--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: -in New York, a cat could look at a king…" description: "\"“-in New York, a cat could look at a king. Hell, a cat could get himself elected king. But in England, where people had windows reminding them of ances..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/laurie-r-king-9494_quote_in-new-york-a-cat-could-look-at-a-king-h_209818.jpg" --- # -in New York, a cat could look at a king. Hell, a cat… ![“-in New York, a cat could look at a king. Hell, a cat could get himself elected king. But in England, where people had windows reminding them of ancestors whose bones had long since gone to dust? In England, the country that had perfected the art of the devastating remark? In England, where the…” quote by Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/laurie-r-king-9494_quote_in-new-york-a-cat-could-look-at-a-king-h_209818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/laurie-r-king-9494_quote_in-new-york-a-cat-could-look-at-a-king-h_209818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/laurie-r-king-9494_quote_in-new-york-a-cat-could-look-at-a-king-h_209818.jpg) > ““-in New York, a cat could look at a king. Hell, a cat could get himself elected king. But in England, where people had windows reminding them of ancestors whose bones had long since gone to dust? In England, the country that had perfected the art of the devastating remark? In England, where the servants' entrance waited, where all ears were tuned for the tiniest wrong accent, where the exquisitely subtle vocabulary of Us and Them held ten thousand complicated traps, uspoken and unarguable?”” [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) ## 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 contrasts the freedom of expression in New York with the rigid, class‑bound, and highly scrutinized social environment of England, highlighting how language and tradition can trap individuals. **In simple terms:** New York allows open speech; England imposes strict social rules. Key Takeaway Recognize and question restrictive social norms. Themes freedom of speech class hierarchy language social conformity Mood critical reflective ironic Type observational satirical When to use this quote - political satire - class tension - language nuance - identity - authority Key Concepts social critique cultural analysis literary observation Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate social expectations that limit your voice? - What would happen if you ignored the “proper” accent? A Different Perspective England’s emphasis on etiquette can stifle authenticity and creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up in England, and people there are pretty difficult. They never say what they mean, and when they do it comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-pickles/i-grew-up-in-england-and-people-there-are-pretty-difficult-they-never/) [Christina Pickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-pickles/) > [This morning President Obama met with Britain's Prince William in the Oval Office. It was a meeting between a symbolic ruler with no real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/this-morning-president-obama-met-with-britain-s-prince-william-in-the/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [In England, people get bored very quickly. People aren't satisfied with one thing. You can have hits, but to stay there you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-smith/in-england-people-get-bored-very-quickly-people-aren-t-satisfied-with/) [Curt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-smith/) > [I always thought I did a good job with England. But people at the time didn't think so. They had had enough of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sven-goran-eriksson/i-always-thought-i-did-a-good-job-with-england-but-people-at-the-time/) [Sven-Goran Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sven-goran-eriksson/) > [I love England, the people, the parks, the theatre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-love-england-the-people-the-parks-the-theatre/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [In England, you feel like a member of the revolutionary guard the minute you even mention race. But I do think that the OscarsSoWhite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harewood/in-england-you-feel-like-a-member-of-the-revolutionary-guard-the/) [David Harewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harewood/) > [On the Continent people have good food; in England people have good table manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/on-the-continent-people-have-good-food-in-england-people-have-good/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [In England, people are only interested in my football and it's better for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-aurier/in-england-people-are-only-interested-in-my-football-and-it-s-better/) [Serge Aurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-aurier/) > [In England people play a lot of long balls, it's a bit different style of play than here in the national team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timo-werner/in-england-people-play-a-lot-of-long-balls-it-s-a-bit-different-style/) [Timo Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timo-werner/) > [In England, people don't like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mills/in-england-people-don-t-like-me/) [Heather Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mills/) > [I've noticed in England once people reach a certain level they feel they have to get married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/i-ve-noticed-in-england-once-people-reach-a-certain-level-they-feel/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [In England people are very proud of being very stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/in-england-people-are-very-proud-of-being-very-stupid/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [In England people actually try to be brilliant at breakfast. That is so dreadful of them! Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/in-england-people-actually-try-to-be-brilliant-at-breakfast-that-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Listen, in England people are already writing their memoirs at the age of 23.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/listen-in-england-people-are-already-writing-their-memoirs-at-the-age/) [Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/) > [I started off in England and very few people knew I was Australian. I mean, the clues were in the poems, but they didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-porter/i-started-off-in-england-and-very-few-people-knew-i-was-australian-i/) [Peter Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-porter/) ## More by Laurie R. King > [“When ambitious men overcome a dynasty and seize power, they inevitably adopt most of the ways of their predecessors. —THE Muqaddimah OF IBN KHALDÛN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/when-ambitious-men-overcome-a-dynasty-and-seize-power-they-inevitably/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [“I did not think of myself as a detective; I was a student of theology, and I was to spend my life in exploration,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/i-did-not-think-of-myself-as-a-detective-i-was-a-student-of-theology/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [...but somehow the madness around me and the turmoil I carried within myself acted as counterweights, and I survived in the centre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/but-somehow-the-madness-around-me-and-the-turmoil-i-carried-within/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [“The night air moved up towards the Downs, washing over sea and orchard. I breathed it in, and thought that henceforth, loneliness would smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/the-night-air-moved-up-towards-the-downs-washing-over-sea-and-orchard/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [The words given voice inside the mind are not always clear, however; they can be gentle and elliptical, what the prophets call the bat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/the-words-given-voice-inside-the-mind-are-not-always-clear-however/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [“Margery," I blurted out in a passion of frustration. "I don't know what to make of you!" Nor I you, Mary. Frankly, I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/margery-i-blurted-out-in-a-passion-of-frustration-i-don-t-know-what/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [Holmes, I'm a 24 year old prude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/holmes-i-m-a-24-year-old-prude/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [The period after the First World War was an extremely different time, so that Sherlock Holmes would have been a different person following 1918…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/the-period-after-the-first-world-war-was-an-extremely-different-time/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [“Tell me about yourself, Miss Russell." I started to give him the obligatory response, first the demurral and then the reluctant flat autobiography, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/tell-me-about-yourself-miss-russell-i-started-to-give-him-the/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [“Suddenly, it occurred to me that my feelings towards the little man were distinctly maternal. Good God, I thought, how utterly revolting, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/suddenly-it-occurred-to-me-that-my-feelings-towards-the-little-man/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [I have been very interested in the number of kids who have read the Sherlock Holmes books after reading the Mary Russell books. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/i-have-been-very-interested-in-the-number-of-kids-who-have-read-the/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [I slept in the bedroom used by Sabine Baring-Gould's wife when I was researching 'The Moor,' and later the Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/i-slept-in-the-bedroom-used-by-sabine-baring-gould-s-wife-when-i-was/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [That's what tears are for, you know, to wash away the fear and cool the hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/that-s-what-tears-are-for-you-know-to-wash-away-the-fear-and-cool-the/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [I took to the Bodleian library as to a lover and ... would sit long hours in Bodley's arms to emerge, blinking and dazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/i-took-to-the-bodleian-library-as-to-a-lover-and-would-sit-long-hours/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [It is an amazing thing, the difference to one’s powers of concentration a pair of comfortable shoes can make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/it-is-an-amazing-thing-the-difference-to-one-s-powers-of/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) [Explore all 71 Laurie R. King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) ## More England quotes > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > ['Downton Abbey' is my worst nightmare. I just hate that whole 'Upstairs Downstairs' thing, I think it's really lazy and it doesn't represent England,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-payne/downton-abbey-is-my-worst-nightmare-i-just-hate-that-whole-upstairs/) [Tom Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-payne/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [These fledgling democracies in the Middle East, they're actually fighting for their freedom. And what are they rioting for in England? Leisurewear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/these-fledgling-democracies-in-the-middle-east-they-re-actually/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [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/) > [“Of France and England, did this king succeed; Whose state so many had the managing. That they lost France and made his England bleed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/of-france-and-england-did-this-king-succeed-whose-state-so-many-had/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In my view, fitness training isn't that important in England, as they all train with such intensity anyway and have a competitive edge when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-ranieri/in-my-view-fitness-training-isn-t-that-important-in-england-as-they/) [Claudio Ranieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-ranieri/) > [England expects every man to do his duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/england-expects-every-man-to-do-his-duty/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) [Browse all 4,190 England quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“-in New York, a cat could look at a king. 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