English Culture Quotes

All my life, I have loved balloons - all balloons - the heavy English sort, immense and round, that have to be pushed about, and the gay, light, gas-filled French ones that soar into the air the moment you let go of them.

I'm basically a writer of ideas, and the English aren't interested in ideas. The English, I'm afraid, are totally brainless.

It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather; they are in haste to tell each other, what each must already know, that it is hot or cold, bright or cloudy, windy or calm.

England is a slow moving country, reluctant to change—deeply reluctant to change.

As a woman, I'm expected to want everything to be nice and to be nice myself. A very English thing. I don't design nice buildings - I don't like them. I like architecture to have some raw, vital, earthy quality.

Gandhi, brought out of his semirural setting and given a Western-style education, initially attempted to become more English than the English.

The Hobbits are just rustic English people, made small in size because it reflects the generally small reach of their imagination - not the small reach of their courage or latent power.

The Englishman respects your opinions, but he never thinks of your feelings.

In dealing with Englishmen you can be sure of one thing only, that the logical solution will not be adopted.

To Americans, English manners are far more frightening than none at all.

Being English, being born in England, this is our home and we should be supporting our home country.

When you're a young English person who wants to be an actress and you have dreams, you dream of being Vanessa Redgrave or Judi Dench.

A native speaker of English who has never read a word of the King James Bible is verging on the barbarian.

I think you could ask 10 English people the same question about class and get a very different answer.

Now the Americans will realize what we in England have lived through these many years.

In England, your manager is like a boss.

English humor resembles the Loch Ness Monster in that both are famous but there is a strong suspicion that neither exists.

We English are good at forgiving our enemies; it releases us from the obligation of liking our friends.

You never can say too much in praise of your country and its inhabitants. Two nations in Europe are really almost ridiculous in their own exaggerated praises of themselves; these are the English and the French.

Life isn't all beer and skittles, but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman's education.

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun.

Here in England, my becoming an actor was considered unimaginative.

I love England and the historical aspect of it.

Egotism exists everywhere, but it has a different flavor in England, where the tabloid culture goes much deeper. It's just the indulgence of vulgarity, the wallowing in vulgarity. As with everything English, there's a sort of irony to it. They write a great deal about these trivial people who have a certain eminence, always with a bit of, "Isn't it ridiculous that we are writing about this person?"

The English are, I think the most obtuse and barbarous people in the world