"I am not an Englishman, I was never an Englishman, and I don't ever want to be one. I am a Scotsman! I was a Scotsman and I will always be one"
About this Quote
Connery doesn’t just declare a passport; he stages a refusal. The line is built like a barricade: three denials, then a flag planted in the ground. “I am not… I was never… I don’t ever want…” is less biography than boundary-setting, the kind of insistence you reach for when you’re tired of being filed under someone else’s label. Then comes the counterpunch: “I am a Scotsman!” The exclamation mark matters. It’s performance, yes, but also an emotional corrective, a demand to be heard over the softer, more “marketable” story others might prefer.
The subtext is about power. “Englishman” here isn’t only nationality; it’s a shorthand for cultural gravity: London as the default, Scotland as the footnote. Connery, a global star who made his name playing the ultimate British export (Bond), understood how quickly international fame can flatten identity into a convenient brand. His insistence reads like a preemptive rebuttal to the industry’s reflex: you’re from the UK, close enough. He’s saying, no: the distinctions are the point.
Context sharpens it. For much of Connery’s lifetime, Scottish self-definition was repeatedly renegotiated in public life, from devolution debates to the long runway toward the 2014 independence referendum. His phrasing taps that current without needing policy specifics. It’s identity as durability: “was” and “will always be” turning heritage into something time can’t dilute, not even celebrity.
The subtext is about power. “Englishman” here isn’t only nationality; it’s a shorthand for cultural gravity: London as the default, Scotland as the footnote. Connery, a global star who made his name playing the ultimate British export (Bond), understood how quickly international fame can flatten identity into a convenient brand. His insistence reads like a preemptive rebuttal to the industry’s reflex: you’re from the UK, close enough. He’s saying, no: the distinctions are the point.
Context sharpens it. For much of Connery’s lifetime, Scottish self-definition was repeatedly renegotiated in public life, from devolution debates to the long runway toward the 2014 independence referendum. His phrasing taps that current without needing policy specifics. It’s identity as durability: “was” and “will always be” turning heritage into something time can’t dilute, not even celebrity.
Quote Details
| Topic | Pride |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
More Quotes by Sean
Add to List






