--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't separate the people from the…" description: "\"You can't separate the people from the places - although I sometimes like traveling in places where there are no people.\" — Paul Theroux" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg" --- # You can't separate the people from the places - although I… ![“You can't separate the people from the places - although I sometimes like traveling in places where there are no people.” quote by Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg) > “You can't separate the people from the places - although I sometimes like traveling in places where there are no people.” [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People and places are intertwined; yet solitude can be found in empty locales. **In simple terms:** Travel connects people, but solitude offers insight. Key Takeaway Seek both connection and quiet in journeys. Themes travel solitude place human connection Mood contemplative adventurous Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - backpacking - remote retreats - urban exploration - cultural tours Key Concepts psychology of space cultural immersion mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does solitude affect your travel experience? - When do you prefer crowded versus empty places? A Different Perspective Travel can be isolating if one avoids local interaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Traveling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traveling/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like the places where I like to live, or study, or visit are places where people's differences are celebrated rather than just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-marcarelli/i-feel-like-the-places-where-i-like-to-live-or-study-or-visit-are/) [Paul Marcarelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-marcarelli/) > [“There are so many ugly places and people in this world, I've learned you have to grab hold of the places like this, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-burrows/there-are-so-many-ugly-places-and-people-in-this-world-i-ve-learned/) [Tonya Burrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-burrows/) > [I should start by saying that traveling in the States is a bit like traveling in Asia. You need it, it helps to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-should-start-by-saying-that-traveling-in-the-states-is-a-bit-like/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [We think that because we dwell inside our bodies that we are separate from other people who dwell inside theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/we-think-that-because-we-dwell-inside-our-bodies-that-we-are-separate/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“You separate people into groups and make them hate one another so you can run them all. At”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/you-separate-people-into-groups-and-make-them-hate-one-another-so-you/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [It's been a real success - one of the great business successes in the United States - to break down organization, to separate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-been-a-real-success-one-of-the-great-business-successes-in-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [America, you know, they always separate people because of race. They've been able to convince, 'The niggers are coming.' You know, the diversity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/america-you-know-they-always-separate-people-because-of-race-they-ve/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [The people that watch or buy music or listen to TV, I don't think they separate the two as much as the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-yothers/the-people-that-watch-or-buy-music-or-listen-to-tv-i-don-t-think-they/) [Tina Yothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-yothers/) > [Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/every-human-being-has-hundreds-of-separate-people-living-under-his/) [Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/) > [“No relationship is perfect, but if you soften up and allow yourselves to mold into one person, instead of two separate people sharing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-grey/no-relationship-is-perfect-but-if-you-soften-up-and-allow-yourselves/) [Marilyn Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-grey/) > [50 years: here's a time when you have to separate yourself from what other people expect of you, and do what you love. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/50-years-here-s-a-time-when-you-have-to-separate-yourself-from-what/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [End of the day, when you do something, you have to do something where you bring people together. You can't do something where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-ibaka/end-of-the-day-when-you-do-something-you-have-to-do-something-where/) [Serge Ibaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-ibaka/) > [“Mothers do, every day. It’s funny, Bo, how a woman can bring two children into the world, raise them up the same way—the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/mothers-do-every-day-it-s-funny-bo-how-a-woman-can-bring-two-children/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Seeing two separate people you've known well get with each other and knowing they will be perfect together for a long time is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-two-separate-people-you-ve-known-well-get-with-each-other-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“An ancient statement declares that “God is no respecter of persons.” What this means at the mystical level is that Spirit/The Universe doesn’t know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-rydall/an-ancient-statement-declares-that-god-is-no-respecter-of-persons/) [Derek Rydall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-rydall/) ## More by Paul Theroux > [I feel as if my mission is to write, to see, to observe, and I feel lazy if I'm not reaching conclusions. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-feel-as-if-my-mission-is-to-write-to-see-to-observe-and-i-feel-lazy/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [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/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [You can't write about a friend, you can only write about a former friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-write-about-a-friend-you-can-only-write-about-a-former/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“sightseeing, an activity that delights the truly idle because it seems so much like scholarship, gawping and eavesdropping on antiquity, flattering oneself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/sightseeing-an-activity-that-delights-the-truly-idle-because-it-seems/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The Australian Book of Etiquette is a very slim volume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-australian-book-of-etiquette-is-a-very-slim-volume/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Tourists who go to Africa have more of a traditional experience than Africans do. A tourist goes on safari; Africans don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/tourists-who-go-to-africa-have-more-of-a-traditional-experience-than/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [In a way, Che Guevara's fate was far worse than Simon Bolivar's. Guevara's collapse was complete: his intentions were forgotten, but his style was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/in-a-way-che-guevara-s-fate-was-far-worse-than-simon-bolivar-s/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It is the simplest fact of Indian life: there are too many Indians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/it-is-the-simplest-fact-of-indian-life-there-are-too-many-indians/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Pain does not create a long-lasting memory, but the memory of luxury exerts itself for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/pain-does-not-create-a-long-lasting-memory-but-the-memory-of-luxury/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [When I began to make some money, I really wanted to have a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-i-began-to-make-some-money-i-really-wanted-to-have-a-home/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Men in their late 50s often make very bad decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/men-in-their-late-50s-often-make-very-bad-decisions/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to disappear sends many travelers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-disappear-sends-many-travelers-away-if-you-are-thoroughly/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [To a lot of Africans, seeing an animal is a something of a rarity. So it's a paradox of this sort of parallel life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/to-a-lot-of-africans-seeing-an-animal-is-a-something-of-a-rarity-so/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-travel-seems-to-me-characteristically-human-the-desire-to/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Explore all 328 Paul Theroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## More Although quotes > [Everything I write is highly personal, but put in such a way that it's not dropping everything in someone's lap. Although sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/everything-i-write-is-highly-personal-but-put-in-such-a-way-that-it-s/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [In France they spend six months training policemen, then they give them a gun and put them on the streets, and I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathieu-kassovitz/in-france-they-spend-six-months-training-policemen-then-they-give/) [Mathieu Kassovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathieu-kassovitz/) > [There are some things that I like, like education, wine, and I'd like to be a good cook, although I'm a pretty good eater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wagoner/there-are-some-things-that-i-like-like-education-wine-and-i-d-like-to/) [Rick Wagoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wagoner/) > [When Apple introduced its game-changing iPhone in 2007, Nokia was caught sleeping on the job. Although it had actually developed an iPhone-style device -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/when-apple-introduced-its-game-changing-iphone-in-2007-nokia-was/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [You can't do every movie - although I do a lot of them - and the thing I'm longing to do is... it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/you-can-t-do-every-movie-although-i-do-a-lot-of-them-and-the-thing-i/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [Although I'm perceived as very optimistic and upbeat, it comes out of being the opposite of that - feeling isolated or lonely, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcgonigal/although-i-m-perceived-as-very-optimistic-and-upbeat-it-comes-out-of/) [Jane McGonigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcgonigal/) > [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't, for he sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/although-we-might-settle-for-less-heavenly-father-won-t-for-he-sees/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Although it is still important to develop an HIV vaccine, we have significant tools already at our disposal that can make a major impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-it-is-still-important-to-develop-an-hiv-vaccine-we-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All trembling, I reached the Falls of Niagara, and oh, what a scene! My blood shudders still, although I am not a coward, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/all-trembling-i-reached-the-falls-of-niagara-and-oh-what-a-scene-my/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I knew from very early on that I wanted kids. I wasn't one of those women who goes, 'Well, if it happens, it happens.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-knew-from-very-early-on-that-i-wanted-kids-i-wasn-t-one-of-those/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I definitely hand myself over to the hair and makeup gods of 'Girls.' Our look on the show is very specific, and it's different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-williams/i-definitely-hand-myself-over-to-the-hair-and-makeup-gods-of-girls/) [Allison Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-williams/) > [I'm not very well known. However, the more well known you get, the more people are going to have expectations of you. Although that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-hawkins/i-m-not-very-well-known-however-the-more-well-known-you-get-the-more/) [Sally Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-hawkins/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) Browse all 578 Although quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't separate the people from the places - although I sometimes like traveling in places where there are no people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-places-although-i-sometimes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Although" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-places-although-i-sometimes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/paul-theroux-913_although_you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-p_3082325.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't separate the people from the places - although I sometimes like traveling in places where there…” — Paul Theroux", "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": "Paul Theroux", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't separate the people from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-places-although-i-sometimes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-separate-the-people-from-the-places-although-i-sometimes/#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 } } ] } ```