--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A war is like when it rains in New York…" description: "\"A war is like when it rains in New York and everybody crowds into doorways. They all get chummy together perfect strangers. The only difference, of cou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/larry-gelbart-21506_chum_a-war-is-like-when-it-rains-in-new-york_191036.jpg" --- # A war is like when it rains in New York and everybody… ![“A war is like when it rains in New York and everybody crowds into doorways. They all get chummy together perfect strangers. The only difference, of course, is in a war it's also raining on the other side of the street and the people who are chummy over there are trying to kill the people who are…” quote by Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/larry-gelbart-21506_chum_a-war-is-like-when-it-rains-in-new-york_191036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/larry-gelbart-21506_chum_a-war-is-like-when-it-rains-in-new-york_191036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/larry-gelbart-21506_chum_a-war-is-like-when-it-rains-in-new-york_191036.jpg) > “A war is like when it rains in New York and everybody crowds into doorways. They all get chummy together perfect strangers. The only difference, of course, is in a war it's also raining on the other side of the street and the people who are chummy over there are trying to kill the people who are over here who are chums.” [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War creates false camaraderie, masking deadly opposition behind shared hardship. **In simple terms:** War makes strangers act friendly while enemies hide nearby. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden threats despite superficial unity. Themes war humanity illusion conflict solidarity Mood tense reflective cautious Type analytical critical philosophical When to use this quote - battlefields - political negotiations - crowded shelters - public protests - disaster response Key Concepts psychology social dynamics enemy perception Questions to Reflect On - How do we differentiate genuine solidarity from strategic alliance? - What signs reveal hidden hostility in a group? A Different Perspective Even in shared hardship, underlying animosities can persist and erupt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chum/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Doorways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorways/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perfect strangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-strangers/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I was hungry and went out for a bite, ran into a chum with a bottle of rum and we wound up drinking all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/i-was-hungry-and-went-out-for-a-bite-ran-into-a-chum-with-a-bottle-of/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [Life is a cabaret, old chum! Come to the Cabaret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ebb/life-is-a-cabaret-old-chum-come-to-the-cabaret/) [Fred Ebb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ebb/) > [Chum was a British boy's weekly which, at the end of the year was bound into a single huge book; and the following Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-van-vogt/chum-was-a-british-boy-s-weekly-which-at-the-end-of-the-year-was/) [A. E. van Vogt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-van-vogt/) > [What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play; Life is a cabaret, old chum, Come to the cabaret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ebb/what-good-is-sitting-alone-in-your-room-come-hear-the-music-play-life/) [Fred Ebb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ebb/) > [At 50, you need to laugh about your age. If you don't, everybody else will do it for you. Happy birthday, old chum!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hayes/at-50-you-need-to-laugh-about-your-age-if-you-don-t-everybody-else/) [Helen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hayes/) > [When a new writer defends his "style," the teacher smiles (or cringes) because real style isn't an artifice. Real style - voice - arrives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-roorbach/when-a-new-writer-defends-his-style-the-teacher-smiles-or-cringes/) Bill Roorbach > [You can always find somebody to beat up. This goes back to the schoolyard. Most men would think, Don't chum with girls. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/you-can-always-find-somebody-to-beat-up-this-goes-back-to-the/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [My space chums think my unique hookup with humanity could be evolution's awkward attempt to jump-start itself up again. They're thinking just maybe, going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/my-space-chums-think-my-unique-hookup-with-humanity-could-be/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [At 50, if you are on a diet on your birthday, you can't eat a piece of your birthday cake. So grab two, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/at-50-if-you-are-on-a-diet-on-your-birthday-you-can-t-eat-a-piece-of/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [It's not that I place less value on Palestinian lives, but that Chairman Arafat and his chums in Hamas do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/it-s-not-that-i-place-less-value-on-palestinian-lives-but-that/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [I have long argued that we need to reopen Alcatraz to house government criminals, and let tourists on excursion boats in San Francisco Bay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-long-argued-that-we-need-to-reopen-alcatraz-to-house/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“Da-da chum da-da che, not to worry you've got the key!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/da-da-chum-da-da-che-not-to-worry-you-ve-got-the-key/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I have a Vision of the Future, chum. The workers flats in fields of soya beans tower up like silver pencils, score on score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-have-a-vision-of-the-future-chum-the-workers-flats-in-fields-of/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I don't accept gifts from perfect strangers - but then, nobody's perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zsa-zsa-gabor/i-don-t-accept-gifts-from-perfect-strangers-but-then-nobody-s-perfect/) [Zsa Zsa Gabor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zsa-zsa-gabor/) ## More by Larry Gelbart > [I think the greatest imagination we can exercise is one that imagines how someone else feels. Because you know how you feel, but so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-think-the-greatest-imagination-we-can-exercise-is-one-that-imagines/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I am on sort of a diet in terms of the Internet. It's the sheer quantity. It's the Niagara of opinion, of information. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-am-on-sort-of-a-diet-in-terms-of-the-internet-it-s-the-sheer/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [If vaudeville had died, television was the box they put it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/if-vaudeville-had-died-television-was-the-box-they-put-it-in/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [Television is a weapon of mass distractrion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/television-is-a-weapon-of-mass-distractrion/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [The subtle differences in language and humor that get lost in translation, for example, make it almost impossible for big companies to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/the-subtle-differences-in-language-and-humor-that-get-lost-in/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [Today's audience knows more about what's on television than what's in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/today-s-audience-knows-more-about-what-s-on-television-than-what-s-in/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I don't think you can name a good picture where the production or the possible promotion isn't "cast-contingent." That means the film needs not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-don-t-think-you-can-name-a-good-picture-where-the-production-or-the/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I write what I write and I honestly don't care if it gets on or not. I'm writing to see if I can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-write-what-i-write-and-i-honestly-don-t-care-if-it-gets-on-or-not-i/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I think technology is such that we can reach new heights but we need some of the basics of the pre-technological age. It's counter-productive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-think-technology-is-such-that-we-can-reach-new-heights-but-we-need/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I never watched Friends, maybe because it was written by people straight out of college…The only way to avoid age discrimination in Hollywood is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-never-watched-friends-maybe-because-it-was-written-by-people/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [Reality television is less honest than YouTube. YouTube is the real reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/reality-television-is-less-honest-than-youtube-youtube-is-the-real/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I refuse to do anything easy. I'm writing for the smartest person out there. I'm not equating myself with the smartest person out there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-refuse-to-do-anything-easy-i-m-writing-for-the-smartest-person-out/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [One doesn't have a sense of humor. It has you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/one-doesn-t-have-a-sense-of-humor-it-has-you/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [You can write something that has continuity, but it makes happy endings all the more ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/you-can-write-something-that-has-continuity-but-it-makes-happy/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [I'm a recovering optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-m-a-recovering-optimist/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) [Explore all 29 Larry Gelbart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) ## More Chum quotes > [I have a Vision of the Future, chum. The workers flats in fields of soya beans tower up like silver pencils, score on score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-have-a-vision-of-the-future-chum-the-workers-flats-in-fields-of/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [“Da-da chum da-da che, not to worry you've got the key!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/da-da-chum-da-da-che-not-to-worry-you-ve-got-the-key/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I have long argued that we need to reopen Alcatraz to house government criminals, and let tourists on excursion boats in San Francisco Bay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-long-argued-that-we-need-to-reopen-alcatraz-to-house/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [It's not that I place less value on Palestinian lives, but that Chairman Arafat and his chums in Hamas do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/it-s-not-that-i-place-less-value-on-palestinian-lives-but-that/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [At 50, if you are on a diet on your birthday, you can't eat a piece of your birthday cake. So grab two, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/at-50-if-you-are-on-a-diet-on-your-birthday-you-can-t-eat-a-piece-of/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [My space chums think my unique hookup with humanity could be evolution's awkward attempt to jump-start itself up again. They're thinking just maybe, going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/my-space-chums-think-my-unique-hookup-with-humanity-could-be/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [You can always find somebody to beat up. This goes back to the schoolyard. Most men would think, Don't chum with girls. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-andre/you-can-always-find-somebody-to-beat-up-this-goes-back-to-the/) [Carl Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-andre/) > [When a new writer defends his "style," the teacher smiles (or cringes) because real style isn't an artifice. Real style - voice - arrives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-roorbach/when-a-new-writer-defends-his-style-the-teacher-smiles-or-cringes/) Bill Roorbach > [At 50, you need to laugh about your age. If you don't, everybody else will do it for you. Happy birthday, old chum!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hayes/at-50-you-need-to-laugh-about-your-age-if-you-don-t-everybody-else/) [Helen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hayes/) > [What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play; Life is a cabaret, old chum, Come to the cabaret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ebb/what-good-is-sitting-alone-in-your-room-come-hear-the-music-play-life/) [Fred Ebb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ebb/) > [Chum was a British boy's weekly which, at the end of the year was bound into a single huge book; and the following Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-van-vogt/chum-was-a-british-boy-s-weekly-which-at-the-end-of-the-year-was/) [A. E. van Vogt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-van-vogt/) > [Life is a cabaret, old chum! Come to the Cabaret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ebb/life-is-a-cabaret-old-chum-come-to-the-cabaret/) [Fred Ebb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ebb/) > [I was hungry and went out for a bite, ran into a chum with a bottle of rum and we wound up drinking all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/i-was-hungry-and-went-out-for-a-bite-ran-into-a-chum-with-a-bottle-of/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) [Browse all 14 Chum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chum/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A war is like when it rains in New York and everybody crowds into doorways. They all get chummy together perfect strangers. 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