--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I found that Scottishness and Englishness…" description: "\"I found that Scottishness and Englishness are actually strong, instinctive things, whatever the historical reasons. Even the accent changes - just two ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/rory-stewart-11028_accent_i-found-that-scottishness-and-englishnes_2002693.jpg" --- # I found that Scottishness and Englishness are actually… ![“I found that Scottishness and Englishness are actually strong, instinctive things, whatever the historical reasons. Even the accent changes - just two inches across the border.” quote by Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/rory-stewart-11028_accent_i-found-that-scottishness-and-englishnes_2002693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/rory-stewart-11028_accent_i-found-that-scottishness-and-englishnes_2002693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/rory-stewart-11028_accent_i-found-that-scottishness-and-englishnes_2002693.jpg) > “I found that Scottishness and Englishness are actually strong, instinctive things, whatever the historical reasons. Even the accent changes - just two inches across the border.” [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. National identity can be felt deeply and instinctively, beyond historical explanations, even in subtle differences like accent. **In simple terms:** Identity feels innate, not just historical. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect instinctive cultural ties. Themes identity culture nation perception language Mood reflective thoughtful Type observational analytical When to use this quote - border discussions - cultural exchange - language learning - community building - political debates Key Concepts nationalism social identity linguistic cues Questions to Reflect On - How do you experience cultural identity in everyday life? - Can subtle cues like accent shape our sense of belonging? A Different Perspective Identity may be socially constructed despite feeling instinctive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accent/) [Accent Changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accent-changes-2112520/) [Across](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/across/) [Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Border](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/border/) [Changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes/) [Englishness Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishness-actually-3212376/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Inches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inches/) [Instinctive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinctive/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons/) [Reasons Accent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-accent-3533310/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong Instinctive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-instinctive-3533309/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Whatever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whatever/) ## Related quotes > [I was born abroad, but my parents were both English. Still, those few years of separation, and then coming back to England as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-was-born-abroad-but-my-parents-were-both-english-still-those-few/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [As soon as you start speaking in a different language or with a different accent, it changes you as a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-panday/as-soon-as-you-start-speaking-in-a-different-language-or-with-a/) [Ananya Panday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-panday/) > [When you become an American, they give you an injection so your accent changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-become-an-american-they-give-you-an-injection-so-your-accent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...science is nothing but developed perception, interpreted intent, common-sense rounded out and minutely articulated. It is therefore as much an instinctive product, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/science-is-nothing-but-developed-perception-interpreted-intent-common/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Madonna's great instinctive intelligence was evident to me from her earliest videos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/madonna-s-great-instinctive-intelligence-was-evident-to-me-from-her/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“Every day try to convert your reactions to responses. Reactions are always instinctive, whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/every-day-try-to-convert-your-reactions-to-responses-reactions-are/) [Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/) > [There are some roles that are a no-brainer. You just have a sure, instinctive 'Yes!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mcteer/there-are-some-roles-that-are-a-no-brainer-you-just-have-a-sure/) [Janet McTeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mcteer/) > [I'm very instinctive when I choose my roles, and usually, the number one thing has to be the director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-hope-ashitey/i-m-very-instinctive-when-i-choose-my-roles-and-usually-the-number/) [Clare-Hope Ashitey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-hope-ashitey/) > [In our house caring about food is pretty instinctive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/in-our-house-caring-about-food-is-pretty-instinctive/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [I'd thought sexuality was instinctive or natural, but it's profoundly linked to inner security and cultural context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/i-d-thought-sexuality-was-instinctive-or-natural-but-it-s-profoundly/) [Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/) > [When my heart rate is so high, I seem to be able to play even better, without making bad decisions. It almost switches the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-norrie/when-my-heart-rate-is-so-high-i-seem-to-be-able-to-play-even-better/) [Cameron Norrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-norrie/) > [“The more we're connected to our chosen someone, the more we can pick up what they're feeling. It's instinctive, like breathing." "You can't hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/the-more-we-re-connected-to-our-chosen-someone-the-more-we-can-pick/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“The instinctive preference was to read rather than to act. No wonder our actual lives were more or less a shambles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-instinctive-preference-was-to-read-rather-than-to-act-no-wonder/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-people-say-therefore-that-violence-and-war-are-inevitable-i-say/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [ \[Our understanding is\] not intellectual, but instinctive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/our-understanding-is-not-intellectual-but-instinctive/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) ## More by Rory Stewart > [This idea that failure is not an option: It makes failure invisible, inconceivable and inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/this-idea-that-failure-is-not-an-option-it-makes-failure-invisible/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If a relationship is going wrong, if a marriage is going wrong, the answer cannot simply be to say, 'You can't afford to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-a-relationship-is-going-wrong-if-a-marriage-is-going-wrong-the/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [ “He \[Babur\] was a ype of mastiff, bred to fight against wolves, dogs, and humans. . . . The mastiff is perhaps the oldest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/he-babur-was-a-ype-of-mastiff-bred-to-fight-against-wolves-dogs-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The politicians think the journalists have power, the journalists think bankers have power, bankers think lawyers have power. The truth is, nobody has power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-politicians-think-the-journalists-have-power-the-journalists/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“I recited and followed this song-of-the-places-in-between as a map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-recited-and-followed-this-song-of-the-places-in-between-as-a-map/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The Afghan government is much better informed, much more intrusive and ambitious than I had guessed. There are amazing craftsmen in Kabul but few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-afghan-government-is-much-better-informed-much-more-intrusive-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I have planted over 6,000 trees at home in Scotland, some of them oak. I'd like my children to be able to watch them grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-have-planted-over-6-000-trees-at-home-in-scotland-some-of-them-oak/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“Man's life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/man-s-life-is-brief-and-transitory-literature-endures-forever/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If things are going wrong in a country, it's not usually that we don't have enough foreigners. It's usually that we have too many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-things-are-going-wrong-in-a-country-it-s-not-usually-that-we-don-t/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [For politicians to be honest, the public needs to allow them to be honest, and the media, which mediates between the politicians and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/for-politicians-to-be-honest-the-public-needs-to-allow-them-to-be/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“My feet beat out a steady muffled rhythm. My thoughts participated in each step, never getting ahead of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/my-feet-beat-out-a-steady-muffled-rhythm-my-thoughts-participated-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I left things out - my motivations, my history, my emotional responses - because I am not good at understanding them or writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-left-things-out-my-motivations-my-history-my-emotional-responses/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I like connecting to places by foot, and I'm interested in experiencing how somewhere like Crieff connects to somewhere like London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-like-connecting-to-places-by-foot-and-i-m-interested-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Religions . . . seem to avoid mountain passes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/religions-seem-to-avoid-mountain-passes/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-is-not-simply-a-question-of-structures-it-is-a-state-of/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) [Explore all 62 Rory Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## More Accent quotes > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“Stop it,” Adrian ordered, his strange accent thicker with his vehemence. “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/stop-it-adrian-ordered-his-strange-accent-thicker-with-his-vehemence/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [“If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the north?' 'Lots of planets have a north!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-t-davies/if-you-are-an-alien-how-come-you-sound-like-you-re-from-the-north/) [Russell T Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-t-davies/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [My accent gets more pronounced when I've been talking to people from Derry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roma-downey/my-accent-gets-more-pronounced-when-i-ve-been-talking-to-people-from/) [Roma Downey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roma-downey/) > [I definitely am from Australia...you can tell by my accent!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-simpson/i-definitely-am-from-australia-you-can-tell-by-my-accent/) [Cody Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-simpson/) > [They made me use an accent, which I wasn't thrilled about because a lot of us, obviously, don't have them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/they-made-me-use-an-accent-which-i-wasn-t-thrilled-about-because-a/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [Now, I don't know about my peers, but I get nervous - okay, I genuinely freak out - when an actor starts trying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/now-i-don-t-know-about-my-peers-but-i-get-nervous-okay-i-genuinely/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I had people who said I was a brilliant producer but I wouldn't get on the news because I was too northern. 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