I love cities. New York, Montreal, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Hong

There are words that speak not only of geography, but of belonging — words that reveal the quiet truth that home is not merely a place on a map, but the resting point of the soul. Such are the words of Stewart Butterfield, visionary founder of Flickr and Slack, when he said: “I love cities. New York, Montreal, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, L.A... but, I do choose to live in Vancouver. It’s home.” At first, his words seem simple — a list of great cities, followed by a personal choice. Yet beneath them lies a profound reflection on identity, roots, and the meaning of home in a world of endless possibility.

Butterfield’s quote arises from the heart of the modern wanderer — the citizen of the world who has seen many horizons, who has tasted the speed and splendor of countless metropolises. Each city he names is a beacon of civilization: New York, the restless pulse of ambition; Tokyo, the quiet harmony of precision; London, the keeper of history; Amsterdam, the dream of balance; Hong Kong, the symbol of movement and trade. He honors them all, yet his heart returns to one — Vancouver, his birthplace, his sanctuary. His words remind us that even in a life of global reach, home remains the compass, the still point that gives meaning to every journey.

The ancients understood this deeply. They, too, were travelers and seekers. The Greek hero Odysseus, though he wandered for twenty years and beheld the wonders of foreign lands, never ceased yearning for Ithaca — not for its riches or size, but for its familiarity, its soil, its scent, the place where his story began. So it is with Butterfield. Though he moves through cities of brilliance and opportunity, his soul seeks not grandeur but belonging. His words speak for every wanderer who discovers that home is not the grandest place one visits, but the one that allows the heart to breathe freely.

In saying, “I do choose to live in Vancouver,” Butterfield expresses more than preference — he expresses intentionality. He has seen the world and chosen not what dazzles, but what grounds. There is wisdom here: the idea that modern success, with all its glamour, must eventually bow to stillness. The one who has conquered many worlds must still return to the one that feels true. In this sense, his quote stands as a quiet rebellion against the restless spirit of the age — against the illusion that happiness lies somewhere else. It teaches that after all our searching, fulfillment often waits where our story began.

Vancouver, with its mountains that meet the sea, its rain that hums softly against glass, its pace both worldly and peaceful, becomes a symbol — not merely of a city, but of balance. It represents the possibility that one can live among innovation and nature, ambition and contentment, movement and peace. In choosing it over the world’s other great centers, Butterfield embraces wholeness rather than endless striving. His love for global cities remains, but his choice reveals maturity — the understanding that love for the world need not mean exile from one’s roots.

We see this lesson echoed throughout history. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, though master of the known world, often spoke of finding refuge not in Rome or its provinces, but within himself — within his inner home. “Nowhere,” he wrote, “can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.” Butterfield’s Vancouver may be a physical place, but it symbolizes that same inner retreat — the union of outer world and inner peace. It is the landscape that mirrors his spirit, a reminder that home is both place and state of mind.

Thus, the teaching of this quote is timeless: To love the world deeply is noble, but to know where you belong is divine. Travel, explore, and marvel at the cities of men — their lights, their art, their energy — but do not lose the thread that ties you to your origin. For in the end, greatness is not measured by how far you have gone, but by how truly you have returned. The wise traveler carries his home within him, but he also honors the soil from which he rose.

So let this be the counsel drawn from Stewart Butterfield’s words: celebrate the world, but cherish your anchor. Seek beauty everywhere, but know where your heart rests. Whether your Vancouver is a city, a village, or a state of being, do not abandon it in pursuit of the vast unknown. For the one who knows his home — who can stand before the endless map of the earth and say, “I choose this place” — has already found what the rest of the world endlessly seeks: peace, belonging, and the grace of return.