--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This, as they used to say, was the side…" description: "\"“This, as they used to say, was the side on which her bread was buttered.”\" — Ian McEwan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png" --- # This, as they used to say, was the side on which her bread… ![“This, as they used to say, was the side on which her bread was buttered.” quote by Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png) > ““This, as they used to say, was the side on which her bread was buttered.”” [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being on the favorable side of circumstances brings comfort and advantage. **In simple terms:** Advantage comes from being favored. Key Takeaway Recognize and use your privileges. Themes privilege comfort social class Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - social interactions - resource allocation Key Concepts inequality opportunity Questions to Reflect On - How does privilege shape your choices? - Do you see the 'bread buttered' side? A Different Perspective Privilege can blind one to others' struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Bread Buttered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread-buttered-1329763/) [Buttered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buttered-436793/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Say Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-bread-3637169/) [Used Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-say-596427/) ## Related quotes > [I know where my bread is buttered, and for the most part, I'm better off doing my own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-patton/i-know-where-my-bread-is-buttered-and-for-the-most-part-i-m-better/) [Mike Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-patton/) > [I know which side my bread is buttered on: the side which falls on the carpet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/i-know-which-side-my-bread-is-buttered-on-the-side-which-falls-on-the/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [I know on which side my bread is buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heywood/i-know-on-which-side-my-bread-is-buttered/) [John Heywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heywood/) > [I knew where my bread was buttered and it was in baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chipper-jones/i-knew-where-my-bread-was-buttered-and-it-was-in-baseball/) [Chipper Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chipper-jones/) > [“The sensor did not seem to be restricted to my mother's food, and there was so much to sort through, a torrent of information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/the-sensor-did-not-seem-to-be-restricted-to-my-mother-s-food-and/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [Your mate doesn't live by bread alone; he or she needs to be 'buttered up' from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/your-mate-doesn-t-live-by-bread-alone-he-or-she-needs-to-be-buttered/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A slab of bread "buttered" with lard and, if you were lucky, seasoned with salt and pepper, was a luxury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-hoffa/a-slab-of-bread-buttered-with-lard-and-if-you-were-lucky-seasoned/) [Jimmy Hoffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-hoffa/) > [A philosopher is a person who doesn't care which side his bread is buttered on; he knows he eats both sides anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/a-philosopher-is-a-person-who-doesn-t-care-which-side-his-bread-is/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [“Well it looks like the road to heaven But it feels like the road to hell When I knew which side my bread was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/well-it-looks-like-the-road-to-heaven-but-it-feels-like-the-road-to/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [ I don't see what difference it makes what side it's \[your bread\] buttered on. I always eat both sides. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-allen/i-don-t-see-what-difference-it-makes-what-side-it-s-your-bread/) [Gracie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-allen/) > [I've always tried to keep an eye on where my bread is buttered and if you don't have a song you can sink your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-paycheck/i-ve-always-tried-to-keep-an-eye-on-where-my-bread-is-buttered-and-if/) [Johnny Paycheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-paycheck/) > [I was a great believer in hot buttered toast at all hours of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-connor/i-was-a-great-believer-in-hot-buttered-toast-at-all-hours-of-the-day/) [Frank O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-connor/) > [“When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/when-the-girl-returned-some-hours-later-she-carried-a-tray-with-a-cup/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“Some folks want their luck buttered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folks-want-their-luck-buttered/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More by Ian McEwan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More Bread quotes > [French women don't eat Wonder Bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mireille-guiliano/french-women-don-t-eat-wonder-bread/) [Mireille Guiliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mireille-guiliano/) > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [“We should remark the grace and fascination that there is even in the incidentals of Nature's processes.. When a loaf of bread,. for instance,.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/we-should-remark-the-grace-and-fascination-that-there-is-even-in-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [When I met you you were oh so sweet, now you give me the bread and you take all the meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/when-i-met-you-you-were-oh-so-sweet-now-you-give-me-the-bread-and-you/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [When you fight to give your family bread, that's not passion anymore: that's conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoel-romero/when-you-fight-to-give-your-family-bread-that-s-not-passion-anymore/) [Yoel Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoel-romero/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-the-best-thanksgiving-we-ever-had-was-one-where-we-didn-t/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Bread is a second cause; the LORD Himself is the first source of our sustenance. He can work without the second cause as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bread-is-a-second-cause-the-lord-himself-is-the-first-source-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even if we have to go without bread, we Albanians do not violate principles. We do not betray Marxism - Leninism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enver-hoxha/even-if-we-have-to-go-without-bread-we-albanians-do-not-violate/) [Enver Hoxha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enver-hoxha/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [“Nine times out of ten, people pick the wrong food. No, it’s not the sugar (GI = 68), it’s not the candy bar (GI…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/nine-times-out-of-ten-people-pick-the-wrong-food-no-it-s-not-the/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [Waffles аrе јust awesome bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/waffles-r-ust-awesome-bread/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [At my age, I don't buy but a half a loaf of bread, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-haggard/at-my-age-i-don-t-buy-but-a-half-a-loaf-of-bread-you-know/) [Merle Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-haggard/) > [Jesus Christ would have been considered just another long-haired hippie freak if he hadn't been crucified. The folks weren't impressed with healing the sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/jesus-christ-would-have-been-considered-just-another-long-haired/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [“To consume the Eucharist is an act of anticonsumption, for here to consume is to be consumed, to be taken up into participation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-cavanaugh/to-consume-the-eucharist-is-an-act-of-anticonsumption-for-here-to/) [William T. Cavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-cavanaugh/) [Browse all 2,164 Bread quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This, as they used to say, was the side on which her bread was buttered.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian McEwan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on-which-her-bread-was-buttered/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bread" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on-which-her-bread-was-buttered/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/ian-mcewan-494_bread_this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on_2017693.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This, as they used to say, was the side on which her bread was buttered.” — Ian McEwan", "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": "Ian McEwan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This, as they used to say,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on-which-her-bread-was-buttered/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-as-they-used-to-say-was-the-side-on-which-her-bread-was-buttered/#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 } } ] } ```