--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The English think soap is civilization." description: "\"The English think soap is civilization.\" — Heinrich von Treitschke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png" --- # The English think soap is civilization. ![“The English think soap is civilization.” quote by Heinrich von Treitschke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png) > “The English think soap is civilization.” Heinrich von Treitschke ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claimed that the English view soap operas as a hallmark of civilization. **In simple terms:** English see soap operas as cultural civilization. Key Takeaway Recognize differing cultural values. Themes culture civilization media perception national identity Mood critical observational Type cultural media When to use this quote - cross‑cultural analysis - media criticism - education Key Concepts sociology media studies Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies label certain media as civilizing? - How do media reflect cultural values? A Different Perspective Statement may be satirical or exaggerated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Sarcastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcastic/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I was 11 and watching soap operas with my mom, and I thought it would be cool to be an actor. I thought soap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-robertson/i-was-11-and-watching-soap-operas-with-my-mom-and-i-thought-it-would/) [Britt Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-robertson/) > [I think sometimes soap acting gets an unfair label for being bad and over the top. The lessons I learned there were so valuable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-bruce/i-think-sometimes-soap-acting-gets-an-unfair-label-for-being-bad-and/) Dylan Bruce > [The English are, I think the most obtuse and barbarous people in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-english-are-i-think-the-most-obtuse-and-barbarous-people-in-the/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Many Continentals think life is a game; the English think cricket is a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/many-continentals-think-life-is-a-game-the-english-think-cricket-is-a/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“Je pense, donc je suis; English: I think, therefore I am)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/je-pense-donc-je-suis-english-i-think-therefore-i-am/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Supposedly I've got traces of an English accent, though I can't hear it. I must have inherited it from my mother, who's English, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/supposedly-i-ve-got-traces-of-an-english-accent-though-i-can-t-hear/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I have always felt most comfortable singing in English, perhaps because I think in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/i-have-always-felt-most-comfortable-singing-in-english-perhaps/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [Hollywood don't always pay a lot of money. Because we're English they think we're cheap!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-winstone/hollywood-don-t-always-pay-a-lot-of-money-because-we-re-english-they/) [Ray Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-winstone/) > [“I want you, English. I think about you all the time—no—scratch that. I obsess over you all the time. You’re my muse. Wasn’t that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-want-you-english-i-think-about-you-all-the-time-no-scratch-that-i/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [... the English think of an opinion as something which a decent person, if he has the misfortune to have one, does all he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/the-english-think-of-an-opinion-as-something-which-a-decent-person-if/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) > [I would love to spend more time in Britain one day. In my heart, I still feel that I'm English, and when I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-hussey/i-would-love-to-spend-more-time-in-britain-one-day-in-my-heart-i/) [Olivia Hussey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-hussey/) > [“Aren’t you feeling well, dear?” “Did you have an accident?” “Perhaps you need a nice cup of tea?” The last comment brought a reluctant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-y-hanna/aren-t-you-feeling-well-dear-did-you-have-an-accident-perhaps-you/) [H.Y. Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-y-hanna/) > [The fact that I didn't speak English I think was the most difficult thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-soare/the-fact-that-i-didn-t-speak-english-i-think-was-the-most-difficult/) [Anastasia Soare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-soare/) > [The English think they are free. They are free only during the election of members of parliament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-english-think-they-are-free-they-are-free-only-during-the/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I think the French agonise more about being French, I don't think English think about being English that much. I think the Scottish think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-meades/i-think-the-french-agonise-more-about-being-french-i-don-t-think/) [Jonathan Meades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-meades/) ## More by Heinrich von Treitschke > [Without war no State could be. All those we know of arose through war, and the protection of their members by armed force remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/without-war-no-state-could-be-all-those-we-know-of-arose-through-war/) Heinrich von Treitschke > [War is elevating, because the individual disappears before the great conception of the state... What a perversion of morality to wish to abolish heroism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/war-is-elevating-because-the-individual-disappears-before-the-great/) Heinrich von Treitschke > [Every virile people has established colonial power. All great nations in the fullness of their strength have desired to set their mark upon barbarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/every-virile-people-has-established-colonial-power-all-great-nations/) Heinrich von Treitschke Explore all 4 Heinrich von Treitschke quotes ## More Civilization quotes > [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/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The English think soap is civilization.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heinrich von Treitschke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/the-english-think-soap-is-civilization/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilization" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/the-english-think-soap-is-civilization/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/heinrich-von-treitschke-70846_civilization_the-english-think-soap-is-civilization-2_2325475.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The English think soap is civilization.” — Heinrich von Treitschke", "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": "Heinrich von Treitschke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-von-treitschke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The English think soap is civilization.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/the-english-think-soap-is-civilization/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-von-treitschke/the-english-think-soap-is-civilization/#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 } } ] } ```