40 Inspirational Quotes About Living Abroad for Expats
There is something about a great quote that just stops you in your tracks. It says exactly what you are feeling but could not find the words for. Quotes About Living Abroad and when you are deep in expat life, that feeling happens a lot.
Whether you just packed your bags and moved to a foreign country, or you have been living overseas for years, certain quotes just hit differently. They make you feel seen. They remind you that what you are going through is real, valid, and worth it. if you are quotes lover and want to read more quotes than visit Quotes slide.
Why Expat Quotes Just Hit Different
Why do quotes matter so much when you are living abroad?
Because expat life is a rollercoaster. One day you feel on top of the world. The next day you are homesick, confused, or just exhausted from trying to figure out how things work in a new culture.
In those moments, a good quote can feel like a friend sitting next to you and saying, “I get it. Keep going.”
Living abroad quotes work because they come from people who have actually felt what you are feeling. Writers, travelers, thinkers, and everyday people who chose to live in another country and lived to tell the tale.
These quotes are not just pretty words. They carry real courage, real nostalgia, real personal growth, and real freedom. That is what makes them so powerful.
Inspirational Quotes About Making the Leap to Live Abroad
Making the decision to move abroad is not small. It takes courage, a lot of planning, and sometimes a little madness. If you are on the fence, or you just need a reminder that you made the right call, these moving abroad quotes are for you.
What does it really take to leave everything behind and start fresh in a foreign country?
It takes trusting yourself. It takes ignoring the fear and choosing new beginnings over staying comfortable. It also takes knowing that regret is scarier than any life change you could ever make.
These quotes about making the leap capture that feeling perfectly.
Moving Abroad Quotes for When You Are Scared to Take the First Step
Fear is normal. Every expat felt it before they left. But fear does not have to be the reason you stay.
“Making a big life change is pretty scary. But know what’s even scarier? Regret. – Zig Ziglar”
Zig Ziglar said it best. The pain of regret lasts a lot longer than the pain of fear.
“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from. – Seth Godin”
Seth Godin’s words are a gentle but powerful nudge. There is a big difference between a vacation vs lifestyle. Many Americans realized this when they started thinking about what a real dream life abroad could look like.
“And suddenly you just know. It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings. – Meister Eckhart”
Meister Eckhart describes that quiet but clear inner moment when you just know it is time. That feeling of intuition that no logic can explain but every expat understands.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. – Steve Jobs”
Steve Jobs talked about this often. Living your own life, not the one others mapped out for you, is one of the bravest things a person can do. Moving abroad is often the most literal version of that.
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage. – Ralph Waldo Emerson”
Ralph Waldo Emerson knew that making big life decisions always comes with critics. The courage is in going anyway.
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. – Jack Kerouac”
Jack Kerouac never sugarcoated it. Life is short. Go do the thing.
“Travel early and travel often. Live abroad if you can. As your understanding of other cultures increases, your understanding of yourself will increase exponentially. – Tom Freston”
Tom Freston connects cultural understanding directly to self-discovery. The more you understand a new culture, the more you understand yourself. That is one of the greatest gifts of international living.
Living Abroad Quotes for When People Think You Are Crazy for Leaving
What do you say to people who don’t understand why you moved abroad?
You don’t have to explain yourself. But these quotes help.
“You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C. S. Lewis”
C. S. Lewis reminds us that dreaming big has no age limit. Whether you moved abroad at 25 or 55, this quote stands firm.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. – Howard Thurman”
Howard Thurman’s words are a powerful answer to anyone who questions your choices. Following your heart is not selfish. It is necessary.
“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground. – Judith Thurman”
Judith Thurman perfectly describes that pull that many expats felt long before they ever left. That unexplainable longing for somewhere else. For some Americans, motivation to move abroad starts with a feeling they cannot even name.
“Maybe you had to leave in order to really miss a place. Maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was. – Jodi Picoult”
Jodi Picoult captures something very true here. Sometimes you only understand the value of where you came from once you are somewhere completely different.
Quotes About Adjusting to Life Overseas
So you made the move. The boxes are unpacked. And now reality sets in. Living overseas is not always what you imagined. There is paperwork, language barriers, culture shock, and moments where nothing makes sense. These expat quotes are for those days.
How do expats deal with the adjustment of living in a foreign country?
They take it one day at a time. They lean on emotional resilience. And they remind themselves that confusion is part of the process.
Expat Quotes for the Hard Days Living Abroad
Every expat has hard days. Days where homesickness hits out of nowhere. Days where the foreign city around you feels overwhelming instead of exciting.
“Splendid to arrive alone in a foreign country and feel the assault of difference. Here they are all along, busy with living. They don’t talk or look like me. The rhythm of their day is entirely different. I am foreign. – Frances Mayes”
Frances Mayes describes the shock of being a foreigner with such honesty. That moment of realizing the world does not revolve around your normal is both humbling and exciting.
“I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. – Bill Bryson”
Bill Bryson reframes culture shock in the best possible way. Instead of feeling embarrassed by not knowing things, he finds wonder in it. That growth mindset is what separates expats who thrive from those who struggle.
“When you move from one country to another you have to accept that there are some things that are better and some things that are worse, and there is nothing you can do about it. – Bill Bryson”
Another gem from Bill Bryson. Adaptation starts with acceptance. Not everything will be better abroad. Not everything will be worse. It is just different.
“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable. – Clifton Fadiman”
Clifton Fadiman says what many expats learn the hard way. A new culture was not built for you. Putting down roots means learning to work within it, not against it.
“Life might be difficult for a while, but I would tough it out because living in a foreign country is one of those things that everyone should try at least once. – David Sedaris”
David Sedaris approaches overseas life with his trademark honesty. It is hard. But overcoming challenges abroad builds something inside you that is very hard to find any other way.
“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights. It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. – Mary Ritter Beard”
Mary Ritter Beard understood that living in another country changes how you see everything. Not just what you look at, but how you think. That is the deeper gift of a cross-cultural experience.
Quotes About Finding Yourself in a Foreign Country
Can living abroad actually help you find yourself?
Research in cross-cultural psychology shows that living overseas pushes people to examine their values, beliefs, and identity in ways that staying home rarely does. These living abroad quotes speak to that identity shift directly. if you want to read Boobs Quotes than visit this page.
“Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time. – Hannah Arendt”
Hannah Arendt captures the unique freedom abroad that comes from being unknown. No old labels. No history. Just you, figuring out who you are now. That is one of the most powerful parts of the global lifestyle.
“Life overseas is one of those things that everyone should try at least once. My understanding was that it completed a person, sanding down the rough provincial edges and transforming you into a citizen of the world. – David Sedaris”
David Sedaris uses the phrase citizen of the world in a way that resonates deeply. International living genuinely reshapes a person’s cultural identity and sense of self.
“Everyone smiles in the same language. – George Carlin”
George Carlin’s quote is short but important. No matter how different a new culture feels, human connection still finds a way. That truth carries expats through the hardest days.
“Is there anything to beat finding yourself at large in a foreign city on a fair spring evening, loafing along unfamiliar streets in the long shadows of a lazy sunset? I just love it. I could spend my life arriving each evening in a new city. – Bill Bryson”
Bill Bryson again. This one is pure joy. Arriving in a new city and letting yourself get lost in it is one of the greatest pleasures of overseas adventure.
Inspirational Quotes About Missing Home While Living Abroad
Homesickness is real. It does not mean you made the wrong decision. It just means you loved where you came from. These living overseas quotes sit with that feeling honestly.
Is it normal to miss home while living abroad?
Completely. Most expats experience waves of homesickness, especially in the first year. According to psychologists, homesickness is one of the most common emotional challenges faced by people living in another country.
Quotes for Expats Who Miss America
Missing home abroad looks different for every American expat. For some it is the food. For others it is family, or just the familiar rhythm of life back home.
“All you will have is the present. Waste no energy crying over yesterday or dreaming of tomorrow. Nostalgia is fatiguing and destructive. It is the vice of the expatriate. You must put down roots as if they were forever, you must have a sense of permanence. – Isabel Allende”
Isabel Allende does not sugarcoat it. Nostalgia can become a trap. Putting down roots and building a sense of permanence in your new home is not giving up on where you came from. It is choosing to fully live where you are.
“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth. – Robert Southey”
Robert Southey reminds us that friendship across distance survives when it is real. Many American expats worry about losing their closest friendships when they move abroad. This quote is proof that the real ones stay.
“Why did I hope we would be happy abroad? A change of environment is that traditional fallacy upon which doomed loves, and lungs, rely. – Vladimir Nabokov”
Vladimir Nabokov’s words are an honest reality check. Starting over in a new country does not fix what was already broken. A fresh start works best when you go with clear eyes, not just escape in mind.
Living Abroad Quotes About Loneliness and Belonging
What does loneliness feel like for an expat?
It is a specific kind of lonely. You might be surrounded by people, in a buzzing foreign city, and still feel invisible. These expat quotes describe that feeling with remarkable accuracy.
“The loneliness of the expatriate is of an odd and complicated kind, for it is inseparable from the feeling of being free, of having escaped. – Adam Gopnik”
Adam Gopnik nails something that is very hard to explain to someone who has never lived abroad. The loneliness of expatriate life and the freedom abroad exist in the same breath. You cannot fully separate them.
“You know what else is nice about being a foreigner? Whatever you do takes place in a capsule that need not be discovered and opened by someone back home. – Patricia Marx”
Patricia Marx finds a quiet freedom in being a foreigner. When no one from your old world is watching, you have the space to be whoever you are becoming. That is part of the personal evolution that comes with expat life.
“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. – Mahatma Gandhi”
Mahatma Gandhi’s words remind expats that cultural understanding goes deeper than food and language. To truly understand a place, you have to understand its people. And that takes time, patience, and emotional resilience.
Quotes About How Living Abroad Changes You
Living overseas does not just change your address. It changes you. Your views. Your habits. Your sense of self. That transformation is one of the most talked-about parts of expat life.
How does living abroad change a person?
Studies in psychology show that people who live in another country often develop stronger adaptation skills, greater empathy, and a more open global mindset. These living abroad quotes reflect that personal evolution beautifully.
Expat Quotes About Personal Growth and New Perspectives
“Travel early and travel often. Live abroad if you can. Understand cultures other than your own. As your understanding of other cultures increases, your understanding of yourself and your own culture will increase exponentially. – Tom Freston”
This one from Tom Freston is worth reading twice. Cross-cultural experience is not just about learning about others. It teaches you who you are and where you come from in a way that nothing else can.
“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights. It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. – Mary Ritter Beard”
Mary Ritter Beard’s words are a reminder that the changes that happen inside you during overseas life are not temporary. They stick. They shape how you see the world long after you return home.
“Life might be difficult for a while, but living in a foreign country is one of those things that everyone should try at least once. What I found appealing in life abroad was the inevitable sense of helplessness it would inspire. Equally exciting would be the work involved in overcoming that helplessness. – David Sedaris”
David Sedaris sees helplessness not as failure but as opportunity. Being bad at something and working to improve it is the engine of personal growth. Living in another country puts you in that position constantly.
Quotes About Becoming a Citizen of the World
What does it mean to become a citizen of the world?
It means your sense of belonging is no longer tied to one country, one flag, or one culture. It means you carry pieces of everywhere you have lived with you. These expat travel quotes celebrate that identity shift.
“I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses. – Bill Bryson”
Bill Bryson shows that a global mindset starts with humility. Admitting you do not know everything about a new culture is the first step toward truly understanding it.
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. – Terry Pratchett”
Terry Pratchett captures the full circle of living abroad. You leave. You grow. You return different. And that changed perspective is irreversible. Once you have seen the world through a cross-cultural experience, you cannot unsee it.
“Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time. – Hannah Arendt”
Hannah Arendt’s quote speaks to self-discovery in its purest form. Being a foreigner strips away every label you ever had. What is left is exactly who you truly are.
Moving Home After Living Abroad Quotes
Not every expat stays forever. Some return home by choice. Others return because life demands it. Either way, going back is never as simple as it sounds. Reverse culture shock is real, and it hits harder than most people expect.
What is reverse culture shock and why does it happen?
Reverse culture shock happens when someone returns to their home country after living abroad and feels out of place in a culture that used to feel completely normal. It is one of the least talked about but most common experiences in expat life.
Quotes About Reverse Culture Shock
These moving home after living abroad quotes speak directly to that strange, bittersweet feeling of returning.
“Our homes are not defined by geography or one particular location, but by memories, events, people, and places that span the globe. – Marilyn Gardner”
Marilyn Gardner reframes what home abroad even means after years of international living. For many American expats returning home, the definition of home has expanded so much that one place can no longer fully contain it.
“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again. – Azar Nafisi”
Azar Nafisi captures something deeply true. It is not just the place you grieve. It is the version of yourself that only existed there. That identity shift is what makes leaving so complicated.
“She had not thought it would be so easy to slip into the old roles. Living abroad had changed her fundamentally and she thought she was immune. No one in her family, however, noticed the transformation in her. – Ian McEwan”
Ian McEwan describes one of the most painful parts of reverse culture shock. You come home completely changed by your cross-cultural experience, and the people around you look at you like you never left. That disconnect is very real.
“It is a bitter-sweet thing, knowing two cultures. Once you leave your birthplace nothing is ever the same. – Sarah Turnbull”
Sarah Turnbull sums up dual identity with honesty. Knowing two cultures deeply is a gift. But it also means you are always carrying a quiet grief for the life you left behind somewhere.
Quotes About Never Fully Belonging Anywhere Again
Is it true that living abroad means you never fully feel at home again?
For many expats, yes. Once you have built a life in a foreign country, something in your sense of self shifts permanently. These quotes about belonging speak to that beautifully.
“So, here you are. Too foreign for home, too foreign for here. Never enough for both. – Ijeoma Umebinyuo”
Ijeoma Umebinyuo wrote one of the most shared expat quotes of all time. It stings because it is true. After years of living in another country, the concept of where is home becomes genuinely complicated.
“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place. – Miriam Adeney”
Miriam Adeney’s quote is the one that stays with you. Not fully at home in either place is the trade-off for a life built across memories across the globe. It hurts. But most expats agree it is absolutely worth it.
“The loneliness of the expatriate is of an odd and complicated kind, for it is inseparable from the feeling of being free, of having escaped. – Adam Gopnik”
Adam Gopnik again. Because this quote belongs in both places. The loneliness of expatriate life follows you home too. But so does the freedom.
“Expats who can only criticize the country in which they choose to live are like a sailor who demands the wind blows only according to his skill. – Tony Crossley”
Tony Crossley offers a wise challenge to any expat who falls into constant complaining. Adaptation is part of the deal. Starting over in a new country means accepting that you are the one who must adjust, not the country.
Final Thoughts on These Living Abroad Quotes
Expat life is many things at once. It is exciting and exhausting. It is lonely and liberating. It is the best decision you ever made and the hardest thing you have ever done, sometimes in the same afternoon.
These 40 inspirational quotes about living abroad are not just words. They are tiny pieces of truth from people who have lived this overseas life and wanted others to know they were not alone in it.
Which of these living abroad quotes spoke to you the most?
Whether you are about to make the leap, deep in your first year of culture shock, or back home dealing with reverse culture shock, there is a quote here that was written for exactly where you are right now.
Keep them saved. Come back to them when the overseas adventure gets hard. And remember that every expat who ever changed their life by moving abroad started exactly where you are.
