---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only in England is the perversion of…"
description: "\"Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.\" — Anthony Burgess"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg"
---

#  Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as…

![“Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.” quote by Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg)

> “Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.”

[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.

England’s embrace of linguistic distortion as a democratic triumph satirizes how political correctness can prioritize form over substance.

**In simple terms:** England celebrates language distortion as democracy.

Key Takeaway

Question the value of language changes.

Themes

political satire language democracy culture

Mood

critical ironic

Type

satirical analytical

When to use this quote

- Political discourse
- education
- media analysis

Key Concepts

Postmodern critique linguistic freedom societal values

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language shape power?
- When does linguistic change become harmful?

A Different Perspective

Satire may oversimplify complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [England Perversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england-perversion-4630175/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-world/) [Perversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perversion/) [Perversion Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perversion-language-4630176/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [Victory Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory-democracy-2230813/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [From my quarter-a-century experience as a fighter for democracy, there is never a final victory for democracy. It is always a struggle in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsakhiagiin-elbegdorj/from-my-quarter-a-century-experience-as-a-fighter-for-democracy-there/)

[Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsakhiagiin-elbegdorj/)

> [The victory of democracy in South Africa is the common achievement of all humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/the-victory-of-democracy-in-south-africa-is-the-common-achievement-of/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [If democracy brings an undemocratic group to power, is that a victory for democracy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/if-democracy-brings-an-undemocratic-group-to-power-is-that-a-victory/)

[Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/)

> [The true victory is the victory for democracy and pluralism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosni-mubarak/the-true-victory-is-the-victory-for-democracy-and-pluralism/)

[Hosni Mubarak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosni-mubarak/)

> [Let me appeal to the consciences of many silent, responsible citizens of the white community who know that a victory for democracy in Jackson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medgar-evers/let-me-appeal-to-the-consciences-of-many-silent-responsible-citizens/)

[Medgar Evers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medgar-evers/)

> [The United Kingdom has committed the heresy of breaking the chains of the E.U. This is a signal victory for democracy. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/the-united-kingdom-has-committed-the-heresy-of-breaking-the-chains-of/)

[Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/)

> [“We can contain such secret misery, perversion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/we-can-contain-such-secret-misery-perversion/)

[Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/)

> [What is it in absinthe that makes it a separate cult? The effects of its abuse are totally distinct from those of other stimulants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/what-is-it-in-absinthe-that-makes-it-a-separate-cult-the-effects-of/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [Does the terror threat we're facing grow out of a perversion of Islam, or does it represent and extreme, but durable, strain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-todd/does-the-terror-threat-we-re-facing-grow-out-of-a-perversion-of-islam/)

[Chuck Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-todd/)

> [Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/unfortunately-there-is-nothing-more-inane-than-an-easter-carol-it-is/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [Western civilisation needs a complete overhaul or it will fall apart one day or another. It has realised the most complete perversion of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/western-civilisation-needs-a-complete-overhaul-or-it-will-fall-apart/)

[Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/)

> [High culture is nothing but a child of that European perversion called history, the obsession we have with going forward, with considering the sequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/high-culture-is-nothing-but-a-child-of-that-european-perversion/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [The craving to risk death is our last great perversion. We come from night, we go into night. Why live in night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-craving-to-risk-death-is-our-last-great-perversion-we-come-from/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [“he'd been a cop long enough to know what actual perversion looked like and it sure wasn't two guys or two women going out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tere-michaels/he-d-been-a-cop-long-enough-to-know-what-actual-perversion-looked/)

[Tere Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tere-michaels/)

> [The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, or the few, or the many, govern with a view to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-forms-of-government-therefore-are-those-in-which-the-one-or/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

## 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 America quotes

> [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/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Burgess"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-language-regarded-as-a-victory/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-language-regarded-as-a-victory/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/667/anthony-burgess-1167_america_only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-lan_1356608.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.” — 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": "Only in England is the perversion...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-language-regarded-as-a-victory/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/only-in-england-is-the-perversion-of-language-regarded-as-a-victory/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
