I’m not sure about the derivation of this quote. A google search reveals that O Povo is a Brazilian newspaper. Perhaps the statement comes from it.

 

            "Far away is only far away if you don’t go there."

 

           Quite literally, this remark says that when you travel, the world seems smaller and places don’t seem so far away. Many of us have negative and discouraging feelings about distant destinations and feel that they are almost impossible to reach, because they are so far away. These feelings diminish when you travel extensively and nothing seems "too far." Where I live, in Rhode Island, people tend to be very hesitant about traveling, even to the opposite end of this smallest state. This reluctance seems foolish to those of us who were born elsewhere, or who travel significantly, but it seems to be a common characteristic of native Rhode Islanders, so prevalent that the idea must have been ingrained in the population for many years. My advice is, work hard to overcome this reluctance and venture out to see the world.