--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mr S. got angry. ‘Yes, I do have a son…" description: "\"“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, so I put it more tactfully: ‘Wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/george-mikes-4493_prison_mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s_175802.png" --- # Mr S. got angry. ‘Yes, I do have a son. He’s a… ![“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, so I put it more tactfully: ‘What is he doing?’ He sighed deeply: ‘He’s a professor of mathematics at London University.” quote by George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/george-mikes-4493_prison_mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s_175802.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/george-mikes-4493_prison_mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s_175802.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/george-mikes-4493_prison_mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s_175802.png) > ““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, so I put it more tactfully: ‘What is he doing?’ He sighed deeply: ‘He’s a professor of mathematics at London University.”” [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man dismisses his son’s achievements, revealing his own bias and the irony of undervaluing intellectual work. **In simple terms:** People often underestimate what they don’t understand, especially academic success. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect diverse forms of contribution. Themes bias family perception irony valuation Mood reflective ironic thoughtful Type observational critical humorous When to use this quote - family gatherings - career discussions - self‑reflection - teaching moments Key Concepts self‑esteem social judgment cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - How do you react when someone downplays a loved one’s success? - What assumptions influence your judgments of others? A Different Perspective The speaker’s sarcasm may mask his own insecurities about status. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody's angry. 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The only time I got angry was at a music studio when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunidhi-chauhan/i-think-i-m-the-only-singer-who-doesn-t-have-a-temper-the-only-time-i/) [Sunidhi Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunidhi-chauhan/) ## 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. 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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/) > [“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/) > [Was he joking? Was he being sarcastic? Aggressive? Impertinent? Or just courteous? There was no telling from his impassive face. What a country, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/was-he-joking-was-he-being-sarcastic-aggressive-impertinent-or-just/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Explore all 110 George Mikes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) ## More Prison quotes > [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. 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But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. 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