--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being an English major prepares you for…" description: "\"Being an English major prepares you for impersonating authority.\" — Garrison Keillor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg" --- # Being an English major prepares you for impersonating… ![“Being an English major prepares you for impersonating authority.” quote by Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg) > “Being an English major prepares you for impersonating authority.” [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying English equips you with skills to mimic authority, useful for satire or critique. **In simple terms:** English teaches imitation of power. Key Takeaway Use your knowledge to question authority. Themes education satire power dynamics Mood witty critical Type satirical educational When to use this quote - teaching - political commentary - media analysis - writing Key Concepts literature critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - When is impersonating authority effective? - What are ethical limits of satire? A Different Perspective Imitation may be mistaken for endorsement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [English major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-major/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [We English majors...need to promote public libraries as a tool in the war against terror. How many readers of Edith Wharton have engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/we-english-majors-need-to-promote-public-libraries-as-a-tool-in-the/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [As a former English major, I am a sitting duck for Gift Books, and in the past few years I've gotten Dickens, Thackeray, Smollet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/as-a-former-english-major-i-am-a-sitting-duck-for-gift-books-and-in/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I was an English major at the University of Minnesota, and I was very shy, which many people misinterpreted as intelligence. On the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/i-was-an-english-major-at-the-university-of-minnesota-and-i-was-very/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [“It's my job as best friend to make sure he's not a serial killer. Or an English major, not sure which one's worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/it-s-my-job-as-best-friend-to-make-sure-he-s-not-a-serial-killer-or/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [More than anything, being an English major made me more appreciative of authors and what an incredible feat it is to just finish a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/more-than-anything-being-an-english-major-made-me-more-appreciative/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [During his weekly address to the nation, President Obama discussed higher education and said, 'The most important skill you can sell is your knowledge.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/during-his-weekly-address-to-the-nation-president-obama-discussed/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [The feeling persists that no one can simultaneously be a respectable writer and understand how a refrigerator works, just as no gentleman wears a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-feeling-persists-that-no-one-can-simultaneously-be-a-respectable/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Perhaps its inevitable, perhaps one has to choose between being nothing at all and impersonating what one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/perhaps-its-inevitable-perhaps-one-has-to-choose-between-being/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I'm not impersonating anybody. I'm perfectly satisfied with what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-m-not-impersonating-anybody-i-m-perfectly-satisfied-with-what-i-am/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I was impersonating people way, way, way early, as far back as I can remember. And I would do people on my street for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-armisen/i-was-impersonating-people-way-way-way-early-as-far-back-as-i-can/) [Fred Armisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-armisen/) > [Are you crying? No, I'm impersonating a fountain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/are-you-crying-no-i-m-impersonating-a-fountain/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“I felt half the time I was impersonating a girl instead of really being one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-felt-half-the-time-i-was-impersonating-a-girl-instead-of-really/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I'll buy half the wardrobe after 'The Impressions Show' has finished - I know it fits and looks good, because I'm impersonating people such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-stephenson/i-ll-buy-half-the-wardrobe-after-the-impressions-show-has-finished-i/) [Debra Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-stephenson/) > [Essentially, what QAnon was - what the Q poster was doing - was impersonating a federal agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-brennan/essentially-what-qanon-was-what-the-q-poster-was-doing-was/) [Fredrick Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrick-brennan/) > [I always enjoy impersonating my characters in the first-person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-always-enjoy-impersonating-my-characters-in-the-first-person/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) ## More by Garrison Keillor > [God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/god-writes-a-lot-of-comedy-the-trouble-is-he-s-stuck-with-so-many-bad/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [God plays a lot of jokes on us to get our attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/god-plays-a-lot-of-jokes-on-us-to-get-our-attention/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Ha! Easy for nuns to talk about giving up things. That's what they do for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/ha-easy-for-nuns-to-talk-about-giving-up-things-that-s-what-they-do/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [This is the big reason most humorists fail. Drunks don't read books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/this-is-the-big-reason-most-humorists-fail-drunks-don-t-read-books/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Before the world was made, when it was only darkness and mist and waters, God was well aware of Lake Wobegon, my family, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/before-the-world-was-made-when-it-was-only-darkness-and-mist-and/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [On investments, 1998: Where I'm from we don't trust paper. Wealth is what's here on the premises. If I open a cupboard and see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/on-investments-1998-where-i-m-from-we-don-t-trust-paper-wealth-is/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [“The rich can afford to be progressive. Poor people have reason to be afraid of the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-rich-can-afford-to-be-progressive-poor-people-have-reason-to-be/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [English is the perfect language for preachers because it allows you to talk until you think of what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/english-is-the-perfect-language-for-preachers-because-it-allows-you/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [“If you can't read a simple goddam sign and follow one simple goddam instruction then get your fat butt the hell out of here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/if-you-can-t-read-a-simple-goddam-sign-and-follow-one-simple-goddam/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [“The Gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-gospel-is-meant-to-comfort-the-afflicted-and-afflict-the/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I don't want them to be told to remember me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/i-don-t-want-them-to-be-told-to-remember-me/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Childhood is the small town everyone came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/childhood-is-the-small-town-everyone-came-from/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I have taken so many wrong turns and been so careless with precious things and managed to lose, or break, or leave out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/i-have-taken-so-many-wrong-turns-and-been-so-careless-with-precious/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Where I'm from we don't trust paper. Wealth is what's here on the premises. If I open a cupboard and see, say, thirty cans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/where-i-m-from-we-don-t-trust-paper-wealth-is-what-s-here-on-the/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) [Explore all 304 Garrison Keillor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being an English major prepares you for impersonating authority.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Garrison Keillor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for-impersonating-authority/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for-impersonating-authority/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/garrison-keillor-1037_authority_being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for_1372769.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being an English major prepares you for impersonating authority.” — Garrison Keillor", "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": "Garrison Keillor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being an English major prepares you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for-impersonating-authority/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/being-an-english-major-prepares-you-for-impersonating-authority/#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 } } ] } ```