--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I have a foreign accent—which I much…" description: "\"If I have a foreign accent—which I much regret—it is cosmopolitan, but not Teutonic. I am a daughter of the great Jewish race, and my somewhat uncultiv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg" --- # If I have a foreign accent—which I much regret—it is… ![“If I have a foreign accent—which I much regret—it is cosmopolitan, but not Teutonic. I am a daughter of the great Jewish race, and my somewhat uncultivated language is the outcome of our enforced wanderings.” quote by Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg) > “If I have a foreign accent—which I much regret—it is cosmopolitan, but not Teutonic. I am a daughter of the great Jewish race, and my somewhat uncultivated language is the outcome of our enforced wanderings.” [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on her foreign accent as a mark of cosmopolitan identity, rooted in Jewish heritage and a history of displacement. **In simple terms:** Accent shows cultural mix and historic wandering. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse heritage as personal strength. Themes identity culture heritage language displacement Mood thoughtful proud Type cultural reflective When to use this quote - theatrical performances - public speaking - personal essays Key Concepts cosmopolitanism Jewish diaspora linguistic identity Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape personal identity? - Can perceived differences become strengths? A Different Perspective Accent may affect perception, but can be a unique asset. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accent Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accent-regret-2907914/) [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Cosmopolitan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmopolitan/) [Cosmopolitan Teutonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmopolitan-teutonic-2907913/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Foreign Accent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-accent-943472/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcomes/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regret Cosmopolitan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret-cosmopolitan-2907915/) [Wander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wander/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody loves an accent. It you've been unlucky in love, consider pulling up stakes and moving to another country. Then you'll be the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/everybody-loves-an-accent-it-you-ve-been-unlucky-in-love-consider/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [The foreign accent was a promise, and indeed, all over the country, European imports added spice to the sciences, the arts, and other areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-foreign-accent-was-a-promise-and-indeed-all-over-the-country/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [He would always speak the language of the heart with an awkward foreign accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/he-would-always-speak-the-language-of-the-heart-with-an-awkward/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Do you know what a foreign accent is? It's a sign of bravery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/do-you-know-what-a-foreign-accent-is-it-s-a-sign-of-bravery/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [There is no single advantage a woman of truly enduring fascination can possess that is so splendid as speaking with a foreign accent, whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-nelson-douglas/there-is-no-single-advantage-a-woman-of-truly-enduring-fascination/) [Carole Nelson Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-nelson-douglas/) > [I used to play a lot of foreign women in my youth because I was prettier then. I would go for interviews, and directors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-o-mara/i-used-to-play-a-lot-of-foreign-women-in-my-youth-because-i-was/) [Kate O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-o-mara/) > [Laughter has no foreign accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-b-lowney/laughter-has-no-foreign-accent/) [Paul B. Lowney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-b-lowney/) > [All good men are international. Nearly all bad men are cosmopolitan. If we are to be international we must be national.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-good-men-are-international-nearly-all-bad-men-are-cosmopolitan-if/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [My parents are very modern. My father is a cosmopolitan person. He always supported the fact that I will be an actress. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareena-kapoor-khan/my-parents-are-very-modern-my-father-is-a-cosmopolitan-person-he/) [Kareena Kapoor Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareena-kapoor-khan/) > [New York is at once cosmopolitan and parochial, a compendium of sentimental certainties. It is in fact the most sentimental of the world's great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/new-york-is-at-once-cosmopolitan-and-parochial-a-compendium-of/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [For those who struggle with anti-pagan prejudices and stereotypes, Humanist Paganism might be a powerful educational tool. It can show that a pagan can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/for-those-who-struggle-with-anti-pagan-prejudices-and-stereotypes/) [Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/) > [I love downtown Seattle. It's a city that has all of the outdoor activities and is still a very cosmopolitan city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lemond/i-love-downtown-seattle-it-s-a-city-that-has-all-of-the-outdoor/) [Greg LeMond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lemond/) > [“I believe theology should be about one's way of life, a kind of gaze into onesself and others, and a mode of one's profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/i-believe-theology-should-be-about-one-s-way-of-life-a-kind-of-gaze/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [“Cosmopolitan theology affirms and radicalizes the belief that the Divine creates each and every human being as equal to every one else as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/cosmopolitan-theology-affirms-and-radicalizes-the-belief-that-the/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [“I want to affirm that thinking and living, knowing and doing, theory and practice intersect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/i-want-to-affirm-that-thinking-and-living-knowing-and-doing-theory/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) ## More by Sarah Bernhardt > [I adore Chicago. It is the pulse of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/i-adore-chicago-it-is-the-pulse-of-america/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [Oscar Wilde: 'Do you mind if I smoke?' Sarah Bernhardt: 'I don't care if you burn.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/oscar-wilde-do-you-mind-if-i-smoke-sarah-bernhardt-i-don-t-care-if/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [The theatre is the involuntary reflex of the ideas of the crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/the-theatre-is-the-involuntary-reflex-of-the-ideas-of-the-crowd/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [I refuse the title of artist to those who owe their reputations to a physical deformity. I regard them as buffoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/i-refuse-the-title-of-artist-to-those-who-owe-their-reputations-to-a/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/it-is-by-spending-oneself-that-one-becomes-rich/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [Life begets life. Energy becomes energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/life-begets-life-energy-becomes-energy-it-is-by-spending-oneself-that/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [I have often been asked why I am so fond of playing male parts. As a matter of fact, it is not male parts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/i-have-often-been-asked-why-i-am-so-fond-of-playing-male-parts-as-a/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [We must live for the few who know and appreciate us, who judge and absolve us, and for whom we have the same affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/we-must-live-for-the-few-who-know-and-appreciate-us-who-judge-and/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [Legend remains victorious in spite of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/legend-remains-victorious-in-spite-of-history/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [It is in spending oneself that one becomes rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/it-is-in-spending-oneself-that-one-becomes-rich/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [To be a good actor... it is necessary to have a firmly tempered soul, to be surprised at nothing, to resume each minute the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/to-be-a-good-actor-it-is-necessary-to-have-a-firmly-tempered-soul-to/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [Slow down? Rest? With all eternity before me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/slow-down-rest-with-all-eternity-before-me/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [The monster of advertisement...is a sort of octopus with innumerable tentacles. It throws out to right and left, in front and behind, its clammy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/the-monster-of-advertisement-is-a-sort-of-octopus-with-innumerable/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [I have, thanks to my travels, added to my stock all the superstitions of other countries. I know them all now, and in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/i-have-thanks-to-my-travels-added-to-my-stock-all-the-superstitions/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) > [The actor is too prone to exaggerate his powers; he wants to play Hamlet when his appearance is more suitable to King Lear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/the-actor-is-too-prone-to-exaggerate-his-powers-he-wants-to-play/) [Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) [Explore all 44 Sarah Bernhardt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/) ## More Accents quotes > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [“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/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [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/) > [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [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/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) [La Rouchefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-rouchefoucauld/) > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) [Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I have a foreign accent—which I much regret—it is cosmopolitan, but not Teutonic. I am a daughter of the great Jewish race, and my somewhat uncultivated language is the outcome of our enforced wanderings.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Bernhardt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much-regret-it-is-cosmopolitan-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much-regret-it-is-cosmopolitan-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/sarah-bernhardt-15072_accents_if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much_1915208.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I have a foreign accent—which I much regret—it is cosmopolitan, but not Teutonic. I am a daughter of the…” — Sarah Bernhardt", "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": "Sarah Bernhardt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I have a foreign accent—which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much-regret-it-is-cosmopolitan-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/if-i-have-a-foreign-accent-which-i-much-regret-it-is-cosmopolitan-but/#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 } } ] } ```