--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Englishman is under no constitutional…" description: "\"The Englishman is under no constitutional obligation to believe that all men are created equal. The American agony is therefore scarcely intelligible, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/john-updike-396_agony_the-englishman-is-under-no-constitutiona_426528.png" --- # The Englishman is under no constitutional obligation to… ![“The Englishman is under no constitutional obligation to believe that all men are created equal. The American agony is therefore scarcely intelligible, like a saint's self-flagellation viewed by an atheist.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/john-updike-396_agony_the-englishman-is-under-no-constitutiona_426528.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/john-updike-396_agony_the-englishman-is-under-no-constitutiona_426528.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/john-updike-396_agony_the-englishman-is-under-no-constitutiona_426528.png) > “The Englishman is under no constitutional obligation to believe that all men are created equal. The American agony is therefore scarcely intelligible, like a saint's self-flagellation viewed by an atheist.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the paradox of American ideals of equality versus historical realities, suggesting that the nation's suffering is hard for non‑believers to grasp. **In simple terms:** American ideals clash with reality, making suffering hard to understand. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between ideals and practice. Themes equality paradox historical critique national identity Mood reflective critical somber Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - education - media analysis - civil rights activism Key Concepts social contract moral relativism cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - How do we reconcile national ideals with historical injustices? - Can empathy bridge the gap between belief and experience? A Different Perspective The argument assumes a uniform belief in equality, ignoring diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Englishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishman/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [Inside the polling booth every American man and woman stands as the equal of every other American man and woman. There they have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/inside-the-polling-booth-every-american-man-and-woman-stands-as-the/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [We are Christian and Jewish and Muslim and Hindu and none of the above. We are gay and straight. 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You may learn another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/remember-that-those-five-hundred-words-an-average-englishman-uses-are/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [I am by nature the most intolerant and insular Englishman... If you happen to be a person like that and you learn from evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dowding-1st-baron-dowding/i-am-by-nature-the-most-intolerant-and-insular-englishman-if-you/) [Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dowding-1st-baron-dowding/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. 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There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Agony quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. 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