--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe because there are so few Icelanders…" description: "\"“Maybe because there are so few Icelanders in the world, we know next to nothing about them. We assume they are more or less Scandinavian—a gentle peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/michael-lewis-705_scandinavian_maybe-because-there-are-so-few-icelander_1026601.jpg" --- # Maybe because there are so few Icelanders in the world, we… ![“Maybe because there are so few Icelanders in the world, we know next to nothing about them. We assume they are more or less Scandinavian—a gentle people who just want everyone to have the same amount of everything. They are not. They have a feral streak in them, like a horse that’s just pretending…” quote by Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/michael-lewis-705_scandinavian_maybe-because-there-are-so-few-icelander_1026601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/michael-lewis-705_scandinavian_maybe-because-there-are-so-few-icelander_1026601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/michael-lewis-705_scandinavian_maybe-because-there-are-so-few-icelander_1026601.jpg) > ““Maybe because there are so few Icelanders in the world, we know next to nothing about them. We assume they are more or less Scandinavian—a gentle people who just want everyone to have the same amount of everything. They are not. They have a feral streak in them, like a horse that’s just pretending to be broken.”” [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Icelanders are often stereotyped as gentle, but they possess a fierce, untamed spirit. **In simple terms:** Icelanders are both gentle and fierce. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden strengths in cultures. Themes culture stereotype identity Mood curious analytical Type sociological observational When to use this quote - travel - cross‑cultural work - team building - leadership training Key Concepts national character social perception Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about others? - How can you discover deeper traits? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can oversimplify complex identities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Scandinavian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scandinavian/) ## Related quotes > [“Icelanders are among the most inbred human beings on earth—geneticists often use them for research.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/icelanders-are-among-the-most-inbred-human-beings-on-earth/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“Island populations often breed strange and interesting genomes. Because Iceland is so small, with a precisely known chronology of inhabitation to the present day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rutherford/island-populations-often-breed-strange-and-interesting-genomes/) [Adam Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rutherford/) > [For us Icelanders, the Sagas are like the Bible, only much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallgr-mur-helgason/for-us-icelanders-the-sagas-are-like-the-bible-only-much-better/) [Hallgrimur Helgason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallgr-mur-helgason/) > [Fifteen hundred years is ample time in which to lose mutual comprehension. Iceland was colonized by the Norwegians at the end of the ninth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-luca-cavalli-sforza/fifteen-hundred-years-is-ample-time-in-which-to-lose-mutual/) [Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-luca-cavalli-sforza/) > [“Paganism, it turns out, was the original Icelandic religion before a mass conversion in the year 1000. That was largely seen as a business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/paganism-it-turns-out-was-the-original-icelandic-religion-before-a/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [We must become Icelanders in soccer, Israelis in defending our land, Japanese in technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volodymyr-zelensky/we-must-become-icelanders-in-soccer-israelis-in-defending-our-land/) [Volodymyr Zelensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volodymyr-zelensky/) > [There is this stereotype of Icelanders all believing in spirits, and I've played up to that a bit in interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/there-is-this-stereotype-of-icelanders-all-believing-in-spirits-and-i/) [Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/) > [We Icelanders are an excellent animal model for humans. This is exactly the way you find common disease genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kari-stefansson/we-icelanders-are-an-excellent-animal-model-for-humans-this-is/) Kari Stefansson > [Icelanders are grateful to meet foreigners who have heard of their country. And even more grateful to hear someone say it deserves better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/icelanders-are-grateful-to-meet-foreigners-who-have-heard-of-their/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [Icelanders love to speak English. Their English is a joy to hear because of how colloquial and idiomatic it is, but they appreciate your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/icelanders-love-to-speak-english-their-english-is-a-joy-to-hear/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [“Yet the ailment is virtually nonexistent in Iceland. There is a higher prevalence of the disorder in the northeastern United States than in Iceland.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/yet-the-ailment-is-virtually-nonexistent-in-iceland-there-is-a-higher/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [I don't care where the players come from, whether they are English, Scandinavian, German, or Chinese whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-van-gerwen/i-don-t-care-where-the-players-come-from-whether-they-are-english/) [Michael van Gerwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-van-gerwen/) > [You forget, when you're in the Scandinavian countries, you forget they don't speak English first and they speak better than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/you-forget-when-you-re-in-the-scandinavian-countries-you-forget-they/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I love Scandinavian brands from growing up in Iceland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/i-love-scandinavian-brands-from-growing-up-in-iceland/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [I desperately wanted to play the part of Darth Vader's mother - I think she ended up being played by a Scandinavian actress -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-duncan/i-desperately-wanted-to-play-the-part-of-darth-vader-s-mother-i-think/) [Lindsay Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-duncan/) ## More by Michael Lewis > [“Crucial decisions are made, today as thousands of years ago, in terms of the intuitive guesses and preferences of a few men in positions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/crucial-decisions-are-made-today-as-thousands-of-years-ago-in-terms/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“You saw someone who reminded you of you, and then you looked for the reasons why you liked him. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/you-saw-someone-who-reminded-you-of-you-and-then-you-looked-for-the/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“At other places management says, ‘Well, gee, fellas, do we really want to bet the ranch on this deal?’ Lewie was not only willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/at-other-places-management-says-well-gee-fellas-do-we-really-want-to/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“BILLY WOULD SAY later that his wife left him because she was unnerved by his intensity—that she could even see it in his hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/billy-would-say-later-that-his-wife-left-him-because-she-was-unnerved/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [There was but one question he left unasked, and it vibrated between his lines: if gross miscalculations of a person's value could occur on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/there-was-but-one-question-he-left-unasked-and-it-vibrated-between/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“The author refers to a player's affected nonchalance and comments he is, "too young to realize you are what you pretend to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-author-refers-to-a-player-s-affected-nonchalance-and-comments-he/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A banking system is an act of faith: it survives only for as long as people believe it will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/a-banking-system-is-an-act-of-faith-it-survives-only-for-as-long-as/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Some coaches believed they could judge a player's performance simply by watching it. In this they were deeply mistaken. The naked eye was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/some-coaches-believed-they-could-judge-a-player-s-performance-simply/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“No longer were the prices of ordinary mortgage bonds allowed to roam inefficiently, for they were now linked to the CMO market, in much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/no-longer-were-the-prices-of-ordinary-mortgage-bonds-allowed-to-roam/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“The difference between Strauss and Ranieri?” says one trader still at Salomon. “That’s easy. Strauss wouldn’t stoop to use the men’s room on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-difference-between-strauss-and-ranieri-says-one-trader-still-at/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“The only inexplicable aspect of the process was that economic theory (which is, after all, what economics students were supposed to know) served almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-only-inexplicable-aspect-of-the-process-was-that-economic-theory/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“It's not easy to stand apart from mass hysteria - to believe that most of what's in the financial news is wrong, to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/it-s-not-easy-to-stand-apart-from-mass-hysteria-to-believe-that-most/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“Dont worry about where i am , i'll let you know when i get there .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/dont-worry-about-where-i-am-i-ll-let-you-know-when-i-get-there/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [“Someone out there was using the fact that stock market orders arrived at different times at different exchanges to front-run orders from one market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/someone-out-there-was-using-the-fact-that-stock-market-orders-arrived/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) [Explore all 398 Michael Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) ## More Scandinavian quotes > [I desperately wanted to play the part of Darth Vader's mother - I think she ended up being played by a Scandinavian actress -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-duncan/i-desperately-wanted-to-play-the-part-of-darth-vader-s-mother-i-think/) [Lindsay Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-duncan/) > [I love Scandinavian brands from growing up in Iceland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/i-love-scandinavian-brands-from-growing-up-in-iceland/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [You forget, when you're in the Scandinavian countries, you forget they don't speak English first and they speak better than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/you-forget-when-you-re-in-the-scandinavian-countries-you-forget-they/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I don't care where the players come from, whether they are English, Scandinavian, German, or Chinese whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-van-gerwen/i-don-t-care-where-the-players-come-from-whether-they-are-english/) [Michael van Gerwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-van-gerwen/) > [There were tons of bronzed Scandinavian types at the Sorbonne. Marvellously blond and healthy and shining white teeth. Funny thing though, because someone told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bingham/there-were-tons-of-bronzed-scandinavian-types-at-the-sorbonne/) [Charlotte Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bingham/) > [My husband is from Finland, so every so often I'll throw a Scandinavian-themed party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rafferty/my-husband-is-from-finland-so-every-so-often-i-ll-throw-a/) [Sarah Rafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rafferty/) > [If anything, I've thought of myself as Scandinavian. Particularly, Danish. We spoke English at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/if-anything-i-ve-thought-of-myself-as-scandinavian-particularly/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [“It’s a case of mistaken identity. It’s one big mistake. You weren’t even in the country when it happened.” Maja in the short story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steen-langstrup/it-s-a-case-of-mistaken-identity-it-s-one-big-mistake-you-weren-t/) [Steen Langstrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steen-langstrup/) > [I read mostly Irish, African, Japanese, South American, and African writers. You can count on Scandinavian literature for a certain kind of darkness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/i-read-mostly-irish-african-japanese-south-american-and-african/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [I had an interest in Scandinavian countries because I'd never seen snow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/i-had-an-interest-in-scandinavian-countries-because-i-d-never-seen/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) > [The Norse way of speaking, no one really knew what the Vikings sounded liked, they were Norsemen. The accent is really a combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katheryn-winnick/the-norse-way-of-speaking-no-one-really-knew-what-the-vikings-sounded/) [Katheryn Winnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katheryn-winnick/) > [“But I’m completely innocent in this case. I’m the victim. Don’t you understand? If she’d just dressed in an appropriate manner, nothing would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steen-langstrup/but-i-m-completely-innocent-in-this-case-i-m-the-victim-don-t-you/) [Steen Langstrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steen-langstrup/) > [English is full of Scandinavian words. Margate, Ramsgate, Billingsgate, any town with a 'gate' on it takes their suffix from the Danish word 'gade'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandi-toksvig/english-is-full-of-scandinavian-words-margate-ramsgate-billingsgate/) [Sandi Toksvig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandi-toksvig/) > [“It’s not just dark in Scandinavia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-brennan/it-s-not-just-dark-in-scandinavia/) Bo Brennan > [“I’ve just been wandering the streets at night. If I came by a German soldier out alone, I would follow him, shove the pistol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steen-langstrup/i-ve-just-been-wandering-the-streets-at-night-if-i-came-by-a-german/) [Steen Langstrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steen-langstrup/) [Browse all 27 Scandinavian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scandinavian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maybe because there are so few Icelanders in the world, we know next to nothing about them. We assume they are more or less Scandinavian—a gentle people who just want everyone to have the same amount of everything. They are not. 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