--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He's got this thing about Canada. He says…" description: "\"“He's got this thing about Canada. He says it's like America only with health care and no guns, and you can live up to your potential there and not hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/ruth-ozeki-2896_canada_he-s-got-this-thing-about-canada-he-says_3148916.jpg" --- # He's got this thing about Canada. He says it's like… ![“He's got this thing about Canada. He says it's like America only with health care and no guns, and you can live up to your potential there and not have to worry about what society thinks or about getting sick or getting shot.” quote by Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/ruth-ozeki-2896_canada_he-s-got-this-thing-about-canada-he-says_3148916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/ruth-ozeki-2896_canada_he-s-got-this-thing-about-canada-he-says_3148916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/ruth-ozeki-2896_canada_he-s-got-this-thing-about-canada-he-says_3148916.jpg) > ““He's got this thing about Canada. He says it's like America only with health care and no guns, and you can live up to your potential there and not have to worry about what society thinks or about getting sick or getting shot.”” [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Canada is portrayed as a hopeful alternative to America, offering health care, safety, and freedom from societal judgment. **In simple terms:** Canada as a hopeful, safe alternative. Key Takeaway Consider the possibilities of a different society. Themes utopia healthcare freedom societal pressure Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - policy discussion - immigration decisions - career choices - personal values Key Concepts Comparative politics social critique Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of society most affect your sense of safety? - How would you balance personal freedom with communal responsibility? A Different Perspective Idealizing any nation overlooks its complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Getting Sick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-sick/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) ## Related quotes > [Criminals don't care about guns laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/criminals-don-t-care-about-guns-laws/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [When the US sneezes, Canada says, gesundheit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-carlysle/when-the-us-sneezes-canada-says-gesundheit/) [Jules Carlysle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-carlysle/) > [If Obama wanted to make radical changes to America's health long-term, all he has to do is treble the price of sugar and salt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/if-obama-wanted-to-make-radical-changes-to-america-s-health-long-term/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [America's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/america-s-health-care-system-is-neither-healthy-caring-nor-a-system/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Imagine an America where the health care system is dramatically improved simply because people need to go to the doctor less. Preventive health care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-stiles/imagine-an-america-where-the-health-care-system-is-dramatically/) [Tara Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-stiles/) > [America's health care system is in crisis precisely because we systematically neglect wellness and prevention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/america-s-health-care-system-is-in-crisis-precisely-because-we/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [America's health care system provides some of the finest doctors and more access to vital medications than any country in the world. And yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/america-s-health-care-system-provides-some-of-the-finest-doctors-and/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [America's health care system is second only to Japan, Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, well ... all of Europe. But you can thank your lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-s-health-care-system-is-second-only-to-japan-canada-sweden/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We've got nearly 50 million people in America with no health insurance. That's a weapon of mass destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/we-ve-got-nearly-50-million-people-in-america-with-no-health/) [Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/) > [The sports world, the administrators and the leagues, they need to place a high premium on the health of America, the health of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myron-rolle/the-sports-world-the-administrators-and-the-leagues-they-need-to/) [Myron Rolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myron-rolle/) > [The best way not to encounter America's health care system is not to have to encounter it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-lemon/the-best-way-not-to-encounter-america-s-health-care-system-is-not-to/) [Don Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-lemon/) > [“New Rule: The White House doesn't have to release the dead Bin Laden photos, but don't pretend we can't take it. We've seen pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-the-white-house-doesn-t-have-to-release-the-dead-bin-laden/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I always befriend shy people. If they're insightful, I have a study buddy. If they're crazy, I'm the only one not getting shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-always-befriend-shy-people-if-they-re-insightful-i-have-a-study/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...I discovered that I could take a risk and survive. I could march in Philadelphia. I could go out in the street and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-shelley/i-discovered-that-i-could-take-a-risk-and-survive-i-could-march-in/) Martha Shelley > [You only getting one shot, I hope your picture takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-miller/you-only-getting-one-shot-i-hope-your-picture-takes/) [Mac Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-miller/) ## More by Ruth Ozeki > [“Time plays tricks on mothers. It teases you with breaks and brief caesuras, only to skip wildly forward, bringing breathtaking changes to your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/time-plays-tricks-on-mothers-it-teases-you-with-breaks-and-brief/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Everything seemed to grow blacker as I sat there, except for the fireflies whose tiny pulsing lights drew arcs through the dark summer air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/everything-seemed-to-grow-blacker-as-i-sat-there-except-for-the/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [That's what it feels like when I write, like I have this beautiful world in my head, but when I try to remember it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/that-s-what-it-feels-like-when-i-write-like-i-have-this-beautiful/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen,” he said, without looking up. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/premonitions-are-coincidences-waiting-to-happen-he-said-without/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“As someone who has to teach for a living, I shouldn't be saying this, but the planet can do quite well without books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/as-someone-who-has-to-teach-for-a-living-i-shouldn-t-be-saying-this/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/life-is-fleeting-don-t-waste-a-single-moment-of-your-precious-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/do-not-think-that-time-simply-flies-away-do-not-understand-flying-as/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZAZEN First of all, you have to sit down, which you’re probably already doing. The traditional way is to sit on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/instructions-for-zazen-first-of-all-you-have-to-sit-down-which-you-re/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“this feeling of alive is not so easy to experience. Even although life is a thing that seems to have some kind of weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/this-feeling-of-alive-is-not-so-easy-to-experience-even-although-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Writing is solitary. You spend so much time alone and in your own mind, telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/writing-is-solitary-you-spend-so-much-time-alone-and-in-your-own-mind/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [It was really a means-of-production problem. It costs so much to make films. With a novel, you can write the whole thing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/it-was-really-a-means-of-production-problem-it-costs-so-much-to-make/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [My mind is like a gyre, and odd juxtapositions happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/my-mind-is-like-a-gyre-and-odd-juxtapositions-happen/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the migrant Mexican farm laborers hired during harvest. If you can get a good contract at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-equivalent-of-the-migrant/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [She missed the built environment of New York City. It was only in an urban landscape, amid straight lines and architecture, that she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/she-missed-the-built-environment-of-new-york-city-it-was-only-in-an/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) [Explore all 145 Ruth Ozeki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## More Canada quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Our country has shown a lack of will to resist its own disintegration .. . Canada is practically the only country left in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/our-country-has-shown-a-lack-of-will-to-resist-its-own-disintegration/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Purchasing items made in the U.S. for our stores here or Canadian goods for our stores in Canada makes good business sense because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/purchasing-items-made-in-the-u-s-for-our-stores-here-or-canadian/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [One of the things that I miss about Canada is that even the strangers, you have an immediate rapport, there's just an understanding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/one-of-the-things-that-i-miss-about-canada-is-that-even-the-strangers/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [I've never been invited to do an exhibition or do a talk in England, except once, about 10 years ago. I've given talks all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wildsmith/i-ve-never-been-invited-to-do-an-exhibition-or-do-a-talk-in-england/) [Brian Wildsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wildsmith/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [“To be honest, it's a real relief to go to Canada where I can be among my relatives. Just the kind of break I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-puddicombe/to-be-honest-it-s-a-real-relief-to-go-to-canada-where-i-can-be-among/) [Ken Puddicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-puddicombe/) > [When I left Canada for Bayern, people said, 'You'll never make it. You'll be back in a year.' I stopped going to school because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/when-i-left-canada-for-bayern-people-said-you-ll-never-make-it-you-ll/) [Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/) > [LEGO has announced that they are shutting down their U.S. factory and moving it to Canada. LEGO employees say it's their fault because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/lego-has-announced-that-they-are-shutting-down-their-u-s-factory-and/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [It's so Canada. On some level, you laugh, but on another level, it's just depressing. We pride ourselves: We're not like the bad old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-backhouse/it-s-so-canada-on-some-level-you-laugh-but-on-another-level-it-s-just/) [Constance Backhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-backhouse/) > [The movement across Canada to fight toxic chemicals is a women's movement. It's a concern about health; it's very intimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/the-movement-across-canada-to-fight-toxic-chemicals-is-a-women-s/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [I grew up working in Canada so everything was low budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-grew-up-working-in-canada-so-everything-was-low-budget/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) [Browse all 1,873 Canada quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He's got this thing about Canada. 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