--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The diplomatic kids had a hectic sort of…" description: "\"“The diplomatic kids had a hectic sort of life, being constantly thrown from one end of the world to the other and always playing tennis, no matter who..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/romain-gary-8132_diplomacy_the-diplomatic-kids-had-a-hectic-sort-of_2963609.jpg" --- # The diplomatic kids had a hectic sort of life, being… ![“The diplomatic kids had a hectic sort of life, being constantly thrown from one end of the world to the other and always playing tennis, no matter who was being machine-gunned in the streets, you were always extraterritorial, history was not permitted to touch you, it was only buzzing around your…” quote by Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/romain-gary-8132_diplomacy_the-diplomatic-kids-had-a-hectic-sort-of_2963609.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/romain-gary-8132_diplomacy_the-diplomatic-kids-had-a-hectic-sort-of_2963609.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/romain-gary-8132_diplomacy_the-diplomatic-kids-had-a-hectic-sort-of_2963609.jpg) > ““The diplomatic kids had a hectic sort of life, being constantly thrown from one end of the world to the other and always playing tennis, no matter who was being machine-gunned in the streets, you were always extraterritorial, history was not permitted to touch you, it was only buzzing around your tennis court in a bloody sort of way. You were so well protected that you went to pieces. Diplomatic immunity could do very strange things to you, it was like weightlessness. You had to remind yourself constantly that you actually existed, and you were not supposed to identify yourself too much with the suffering of whatever country you were posted to. But then, who needs reality anyway?”” [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Diplomatic life isolates individuals, making reality feel distant and surreal, requiring constant self‑reminders of existence. **In simple terms:** Diplomats feel detached from reality and must stay grounded. Key Takeaway Stay aware of your humanity despite privilege. Themes isolation identity privilege reality detachment Mood reflective melancholic critical Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - foreign service - personal reflection - mental health - cultural immersion Key Concepts existentialism psychology political sociology Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain empathy when insulated by status? - What practices keep you grounded? A Different Perspective The metaphor of weightlessness may downplay genuine moral responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diplomacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomacy/) [Diplomatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomatic/) [Diplomatic Immunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomatic-immunity-1092363/) [Diplomatic Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomatic-kids-4526006/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Extraterritorial History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraterritorial-history-4526007/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pieces Diplomatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces-diplomatic-4526008/) ## Related quotes > [“We don’t have a writ to enter.” “But I have diplomatic immunity.” Ixtli found a window that was loose, and with some persuading, forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-s-buckell/we-don-t-have-a-writ-to-enter-but-i-have-diplomatic-immunity-ixtli/) [Tobias S. 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It had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-england/after-a-moment-s-thought-he-opened-the-diplomatic-case-and-threw-in/) [Stephen England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-england/) > [My father had been in the German Diplomatic Service, and although he had been in the United States since World War II and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-eilts/my-father-had-been-in-the-german-diplomatic-service-and-although-he/) [Hermann Eilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-eilts/) > [“But it is not, as we say when we are being diplomatic, a fruitful source of inquiry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-it-is-not-as-we-say-when-we-are-being-diplomatic-a-fruitful/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [In running Wilson Sonsini, it's all people-to-people skills. Those people-to-people skills translate into diplomatic skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roos/in-running-wilson-sonsini-it-s-all-people-to-people-skills-those/) [John Roos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roos/) > [I would love to see no more ghettos, but the things is, there's no diplomacy in the ghetto. They want to tell you something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-would-love-to-see-no-more-ghettos-but-the-things-is-there-s-no-2/) [Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/) > [“Pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-make-their-citizens-proud-one-who-will-stir/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Anyone who has had anything to do with the higher diplomacy is aware that diplomatic language stands in a class by itself. 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But the implication is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/let-me-be-clear-i-m-a-believer-in-a-robust-military-which-is/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [“Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-keep-jobs-in-your-country-by-offering/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [ \[I am\] saddened, saddened, that this president \[Bush\] failed so miserably at diplomacy that we're now forced to go to war. Saddened that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-daschle/i-am-saddened-saddened-that-this-president-bush-failed-so-miserably/) [Tom Daschle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-daschle/) ## More by Romain Gary > [There is more to Jewish history than Auschwitz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/there-is-more-to-jewish-history-than-auschwitz/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [Sometimes I have the feeling that we live in a dubbed movie and everybody moves their lips but the voices don't correspond. 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The compulsion was identical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/he-had-even-tried-the-violin-a-few-years-earlier-anything-to-switch/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [If there is something that opens horizons, it is precisely ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/if-there-is-something-that-opens-horizons-it-is-precisely-ignorance/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [They thought I suffered from lack of exterior, when I suffered from excess of interior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/they-thought-i-suffered-from-lack-of-exterior-when-i-suffered-from/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [I am weak, I say with no presumptions. I have no merit, I note it, that is all. There are times that I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/i-am-weak-i-say-with-no-presumptions-i-have-no-merit-i-note-it-that/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [I sat day after day in my little room, waiting for inspiration to visit me, trying to invent a pseudonym that would express, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/i-sat-day-after-day-in-my-little-room-waiting-for-inspiration-to/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [The avantgarde are people who don't exactly know where they want to go, but are the first to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/the-avantgarde-are-people-who-don-t-exactly-know-where-they-want-to/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [“Loyalty is not the kind of exclusive deal, it's just a sincere communication and the same values.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/loyalty-is-not-the-kind-of-exclusive-deal-it-s-just-a-sincere/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [“...all intolerable local situations have become world situations, with the result that the whole world has become a local situation, here, under your nose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/all-intolerable-local-situations-have-become-world-situations-with/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [“Humor is a passive form of terrorism, of resistance, and of pseudo-aggression that has less to do with changing the world than with mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/humor-is-a-passive-form-of-terrorism-of-resistance-and-of-pseudo/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) [Explore all 50 Romain Gary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) ## More Diplomacy quotes > [“There is no time for patience - there is no time for diplomacy - there is no time for policies, legislations and meaningless paperwork.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-no-time-for-patience-there-is-no-time-for-diplomacy-there-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-archaeology-you-uncover-the-unknown-in-diplomacy-you-cover-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [War is always a failure. It means we've failed in diplomacy and we've failed in talking to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/war-is-always-a-failure-it-means-we-ve-failed-in-diplomacy-and-we-ve/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [There comes a point where you see no evidence that the carrot and diplomacy are working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/there-comes-a-point-where-you-see-no-evidence-that-the-carrot-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Russia may very well be front and center again in 2020 as they were in 2016 regarding interference in America's presidential election. 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But they did help bring Iran to the negotiating table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/sanctions-alone-could-not-stop-iran-s-nuclear-program-but-they-did/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/be-polite-write-diplomatically-even-in-a-declaration-of-war-one/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) [Browse all 634 Diplomacy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diplomacy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The diplomatic kids had a hectic sort of life, being constantly thrown from one end of the world to the other and always playing tennis, no matter who was being machine-gunned in the streets, you were always extraterritorial, history was not permitted to touch you, it was only buzzing around your tennis court in a bloody sort of way. 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