--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Britain is a little better at…" description: "\"I think Britain is a little better at bringing intellectuals into discourse than America, where I'm from. Though I would say, perhaps, that the U.K. pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/lionel-shriver-744_america_i-think-britain-is-a-little-better-at-br_1156359.jpg" --- # I think Britain is a little better at bringing… ![“I think Britain is a little better at bringing intellectuals into discourse than America, where I'm from. Though I would say, perhaps, that the U.K. prefers its intellectualism to be entertaining.” quote by Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/lionel-shriver-744_america_i-think-britain-is-a-little-better-at-br_1156359.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/lionel-shriver-744_america_i-think-britain-is-a-little-better-at-br_1156359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/lionel-shriver-744_america_i-think-britain-is-a-little-better-at-br_1156359.jpg) > “I think Britain is a little better at bringing intellectuals into discourse than America, where I'm from. Though I would say, perhaps, that the U.K. prefers its intellectualism to be entertaining.” [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The UK tends to present intellectual ideas in an engaging, entertaining way, unlike the more serious American approach. **In simple terms:** Britain mixes intellect with entertainment. Key Takeaway Embrace humor when discussing ideas. Themes culture intellectualism communication entertainment national differences Mood reflective analytical Type observational comparative When to use this quote - academic lectures - podcast interviews - public debates - media appearances Key Concepts public discourse media framing educational style Questions to Reflect On - How does entertainment affect depth of ideas? - Can seriousness hinder audience engagement? A Different Perspective American discourse can be less accessible to broader audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) ## Related quotes > [If we are tough on crime and on terrorism, as Labour is, then I think Britain will be safer under Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hain/if-we-are-tough-on-crime-and-on-terrorism-as-labour-is-then-i-think/) [Peter Hain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hain/) > [I think Britain would be alright, if only we had a different Government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/i-think-britain-would-be-alright-if-only-we-had-a-different-government/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [Those who think in Britain they can push the Brexit button and not have a bill to pay are seriously mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-michel/those-who-think-in-britain-they-can-push-the-brexit-button-and-not/) [Charles Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-michel/) > [I think until Britain acknowledges just how much of a presence black people had here before the Sixties, then there are certain stories that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-think-until-britain-acknowledges-just-how-much-of-a-presence-black/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I think we should SHUT UP, stop talking about negotiating anything, just be quiet and let things sort themselves out a little bit, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-ecclestone/i-think-we-should-shut-up-stop-talking-about-negotiating-anything/) [Bernie Ecclestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-ecclestone/) > [When I think of Britain, I don't think of these lofty ideals which once held sway like the stoic upper lip. I think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kele-okereke/when-i-think-of-britain-i-don-t-think-of-these-lofty-ideals-which/) Kele Okereke > [I always love a song about London or about places. I think Britain could do with more of them; America is so good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/i-always-love-a-song-about-london-or-about-places-i-think-britain/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [Most countries in the world are not in the E.U. I think Britain, the world's fifth largest economy, can cope with life outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-countries-in-the-world-are-not-in-the-e-u-i-think-britain-the/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [I think that if Britain does decide to leave the E.U., that would be a disaster for the technology sector here and probably also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taavet-hinrikus/i-think-that-if-britain-does-decide-to-leave-the-e-u-that-would-be-a/) [Taavet Hinrikus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taavet-hinrikus/) > [In America I think we need to move towards a social democracy, European-style basically, and I think that in Britain we do as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/in-america-i-think-we-need-to-move-towards-a-social-democracy/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I think Britain needs to get out there on the world stage and make itself heard. And for much of my political career, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/i-think-britain-needs-to-get-out-there-on-the-world-stage-and-make/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [I think Britain is a bit class-ridden. People tend to be judged by how rounded their vowels are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-think-britain-is-a-bit-class-ridden-people-tend-to-be-judged-by-how/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [If you watch cooking shows on cable, they have lots of British people. Because when you think good cooking, you immediately think Britain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/if-you-watch-cooking-shows-on-cable-they-have-lots-of-british-people/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I think Britain's economy has done extremely well from having the influx of talented people from around the world and from having an influx…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zanny-minton-beddoes/i-think-britain-s-economy-has-done-extremely-well-from-having-the/) [Zanny Minton Beddoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zanny-minton-beddoes/) > [In Britain, where the social safety net is more like a social swaddling cloth, crime rates other than murder are significantly higher than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/in-britain-where-the-social-safety-net-is-more-like-a-social/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) ## More by Lionel Shriver > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I’m a journalist, and journalists need news. Deprive them of it, and they go a bit barking. Deprive them of news long enough, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-m-a-journalist-and-journalists-need-news-deprive-them-of-it-and/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“One of the things I learned with Charles," said Gray carefully, "was that finding someone like you does not necessarily mean that either of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/one-of-the-things-i-learned-with-charles-said-gray-carefully-was-that/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [In the particular dwells the tawdry. In the conceptual dwells the grand, the transcendent, the everlasting. Earthly countries and single malignant boys can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/in-the-particular-dwells-the-tawdry-in-the-conceptual-dwells-the/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“The idea is that you don't only have one destiny. Younger and younger, kids are pressed to decide what they want to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-idea-is-that-you-don-t-only-have-one-destiny-younger-and-younger/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [Oddly, for a book to do well merely because people like it is surprisingly rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/oddly-for-a-book-to-do-well-merely-because-people-like-it-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [The sign that I don't like the book I'm reading is finding myself watching reruns of 'Come Dine With Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-sign-that-i-don-t-like-the-book-i-m-reading-is-finding-myself/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [We speak often of 'destroying the planet' when what we mean is destroying its habitability for humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/we-speak-often-of-destroying-the-planet-when-what-we-mean-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [My agent had warned that, while a fine film would do my profile a world of good, a bad one wouldn't help me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/my-agent-had-warned-that-while-a-fine-film-would-do-my-profile-a/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I think that's the biggest favor you can grant anyone, don't you? Permission to be dull. I know Henry will sometimes say something so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-think-that-s-the-biggest-favor-you-can-grant-anyone-don-t-you/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“They were determined to find something mechanically wrong with him - because broken machines are easier to fix. p303”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/they-were-determined-to-find-something-mechanically-wrong-with-him/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“Bur Armenians have a talent for sorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/bur-armenians-have-a-talent-for-sorrow/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“What is cool changes; that there is such a thing as cool is immutable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/what-is-cool-changes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as-cool-is-immutable/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I have theorized that you can locate most people on a spectrum of the crudest sort and that it may be their position on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-have-theorized-that-you-can-locate-most-people-on-a-spectrum-of-the/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) [Explore all 375 Lionel Shriver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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