--- title: "4 English language Quotes By George Mikes" description: "4 English language quotes by George Mikes. Plus more from George Mikes and more English language sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/george-mikes-4493_behaviour_a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gent_1400952.png" --- > [A foreign observer is struck by our gentleness: by the orderly behaviour of the English crowds, the lack of pushing and quarrelling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gentleness-by-the-orderly/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/george-mikes-4493_behaviour_a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gent_1400952.png) > [It was decided almost two hundred years ago that English should be the language spoken in the United States. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/it-was-decided-almost-two-hundred-years-ago-that-english-should-be/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/george-mikes-4493_america_it-was-decided-almost-two-hundred-years_1940553.png) > [“IN my early days there were stories about funny refugees murdering the English language. A refugee woman goes to the greengrocer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/in-my-early-days-there-were-stories-about-funny-refugees-murdering/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/george-mikes-4493_english-language_in-my-early-days-there-were-stories-abou_2124296.jpg) > [The English take everything with an exquisite sense of humour. They are only offended if you tell them that they have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-english-take-everything-with-an-exquisite-sense-of-humour-they/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/george-mikes-4493_english-language_the-english-take-everything-with-an-exqu_2896476.png) ## Other authors on English language - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-mahatma-gandhi-62675.jpg) Mahatma Gandhi 54 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/mahatma-gandhi/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-stephen-fry-87000.jpg) Stephen Fry 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/stephen-fry/) ## More by George Mikes > [THE British are brave people. They can face anything, except reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-are-brave-people-they-can-face-anything-except-reality/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [The British suffer from a most unfortunate superiority complex - unjustified even under Victoria and most certainly hopelessly out-of-date today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-suffer-from-a-most-unfortunate-superiority-complex/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Remember that those five hundred words an average Englishman uses are far from being the whole vocabulary of the language. You may learn another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/remember-that-those-five-hundred-words-an-average-englishman-uses-are/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [English humor resembles the Loch Ness Monster in that both are famous but there is a strong suspicion that neither exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/english-humor-resembles-the-loch-ness-monster-in-that-both-are-famous/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“Before you are admitted to British citizenship you are not even considered a natural human being. I looked up the word natural (na’tural) in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/before-you-are-admitted-to-british-citizenship-you-are-not-even/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“In the last century, when a wicked and unworthy subject annoyed the Sultan of Turkey or the Czar of Russia, he had his head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/in-the-last-century-when-a-wicked-and-unworthy-subject-annoyed-the/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“While all this goes on, the English remain staunch believers in equality. Equality is a notion the English have given to humanity. Equality means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/while-all-this-goes-on-the-english-remain-staunch-believers-in/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [I asked many friends if Australian anti-intellectualism was still a living force and they all told me it was. If you are above average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/i-asked-many-friends-if-australian-anti-intellectualism-was-still-a/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Once you start buying first aid kits you start having accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/once-you-start-buying-first-aid-kits-you-start-having-accidents/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“Mr S. got angry. ‘Yes, I do have a son. He’s a good-for-nothing. A dead loss.’ I couldn’t ask which prison he was in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s-a-good-for-nothing-a-dead/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“I have been told that my above-described theory is all wrong and is only due to my Central European conceit, because the English do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/i-have-been-told-that-my-above-described-theory-is-all-wrong-and-is/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Rich people (in Australia) have swimming pools in their gardens but, at least, they do swim in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/rich-people-in-australia-have-swimming-pools-in-their-gardens-but-at/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“An average English house combines all the curses of civilisation with the vicissitudes of life in the open. It is all right to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/an-average-english-house-combines-all-the-curses-of-civilisation-with/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Australia objects to the mini-skirt not on moral but on economic grounds. Australians are no prudes and the lovely, healthy, sporty Australian girls have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/australia-objects-to-the-mini-skirt-not-on-moral-but-on-economic/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [The Art of Conversation could not die in Australia; it never lived. Television did not kill it; there was nothing there to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-art-of-conversation-could-not-die-in-australia-it-never-lived/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/#itemlist", "name": "4 English language Quotes By George Mikes", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A foreign observer is struck by our gentleness: by the orderly behaviour of the English crowds, the lack of pushing and quarrelling, the willingness to form queues.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Mikes" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gentleness-by-the-orderly/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/george-mikes-4493_behaviour_a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gent_1400952.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/george-mikes-4493_behaviour_a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gent_1400952.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/george-mikes-4493_behaviour_a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gent_1400952.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A foreign observer is struck by our gentleness: by the orderly behaviour of the English crowds, the lack of…” — George Mikes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was decided almost two hundred years ago that English should be the language spoken in the United States. It is not known, however, why this decision has not been carried out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Mikes" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/it-was-decided-almost-two-hundred-years-ago-that-english-should-be/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/george-mikes-4493_america_it-was-decided-almost-two-hundred-years_1940553.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/george-mikes-4493_america_it-was-decided-almost-two-hundred-years_1940553.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/george-mikes-4493_america_it-was-decided-almost-two-hundred-years_1940553.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was decided almost two hundred years ago that English should be the language spoken in the United States…” — George Mikes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“IN my early days there were stories about funny refugees murdering the English language. A refugee woman goes to the greengrocer to buy red oranges (I mean red inside), very popular on the Continent and called blood oranges. ‘I want two pounds of bloody oranges.’ ‘What sort of oranges, dear?’ asked the greengrocer, a little puzzled. ‘Bloody oranges.’ ‘Hm...’ He thinks. ‘I see. For juice?’ ‘Yes, we are.’ Another story dates from two years later. By that time the paterfamilias — the orange-buying lady’s husband — has become terribly, terribly English. He meets an old friend in Regents Park, and instead of talking to him in good German, softly, he greets him in English, loudly. ‘Hallo, Weinstock… Lovely day, isn’t it? Spring in the air.’ ‘Why should I?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Mikes" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/in-my-early-days-there-were-stories-about-funny-refugees-murdering/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/george-mikes-4493_english-language_in-my-early-days-there-were-stories-abou_2124296.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/george-mikes-4493_english-language_in-my-early-days-there-were-stories-abou_2124296.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/george-mikes-4493_english-language_in-my-early-days-there-were-stories-abou_2124296.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“IN my early days there were stories about funny refugees murdering the English language. A refugee woman…” — George Mikes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The English take everything with an exquisite sense of humour. They are only offended if you tell them that they have no sense of humour.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Mikes" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-english-take-everything-with-an-exquisite-sense-of-humour-they/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/george-mikes-4493_english-language_the-english-take-everything-with-an-exqu_2896476.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/george-mikes-4493_english-language_the-english-take-everything-with-an-exqu_2896476.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/george-mikes-4493_english-language_the-english-take-everything-with-an-exqu_2896476.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The English take everything with an exquisite sense of humour. They are only offended if you tell them that…” — George Mikes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/", "name": "English language Quotes by George Mikes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/996/george-mikes-4493_behaviour_a-foreign-observer-is-struck-by-our-gent_1400952.png" }, "description": "4 English language quotes by George Mikes. Plus more from George Mikes and more English language sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "English Language", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "George Mikes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/george-mikes/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```