-of-ethnicities-and/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [The legitimacy of coercive acts in a democracy arises from the process by which they are justified and by the degree to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-legitimacy-of-coercive-acts-in-a-democracy-arises-from-the/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Some of our finest leaders were not intellectuals at all, and I admire them enormously because they weren't. Harry Truman wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/some-of-our-finest-leaders-were-not-intellectuals-at-all-and-i-admire/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [If you get the access to see history happen, do you understand the history when it does happen? And the answer to that question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/if-you-get-the-access-to-see-history-happen-do-you-understand-the/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I have been a journalist, off and on, since I was 17. I was a copy boy for the 'New York Times,' when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-have-been-a-journalist-off-and-on-since-i-was-17-i-was-a-copy-boy/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [In academic life, false ideas are merely false, and useless ones can be fun to play with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/in-academic-life-false-ideas-are-merely-false-and-useless-ones-can-be/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Liberal democracy has endured because its institutions are designed for handling morally hazardous forms of coercive power. It puts the question of how far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/liberal-democracy-has-endured-because-its-institutions-are-designed/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [An intellectual may be interested in ideas and policies for their own sake, but a politician's interest is exclusively in the question of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/an-intellectual-may-be-interested-in-ideas-and-policies-for-their-own/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) [Explore all 138 Michael Ignatieff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What everybody forgets is that when I was a journalist in Britain and in the United States, I was always a Canadian. 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