--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: having a passport is not a sign of…" description: "\"“having a passport is not a sign of surrender. On the contrary, it is liberating, since it creates the possibility of new experiences. It allows us to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/timothy-snyder-882_history_having-a-passport-is-not-a-sign-of-surre_1097915.jpg" --- # having a passport is not a sign of surrender. On the… ![“having a passport is not a sign of surrender. On the contrary, it is liberating, since it creates the possibility of new experiences. It allows us to see how other people, sometimes wiser than we, react to similar problems. Since so much of what has happened in the last year is familiar to the…” quote by Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/timothy-snyder-882_history_having-a-passport-is-not-a-sign-of-surre_1097915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/timothy-snyder-882_history_having-a-passport-is-not-a-sign-of-surre_1097915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eee/timothy-snyder-882_history_having-a-passport-is-not-a-sign-of-surre_1097915.jpg) > ““having a passport is not a sign of surrender. On the contrary, it is liberating, since it creates the possibility of new experiences. It allows us to see how other people, sometimes wiser than we, react to similar problems. Since so much of what has happened in the last year is familiar to the rest of the world or from recent history, we must observe and listen.”” [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A passport symbolizes freedom, enabling exposure to diverse perspectives and learning from others' experiences, especially in turbulent times. **In simple terms:** A passport opens doors to new experiences and insights. Key Takeaway Embrace travel to broaden understanding. Themes freedom learning global perspective Mood curious reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - travel - journalism - education - conflict analysis Key Concepts cultural exchange historical awareness Questions to Reflect On - What perspectives could you gain by traveling? - How does mobility affect empathy? A Different Perspective Travel may be limited by political or financial barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [New experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-experiences/) [Passport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passport/) ## Related quotes > [Not having a passport makes me very blasé about what appears in foreign periodicals since I know I'll never see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/not-having-a-passport-makes-me-very-blas-about-what-appears-in/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Throwing down your staff may sound like a sign of surrender, but in Egyptian magic, it's bad news. It usually means, 'Hey, I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/throwing-down-your-staff-may-sound-like-a-sign-of-surrender-but-in/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The freedom I have as a U.S. citizen is unparalleled. Despite the fact people may not like American passports, having that passport affords me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/the-freedom-i-have-as-a-u-s-citizen-is-unparalleled-despite-the-fact/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [No matter what we go through in this world, there will always be new experiences and new day to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ncubekezi-sequenci-mpendulo/no-matter-what-we-go-through-in-this-world-there-will-always-be-new/) Ncubekezi Sequenci Mpendulo > [Excitement about things became a habit, a part of my personality, and the expectation that I should enjoy new experiences often engendered the enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/excitement-about-things-became-a-habit-a-part-of-my-personality-and/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not-3/) [Christopher McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mccandless/) > [So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aron-ralston/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not-2/) [Aron Ralston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aron-ralston/) > [“Be spontaneous! When was the last time you did something completely out of character? You have to open yourself to trying new things, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-spontaneous-when-was-the-last-time-you-did-something-completely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The new experience that has replaced dignified suffering is artificially prolonged, opaque, depersonalized maintenance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-new-experience-that-has-replaced-dignified-suffering-is/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [New experiences give you new perspectives on life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hunt/new-experiences-give-you-new-perspectives-on-life/) [Sam Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hunt/) > [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [ “d\] One speaks in a language one doesn't understand, uses money whose worth one does not know, and wanders down streets for the very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/d-one-speaks-in-a-language-one-doesn-t-understand-uses-money-whose/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“People crave new experiences and want passion in their lives, but their fear of the unknown is greater than their desire to reach that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-kaiser/people-crave-new-experiences-and-want-passion-in-their-lives-but/) [Shannon Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-kaiser/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [A second characteristic of the process which for me is the good life, is that it involves an increasingly tendency to live fully in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/a-second-characteristic-of-the-process-which-for-me-is-the-good-life/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) ## More by Timothy Snyder > [“Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/nationalism-is-relativist-since-the-only-truth-is-the-resentment-we/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“salami tactics—slicing off layers of opposition one by one. Most people were distracted, some were imprisoned, and others were outmatched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/salami-tactics-slicing-off-layers-of-opposition-one-by-one-most/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The key to this translation of ideology to politics in both cases was an effective appeal to human experience at the crucial time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-key-to-this-translation-of-ideology-to-politics-in-both-cases-was/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. 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It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“having a passport is not a sign of surrender. 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