"When I was flying to Rome, we flew over London; I felt like bursting into tears. It's part of me, so I can't leave London behind for good"
About this Quote
The setup matters: flying to Rome, a city coded as romance, history, escape. Yet the emotional climax happens over London, not at the destination. The subtext is that movement doesn’t equal departure. You can relocate, upgrade your life, chase work across continents, and still get caught by the skyline of the place that formed your nervous system. It’s a small, private counterargument to the celebrity myth that home is wherever your career happens to be.
It also lands as a very contemporary kind of patriotism: not flag-waving, but attachment to texture, weather, and memory. “I can’t leave London behind for good” isn’t a promise to stay; it’s a confession of permanence. Even if you leave physically, the city travels with you as reflex and reference point.
Pattinson inadvertently sketches the emotional cost of global mobility: the more your life becomes itinerant, the more a glimpse of home can feel like an ambush.
Quote Details
| Topic | Nostalgia |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Pattinson, Robert. (2026, January 16). When I was flying to Rome, we flew over London; I felt like bursting into tears. It's part of me, so I can't leave London behind for good. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-was-flying-to-rome-we-flew-over-london-i-126780/
Chicago Style
Pattinson, Robert. "When I was flying to Rome, we flew over London; I felt like bursting into tears. It's part of me, so I can't leave London behind for good." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-was-flying-to-rome-we-flew-over-london-i-126780/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When I was flying to Rome, we flew over London; I felt like bursting into tears. It's part of me, so I can't leave London behind for good." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-i-was-flying-to-rome-we-flew-over-london-i-126780/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

