---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s a stinking world because it lets the…"
description: "\"“It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor order no more.”\" — Anthony Burgess"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg"
---

#  It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to…

![“It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor order no more.” quote by Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg)

> ““It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor order no more.””

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Society’s decay lets youth dominate elders, eroding law and order.

**In simple terms:** Youth overpowers elders, causing chaos.

Key Takeaway

Address generational conflicts to maintain order.

Themes

societal decay generational conflict lawlessness youth rebellion

Mood

cautionary somber

Type

literary social critique

When to use this quote

- Education reform
- community policing
- family structures

Key Concepts

Anarchic behavior social breakdown moral decline

Questions to Reflect On

- What causes youth to feel alienated?
- How can communities restore mutual respect?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overgeneralize youth behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Law Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-order/) [Stinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stinking-663717/) [Stinking World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stinking-world-3035217/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Young Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-old/)

## Related quotes

> [“Go on, do me in, you bastard cowards, I don't want to live anyway, not in a stinking world like this one.' I told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/go-on-do-me-in-you-bastard-cowards-i-don-t-want-to-live-anyway-not-in/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [“Oh? And what's so stinking about it?.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/oh-and-what-s-so-stinking-about-it/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [I don't want to play stinking, beer-ridden clubs. It depresses me even thinking about that. I really hate it when you're finished with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/i-don-t-want-to-play-stinking-beer-ridden-clubs-it-depresses-me-even/)

[Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/)

> [I'm filthy stinking rich - well, two out of three ain't bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-m-filthy-stinking-rich-well-two-out-of-three-ain-t-bad/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [Oregon is demure and lovely, and it ought to play a little hard to get. And I think you'll be just as sick as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mccall/oregon-is-demure-and-lovely-and-it-ought-to-play-a-little-hard-to-get-2/)

[Tom McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mccall/)

> [I guess even the prettiest things eventually end up stinking. Everything does. We all will die and rot and decay and be reborn as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaimal-yogis/i-guess-even-the-prettiest-things-eventually-end-up-stinking/)

[Jaimal Yogis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaimal-yogis/)

> [Herein is not only a great vanity, but a great contempt of God's good gifts, that the sweetness of man's breath, being a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-james-i/herein-is-not-only-a-great-vanity-but-a-great-contempt-of-god-s-good/)

[King James I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-james-i/)

> [We went to see him later (on Saturday night) and he was sitting on his hospital bed, getting pelters from my missus for still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lamont/we-went-to-see-him-later-on-saturday-night-and-he-was-sitting-on-his/)

[Sean Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lamont/)

> [When you stay too long in the same place, things and people go to pot on you, they rot and start stinking for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/when-you-stay-too-long-in-the-same-place-things-and-people-go-to-pot/)

[Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/)

> [“if I wasn't a decent woman I'd heist a leg and pee in your ear until it washed out that stinking pile of crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/if-i-wasn-t-a-decent-woman-i-d-heist-a-leg-and-pee-in-your-ear-until/)

[Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/)

> [The system! The whole stinking ball of wax. It's a scam!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vermin-supreme/the-system-the-whole-stinking-ball-of-wax-it-s-a-scam/)

[Vermin Supreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vermin-supreme/)

> [Get your dirty stinking moron knees off my chest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/get-your-dirty-stinking-moron-knees-off-my-chest/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Mr. Mum's Rudesheimer And the church of St. Geryon Are the two things alone That deserve to be known In the body-and-soul-stinking town of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/mr-mum-s-rudesheimer-and-the-church-of-st-geryon-are-the-two-things/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [If you stop thinking, you start stinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-kid/if-you-stop-thinking-you-start-stinking/)

[Ace Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-kid/)

> [“Anyone who says things like "Happy Ever After" as though that end to a love story is a given, is cooking up a right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lane/anyone-who-says-things-like-happy-ever-after-as-though-that-end-to-a/)

[Amy Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lane/)

## More by Anthony Burgess

> [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [Life is a wretched gray Saturday, but it has to be lived through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/life-is-a-wretched-gray-saturday-but-it-has-to-be-lived-through/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [A novelist should not be too intelligent either, although... he may be permitted to be an intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-novelist-should-not-be-too-intelligent-either-although-he-may-be/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [“A man who serves language, however imperfectly, should always serve truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-man-who-serves-language-however-imperfectly-should-always-serve/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [All human life is here, but the Holy Ghost seems to be somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/all-human-life-is-here-but-the-holy-ghost-seems-to-be-somewhere-else/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [Rome's just a city like anywhere else. A vastly overrated city, I'd say. It trades on belief just as Stratford trades on Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/rome-s-just-a-city-like-anywhere-else-a-vastly-overrated-city-i-d-say/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [The important thing is moral choice. Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Life is sustained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-important-thing-is-moral-choice-evil-has-to-exist-along-with-good/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [Civilised my syphilised yarbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/civilised-my-syphilised-yarbles/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [The downtrodden are the great creators of slang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-downtrodden-are-the-great-creators-of-slang/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [Without class differences, England would cease to be the living theatre it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/without-class-differences-england-would-cease-to-be-the-living/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [... A CLOCKWORK ORANGE- and I said: 'That's a fair gloopy title. Who ever heard of a clockwork orange?' Then I read a malenky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-clockwork-orange-and-i-said-that-s-a-fair-gloopy-title-who-ever/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [A work of fiction should be, for its author, a journey into the unknown, and the prose should convey the difficulties of the journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-work-of-fiction-should-be-for-its-author-a-journey-into-the-unknown/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [“They don't go into what is the cause of goodness, so why of the other shop? If lewdies are good that's because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/they-don-t-go-into-what-is-the-cause-of-goodness-so-why-of-the-other/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [“By definition, a human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/by-definition-a-human-being-is-endowed-with-free-will-he-can-use-this/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

[Explore all 261 Anthony Burgess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

## More World quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/)

[Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/)

> [If you hate yourself... The world will hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/if-you-hate-yourself-the-world-will-hate-you/)

[Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/)

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/)

[Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/)

[Browse all 104,471 World quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor order no more.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Burgess"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-the-young-get-on-to-the-old/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "World"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-the-young-get-on-to-the-old/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/anthony-burgess-1167_world_it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-th_3116152.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor…” — Anthony Burgess",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Anthony Burgess",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It’s a stinking world because it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-the-young-get-on-to-the-old/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/it-s-a-stinking-world-because-it-lets-the-young-get-on-to-the-old/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
