--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anything to declare? the customs…" description: "\"Anything to declare? the customs inspector said.\"Two pound of uncut heroin and a manual of pornographic art,\" Mark answered, looking about for Kity. Al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/leon-uris-7821_art_anything-to-declare-the-customs-inspecto_1692166.jpg" --- # Anything to declare? the customs inspector said."Two pound… ![“Anything to declare? the customs inspector said."Two pound of uncut heroin and a manual of pornographic art," Mark answered, looking about for Kity. All Americans are comedians, the inspector thought, as he passed Parker through. A government tourist hostess approached him."Are you Mr. Mark…” quote by Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/leon-uris-7821_art_anything-to-declare-the-customs-inspecto_1692166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/leon-uris-7821_art_anything-to-declare-the-customs-inspecto_1692166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/leon-uris-7821_art_anything-to-declare-the-customs-inspecto_1692166.jpg) > “Anything to declare? the customs inspector said."Two pound of uncut heroin and a manual of pornographic art," Mark answered, looking about for Kity. All Americans are comedians, the inspector thought, as he passed Parker through. A government tourist hostess approached him."Are you Mr. Mark Parker?""Guilty.” [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A scene sat humor and irony, highlighting bureaucratic absurdity and cultural stereotypes during a customs encounter. **In simple terms:** Customs encounter shows absurdity and stereotypes. Key Takeaway Recognize and question stereotypes. Themes irony stereotypes bureaucracy humor Mood satirical critical Type narrative dialogue When to use this quote - travel - law enforcement - immigration - art trade - personal interaction Key Concepts cultural critique absurdity identity Questions to Reflect On - How do stereotypes affect our judgments? - What role does humor play in exposing absurdity? A Different Perspective Humor may mask serious issues of bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Comedian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian/) [Comedians Inspector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians-inspector-1065522/) [Customs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customs/) [Customs Inspector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customs-inspector-1065521/) [Declare Customs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declare-customs-1065523/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Graphic art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphic-art/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Heroin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroin/) [Inspector Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspector-said-693346/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Pounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pounds/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Tourists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tourists/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [I love stories with a happy ending,” Inspector Me said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/i-love-stories-with-a-happy-ending-inspector-me-said/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [We're all blessed and we're all blighted, Chief Inspector," said Finney. "Everyday each of us does our sums. The question is, what do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/we-re-all-blessed-and-we-re-all-blighted-chief-inspector-said-finney/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [“That's just where I must part company with you, Inspector,” said the Vicar with a gentle smile. “I'm rather a voracious reader of mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bude/that-s-just-where-i-must-part-company-with-you-inspector-said-the/) [John Bude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bude/) > [“I had to make water ” I said. It was the classic female excuse and no male in recorded history had ever questioned it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-had-to-make-water-i-said-it-was-the-classic-female-excuse-and-no/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/select-only-things-to-steal-from-that-speak-directly-to-your-soul/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [“Say something, Jess. Say anything. And just when I'm about to think of what I should say next, my mouth goes into whacked overdrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/say-something-jess-say-anything-and-just-when-i-m-about-to-think-of/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [I have a brother who's a schoolteacher, a sister who's a graphic artist, a brother who is a lawyer. I have a brother who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-farrow/i-have-a-brother-who-s-a-schoolteacher-a-sister-who-s-a-graphic/) [Ronan Farrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-farrow/) > [If design isn't profitable, then it's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-fisker/if-design-isn-t-profitable-then-it-s-art/) [Henrik Fisker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-fisker/) > [“There is some feeling nowadays that reading is not as necessary as it once was. Radio and especially television have taken over many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-some-feeling-nowadays-that-reading-is-not-as-necessary-as-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Design is in everything we make, but it's also between those things. It's a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-adigard/design-is-in-everything-we-make-but-it-s-also-between-those-things-it/) [Erik Adigard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-adigard/) > [Skill in the digital age is confused with mastery of digital tools, masking the importance of understanding materials and mastering the elements of form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/skill-in-the-digital-age-is-confused-with-mastery-of-digital-tools/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [I've always considered myself a graphic artists - a draftsman - as opposed to a typist. I do still work on a drawing table.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schwab/i-ve-always-considered-myself-a-graphic-artists-a-draftsman-as/) [Michael Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schwab/) > [“Crema Seamans," Ethan repeated thoughtfully. "It's like a soup made from ... various semens. A medley of semens. It's a flavour of Campbell's soup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/crema-seamans-ethan-repeated-thoughtfully-it-s-like-a-soup-made-from/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [Designers may be the true intellectuals of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paola-antonelli/designers-may-be-the-true-intellectuals-of-the-future/) [Paola Antonelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paola-antonelli/) > [I'd just sort of gravitated toward the arts, and I had always loved music and really loved theater, even though I didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/i-d-just-sort-of-gravitated-toward-the-arts-and-i-had-always-loved/) [Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/) ## More by Leon Uris > [Usually a good part of the people trying it end up not making it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/usually-a-good-part-of-the-people-trying-it-end-up-not-making-it/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [It all begins and ends in the same place, doesn't it? Conor and me in Ballyutogue. We all come home eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/it-all-begins-and-ends-in-the-same-place-doesn-t-it-conor-and-me-in/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“God figured out when he separated us from the rest of the creatures that if we have the power to reason and justify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/god-figured-out-when-he-separated-us-from-the-rest-of-the-creatures/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“In God's scheme what is a few billion years here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/in-god-s-scheme-what-is-a-few-billion-years-here-and-there-perhaps/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Nordstrom.” “Would you care for some tea or a brandy?” “No … Nicole, I know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/nordstrom-would-you-care-for-some-tea-or-a-brandy-no-nicole-i-know/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“And that is where I have failed you, Ari. You see, I would have crawled to your mother a million times. I would crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/and-that-is-where-i-have-failed-you-ari-you-see-i-would-have-crawled/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Anyone who goes into writing has to find out somewhere along the line, he's either naive or insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/anyone-who-goes-into-writing-has-to-find-out-somewhere-along-the-line/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“From there Ari took her to the church which marked the place of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/from-there-ari-took-her-to-the-church-which-marked-the-place-of-the/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [I was tough. I used everything to my advantage. I could be very ruthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/i-was-tough-i-used-everything-to-my-advantage-i-could-be-very-ruthless/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [My first book was rejected nine times. It turned out to be a best seller, Battle Cry? in 1953.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/my-first-book-was-rejected-nine-times-it-turned-out-to-be-a-best/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Life hinges on many factors we cannot control. Two of the most important factors, we can control. We can manage our relationships-and what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/life-hinges-on-many-factors-we-cannot-control-two-of-the-most/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [I do not write for an audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/i-do-not-write-for-an-audience/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“But once you allow yourself to think that there are some people, because of their race, their color, or religion, who are really not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/but-once-you-allow-yourself-to-think-that-there-are-some-people/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [I essentially write for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/i-essentially-write-for-myself/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Karen Hansen Clement sank deep in melancholy. She heard till she could hear no more. She saw until she could see no more. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/karen-hansen-clement-sank-deep-in-melancholy-she-heard-till-she-could/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) [Explore all 83 Leon Uris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anything to declare? the customs inspector said.\"Two pound of uncut heroin and a manual of pornographic art,\" Mark answered, looking about for Kity. 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