---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never been to India and I am not a…"
description: "\"I have never been to India and I am not a specialist on Indian culture, and I would not wish to be heard to be taking swipes at a culture which I've ne..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg"
---

#  I have never been to India and I am not a specialist on…

![“I have never been to India and I am not a specialist on Indian culture, and I would not wish to be heard to be taking swipes at a culture which I've never experienced and where I've never lived.” quote by N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg)

> “I have never been to India and I am not a specialist on Indian culture, and I would not wish to be heard to be taking swipes at a culture which I've never experienced and where I've never lived.”

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker admits lack of personal experience with Indian culture and cautions against making uninformed critiques.

**In simple terms:** Admit ignorance before judging another culture.

Key Takeaway

Seek knowledge before commenting.

Themes

humility cultural awareness respect

Mood

reflective cautious

Type

ethical educational

When to use this quote

- travel
- academic research
- public speaking
- media commentary

Key Concepts

ethics intercultural dialogue

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can you take to learn about a culture before speaking?
- How do you respond when called out for cultural insensitivity?

A Different Perspective

Even with good intent, silence can be misread as indifference.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian/) [Indian culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian-culture/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/)

## Related quotes

> [We have taken so much from your culture, I wish you had taken something from ours...For there were some beautiful and good things within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-dan-george/we-have-taken-so-much-from-your-culture-i-wish-you-had-taken/)

[Chief Dan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-dan-george/)

> [People have come to me over the years and said to me: 'I admire the culture of Starbucks. Can you come give a speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/people-have-come-to-me-over-the-years-and-said-to-me-i-admire-the/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [I have the highest respect for the concept of 'Advait' - the oneness of all humans - that is central to Indian culture, thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/i-have-the-highest-respect-for-the-concept-of-advait-the-oneness-of/)

[Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/)

> [Indian culture certainly gives the Indian mind, including the mind of the Indian scientist, the ability to think out of the box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-joffe/indian-culture-certainly-gives-the-indian-mind-including-the-mind-of/)

[Roland Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-joffe/)

> [Therefore reinforcing a stereotype, therefore thinking that the entire Indian culture is just made of people that are against their children's decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parminder-nagra/therefore-reinforcing-a-stereotype-therefore-thinking-that-the-entire/)

[Parminder Nagra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parminder-nagra/)

> [ “It's not arrogance. \[Tamilians\] are quiet people.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/it-s-not-arrogance-tamilians-are-quiet-people/)

[Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/)

> [We scuba dived in the Red Sea, the Pacific and the Indian oceans. We lived in Bali and India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-mimieux/we-scuba-dived-in-the-red-sea-the-pacific-and-the-indian-oceans-we/)

[Yvette Mimieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-mimieux/)

> [I think the Tata Group's greatest contribution to the growth of the Indian economy and Indian industry probably happened in the pre-independence era. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ratan-tata/i-think-the-tata-group-s-greatest-contribution-to-the-growth-of-the/)

[Ratan Tata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ratan-tata/)

> [It is inconceivable that the rise of Asia could happen without the rise of the Indian subcontinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjaya-baru/it-is-inconceivable-that-the-rise-of-asia-could-happen-without-the/)

[Sanjaya Baru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjaya-baru/)

> [The diversity of India cannot thrive on facile attempts to create the homogeneous category of "Indian." Nor can it thrive on dubious attempts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/the-diversity-of-india-cannot-thrive-on-facile-attempts-to-create-the/)

[Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/)

> [“You can take an Indian out of India, but you can never take India out of an Indian”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-indian/you-can-take-an-indian-out-of-india-but-you-can-never-take-india-out/)

An Indian

> [I have often noticed that the two nuclear powers on the Indian subcontinent, India and Pakistan, attribute to Kashmiris an inferior intellect, a lineage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/i-have-often-noticed-that-the-two-nuclear-powers-on-the-indian/)

[Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/)

> [In Greek mythology, the hero wants to be great, but the very concept does not exist in the Indian vocabulary. Yet it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/in-greek-mythology-the-hero-wants-to-be-great-but-the-very-concept/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

> [The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-simple-and-astonishing-truth-about-india-and-indian-people-is/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

## More by N. T. Wright

> [Wherever St. Paul went, there was a riot. Wherever I go, they serve tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/wherever-st-paul-went-there-was-a-riot-wherever-i-go-they-serve-tea/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Art is love creating the new world and justice is love rolling up its sleeves to heal the old one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/art-is-love-creating-the-new-world-and-justice-is-love-rolling-up-its/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [It is faith that looks up at the creator God and knows him to be the God of love. And it is faith that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/it-is-faith-that-looks-up-at-the-creator-god-and-knows-him-to-be-the/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Scripture is, at its heart, the great story that we sing in order not just to learn it with our heads but to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/scripture-is-at-its-heart-the-great-story-that-we-sing-in-order-not/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Most of the things that really matter require faith. 'How do I know that my wife loves me?' 'How do I know that Mozart's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/most-of-the-things-that-really-matter-require-faith-how-do-i-know/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Justice never means "treating everybody the same way", but "treating people appropriately".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/justice-never-means-treating-everybody-the-same-way-but-treating/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [People often get upset when you teach them what is in the Bible rather than what they presume is in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/people-often-get-upset-when-you-teach-them-what-is-in-the-bible/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [The word "salvation" denotes rescue. Rescue? What from? Well, of course, ultimately death. And since it is sin that colludes with the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/the-word-salvation-denotes-rescue-rescue-what-from-well-of-course/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [We cannot worship the suffering God today and ignore him tomorrow. We cannot eat and drink the body and blood of the passionate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/we-cannot-worship-the-suffering-god-today-and-ignore-him-tomorrow-we/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Part of Christian belief is to find out what's true about Jesus and let that challenge our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/part-of-christian-belief-is-to-find-out-what-s-true-about-jesus-and/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [If you ask people in England where does Tom Wright sit on the theological spectrum, they say, "Well he's an evangelical of course," as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/if-you-ask-people-in-england-where-does-tom-wright-sit-on-the/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [True worship is open to God, adoring God, waiting for God, trusting God even in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/true-worship-is-open-to-god-adoring-god-waiting-for-god-trusting-god/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [Jesus of Nazareth ushers in not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/jesus-of-nazareth-ushers-in-not-simply-a-new-religious-possibility/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [All our language about the future ... is like a set of signposts pointing into a bright mist ... the New Testament image of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/all-our-language-about-the-future-is-like-a-set-of-signposts-pointing/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

[Explore all 176 N. T. Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

## More Culture quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [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/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/)

[Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

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

> [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/)

[Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

[Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have never been to India and I am not a specialist on Indian culture, and I would not wish to be heard to be taking swipes at a culture which I've never experienced and where I've never lived.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "N. T. Wright"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not-a-specialist-on-indian/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Culture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not-a-specialist-on-indian/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/n-t-wright-2-2245_culture_i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not_400172.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have never been to India and I am not a specialist on Indian culture, and I would not wish to be heard to…” — N. T. Wright",
                "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": "N. T. Wright",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have never been to India...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not-a-specialist-on-indian/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/i-have-never-been-to-india-and-i-am-not-a-specialist-on-indian/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
