John Barrowman Quotes

I feel a little schizophrenic because my life is so totally different from here, obviously. And the French values are so different from American values.

Americans are hidden dragons to me.

My mum and dad were speaking all the time about, 'In Sudan we do this,' and 'In Egypt we do that,' so I was very aware of cultural differences. I was confused growing up; it gave me a feeling of being an outsider watching others. But I think this is good for a writer.

I've benefited from the best of both societies and both cultures, East and West.

Travelers never think that they are the foreigners

I am very, very proud I am also Turkish and both of my parents are from Turkey. I was born in Germany and grew up there. By playing football, I learned my different cultures, and that is an advantage if you grow up as a person. You get a different view on certain things. I am very, very thankful I was able to pick the best from many cultures.

American audiences and European and Asian audiences are so different.

China is just so different from the rest of the world.

I never felt particularly alienated as an English person in America. It doesn't feel culturally like a massive gap to me.

Back in the States, they actually liked hearing my Filipino accent. People I meet there found it very endearing.

I was born and raised in China, Mandarin is my first language, and I definitely know America. I think that will be my strength, to try and bring the two worlds together.

I'm conscious of the fact that I'm sort of a bridging figure. I have my Chinese literary heritage and cultural background, so I'm comfortable with these things, but at the same time, I have to navigate the Anglo-American tradition, which has a self-centred view of what Asia and what being Chinese means.

To be a foreigner may be an advantage but disadvantage as well. It was advantage for me for sure.

It's hard enough being American and trying to make it in an American world, but being Australian, you're from a whole different country and have a whole different way of doing things.

My whole life, I've been getting used to adapting. There are small differences, but culturally, the States and the U.K. are very close.

Culture clash is terrific drama.

I am more than proud to be European. I love Europe, I love France, but I have an American mentality, and I don't know why. The way I see things, the way I talk, I'm the kind of person who, if I want to say something, I will say it - sometimes in Europe, it's not always what you need to do.

I am very happy since when I am in different cities I can experience and learn different cultures!

I grew up with white friends, Asian friends - Vietnamese, Chinese, Pacific Islanders. I had Hispanic friends, not just Mexican friends, but Guatemalan friends, Honduran friends, and we knew the difference, you know?

Cultural comparisons are good because they can tell you about what's similar, but also sometimes they make it easier to see obvious differences.

It's fascinating when you're from another place, but you don't speak the language.

Even though I'm very Westernized as an individual and very Canadian, I guess I've lost some of my Chinese culture.

Globalisation has obliterated distance, not just physically but also, most dangerously, mentally. It creates the illusion of intimacy when, in fact, the mental distances have changed little. It has concertinaed the world without engendering the necessary respect, recognition and tolerance that must accompany it.

My new play 'Chinglish,' which will go to Broadway, is about a white American businessman who goes to a provincial capital in China, hoping to make a deal there. It's bilingual. And it's about trying to communicate across language and cultural barriers.

My mom's Brazilian, so she and I definitely grew up with different perspectives. I was born in America, and she's from Brazil, so we have different ways of doing things. There's a bit of culture clash there.