--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Good English' is whatever educated…" description: "\"'Good English' is whatever educated people talk; so that what is good in one place or time would not be so in another.\" — C. S. Lewis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/c-s-lewis-2-132_educated-people_good-english-is-whatever-educated-people_2405432.png" --- # 'Good English' is whatever educated people talk; so that… ![“'Good English' is whatever educated people talk; so that what is good in one place or time would not be so in another.” quote by C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/c-s-lewis-2-132_educated-people_good-english-is-whatever-educated-people_2405432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/c-s-lewis-2-132_educated-people_good-english-is-whatever-educated-people_2405432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/c-s-lewis-2-132_educated-people_good-english-is-whatever-educated-people_2405432.png) > “'Good English' is whatever educated people talk; so that what is good in one place or time would not be so in another.” [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language norms are fluid; what counts as “good English” changes across cultures and eras. **In simple terms:** Good English varies by time and place. Key Takeaway Adapt language to context, respect diversity. Themes language culture relativism Mood reflective analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - teaching - translation - public speaking Key Concepts semantic fluidity social construction Questions to Reflect On - How do you judge language quality? - What role does context play? A Different Perspective Rigid standards can exclude. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Educated people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [With Singaporeans, you speak English, you're well-educated, the doors open everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hsien-loong/with-singaporeans-you-speak-english-you-re-well-educated-the-doors/) [Lee Hsien Loong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hsien-loong/) > [If the English educated neglect, as they have done and even now continue, as some do, to be ignorant of their mother tongue, linguistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/if-the-english-educated-neglect-as-they-have-done-and-even-now/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [People WILL talk about you...Give them something good to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-will-talk-about-you-give-them-something-good-to-talk-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love when people talk good about me when I'm not there, if makes me feel like I'm worth their time:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-love-when-people-talk-good-about-me-when-i-m-not-there-if-makes-me/) [Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/) > [Twice I let people talk me out of good ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/twice-i-let-people-talk-me-out-of-good-ideas/) [Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/) > [“…After all, it isn't really difficult to write books. Especially if you either write a rotten story in good English or a good story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/after-all-it-isn-t-really-difficult-to-write-books-especially-if-you/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“You don’t want to lose the foreign feel of a book entirely, but for me the prime requisite is to get it sounding good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-bell/you-don-t-want-to-lose-the-foreign-feel-of-a-book-entirely-but-for-me/) Anthea Bell > [A passage is not plain English - still less is it good English - if we are obliged to read it twice to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/a-passage-is-not-plain-english-still-less-is-it-good-english-if-we/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [In Buenos Aires, I have a very close friend who speaks very good English, and she taught me. It was quite difficult because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-roger/in-buenos-aires-i-have-a-very-close-friend-who-speaks-very-good/) [Elena Roger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-roger/) > [I'm not really good in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa/i-m-not-really-good-in-english/) [Lisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa/) > [A person who speaks good English in New York sounds like a foreigner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mason/a-person-who-speaks-good-english-in-new-york-sounds-like-a-foreigner/) [Jackie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mason/) > [Good English, well spoken and well written will open more doors than a college degree... Bad English will slam doors you don't even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-raspberry/good-english-well-spoken-and-well-written-will-open-more-doors-than-a/) [William Raspberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-raspberry/) > [You have people who are good at English but don't have the training in Buddhism or Shambhala, or they have the training but are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/you-have-people-who-are-good-at-english-but-don-t-have-the-training/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [“To this day, good English usually means the English wealthy and powerful people spoke a generation or two ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lynch/to-this-day-good-english-usually-means-the-english-wealthy-and/) [Jack Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lynch/) > [By the end of my BA, I was still not good in English, but I went on to enroll for an MA in History.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravish-kumar/by-the-end-of-my-ba-i-was-still-not-good-in-english-but-i-went-on-to/) [Ravish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravish-kumar/) ## More by C. S. Lewis > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/either-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-or-a-madman-or-worse-but-his-being/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [To every soul, God will look like its first love because He IS its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-every-soul-god-will-look-like-its-first-love-because-he-is-its/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-he-died-in-the-wounded-world-he-died-not-for-men-but-for-each/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [If a man is going to write on chemistry, he learns chemistry. The same is true of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-a-man-is-going-to-write-on-chemistry-he-learns-chemistry-the-same/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-first-fact-in-the-history-of-christendom-is-a-number-of-people/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I#pray because the need flows out of me all the time-walking and sleeping. It does not change # God - it changes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-pray-because-the-need-flows-out-of-me-all-the-time-walking-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Are the gods not just?' 'Oh no, child. What would become us us if they were?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/are-the-gods-not-just-oh-no-child-what-would-become-us-us-if-they-were/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Love is more than an emotion, it is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/love-is-more-than-an-emotion-it-is-a-decision/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Ink is the great cure for all human ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/ink-is-the-great-cure-for-all-human-ills/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-may-have-to-die-for-our-country-but-no-man-must-in-any/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/war-creates-no-absolutely-new-situation-it-simply-aggravates-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Explore all 1,190 C. S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## More Educated people quotes > [“Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khushwant-singh/freedom-is-for-the-educated-people-who-fought-for-it-we-were-slaves/) [Khushwant Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khushwant-singh/) > [“we're looking for a planeet on the strength of a song. it's crazy I know, but its the only chance we have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-kagan/we-re-looking-for-a-planeet-on-the-strength-of-a-song-it-s-crazy-i/) [Janet Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-kagan/) > [With our dramas, we have a lot of shows that feature very well-to-do, well-educated people who are driving very nice cars and living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-dungey/with-our-dramas-we-have-a-lot-of-shows-that-feature-very-well-to-do/) [Channing Dungey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-dungey/) > [“Without a experience, how can we be truly educated?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/without-a-experience-how-can-we-be-truly-educated/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It is always a much easier task to educate uneducated people than to re-educate the mis-educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-m-shelton/it-is-always-a-much-easier-task-to-educate-uneducated-people-than-to/) [Herbert M. Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-m-shelton/) > [God, once imagined to be an omnipresent force throughout the whole world of nature and man. has been increasingly tending to seem omniabsent. Everywhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corliss-lamont/god-once-imagined-to-be-an-omnipresent-force-throughout-the-whole/) [Corliss Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corliss-lamont/) > [Educated people can make their own choices about their governments. And certainly for women, an education allows you to understand your rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/educated-people-can-make-their-own-choices-about-their-governments/) [Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/) > [“It is a tragedy, at rate at which EBOLA VIRUS is spreading in West Africa. It is a fatal disease in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-a-tragedy-at-rate-at-which-ebola-virus-is-spreading-in-west/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Even today many educated people think that the victory of Christianity over Greek philosophy is a proof of the superior truth of the former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/even-today-many-educated-people-think-that-the-victory-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Because students leave school without financial skills, millions of educated people pursue their profession successfully, but later find themselves, struggling financially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/because-students-leave-school-without-financial-skills-millions-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Rich people, they stay out of jail not just because they have more money but because they grew up in a culture where they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/rich-people-they-stay-out-of-jail-not-just-because-they-have-more/) [Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/) > [“No respecter of evidence has ever found the least clue as to what life is all about, and what people should do with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-respecter-of-evidence-has-ever-found-the-least-clue-as-to-what/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“An uneducated people don't know what freedom is for that It is very dangerous when uneducated voters are allowed to vote, they will affect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beta-metani-marashi/an-uneducated-people-don-t-know-what-freedom-is-for-that-it-is-very/) [Beta Metani' Marashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beta-metani-marashi/) > [“Books educate people and educated people ask awkward questions of those who govern them. 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