---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How far did they fly? Five and a half…"
description: "\"“How far did they fly? Five and a half thousand as the crow. Or: from Indianness to Englishness, an immeasurable distance. Or, not very far at all, bec..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/salman-rushdie-153_distance_how-far-did-they-fly-five-and-a-half-tho_728613.jpg"
---

#  How far did they fly? Five and a half thousand as the…

![“How far did they fly? Five and a half thousand as the crow. Or: from Indianness to Englishness, an immeasurable distance. Or, not very far at all, because they rose from one great city, fell to another. The distance between cities is always small; a villager, travelling a hundred miles to town…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/salman-rushdie-153_distance_how-far-did-they-fly-five-and-a-half-tho_728613.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/salman-rushdie-153_distance_how-far-did-they-fly-five-and-a-half-tho_728613.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/salman-rushdie-153_distance_how-far-did-they-fly-five-and-a-half-tho_728613.jpg)

> ““How far did they fly? Five and a half thousand as the crow. Or: from Indianness to Englishness, an immeasurable distance. Or, not very far at all, because they rose from one great city, fell to another. The distance between cities is always small; a villager, travelling a hundred miles to town, traverses emptier, darker, more terrifying space.””

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## About This Quote

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

Travel across cultures feels both vast and intimate, highlighting how distances shrink when shared origins are recognized.

**In simple terms:** Cultural journeys feel both far and near.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shared humanity.

Themes

culture travel identity

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- immigration
- education
- personal growth
- cross‑cultural communication

Key Concepts

postcolonialism migration psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions make cultural differences seem larger?
- How can shared stories bridge perceived gaps?

A Different Perspective

Distance can be amplified by prejudice and fear.

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[Crow Indianness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crow-indianness-5713065/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Distance Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-cities-5713064/) [Distance Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-far-291539/) [Immeasurable Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immeasurable-distance-5323350/)

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> [“In the distance,far over there, only the eyes can travel when the body is weary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-christians/in-the-distance-far-over-there-only-the-eyes-can-travel-when-the-body/)

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> [We had to be parents by long distance, which is far from satisfactory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-hunter/we-had-to-be-parents-by-long-distance-which-is-far-from-satisfactory/)

[Jeffrey Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-hunter/)

> [Are you that weak? Even if the distance seems far, run after him. Even if it feels like he isnt next to you, grab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/are-you-that-weak-even-if-the-distance-seems-far-run-after-him-even/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A friend allows you distance, but is never far away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-friend-allows-you-distance-but-is-never-far-away/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Loving you is like loving a star. Youre amazing but the only problem is that the distance is so far...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loving-you-is-like-loving-a-star-youre-amazing-but-the-only-problem/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The distance between us is only as far apart as our hearts will let it be, so to me there is no distance, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-distance-between-us-is-only-as-far-apart-as-our-hearts-will-let/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A friend is someone who allows you distance but is never far away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah/a-friend-is-someone-who-allows-you-distance-but-is-never-far-away/)

[Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah/)

> [No distance is too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/no-distance-is-too-far/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [It wouldn't matters If I'll wait here in distance. Even distance seems so far away. I'm willing to wait for so long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/it-wouldn-t-matters-if-i-ll-wait-here-in-distance-even-distance-seems/)

[Louaiq8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louaiq8/)

> [Even though we may be far apart, you will forever be in my heart, the distance is far but we are only just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-though-we-may-be-far-apart-you-will-forever-be-in-my-heart-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Salman Rushdie

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

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> [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/)

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> [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/)

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[Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## More Distance quotes

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/)

[Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/)

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> [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/)

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[Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/)

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