---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a…"
description: "\"On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a Turk might be the most meaningful and fair dinkum dawn service you could possibly have.\" — Michael Leunig"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png"
---

#  On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a Turk might be the…

![“On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a Turk might be the most meaningful and fair dinkum dawn service you could possibly have.” quote by Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png)

> “On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a Turk might be the most meaningful and fair dinkum dawn service you could possibly have.”

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A light‑hearted, sincere gathering can make a solemn ceremony feel authentic and inclusive.

**In simple terms:** Humor and honesty deepen shared remembrance.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humor in solemn moments.

Themes

remembrance community authenticity

Mood

reflective warm respectful

Type

cultural inspirational

When to use this quote

- military commemorations
- family gatherings
- public ceremonies

Key Concepts

cultural tradition social bonding

Questions to Reflect On

- How can humor honor rather than trivialize remembrance?
- When is it appropriate to add levity to solemn events?

A Different Perspective

May risk diminishing the ceremony’s gravitas for some participants.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anzac day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anzac-day/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/)

## Related quotes

> [Anzac Day, it seems, must now be done with bluster, hoopla and media hypnotism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/anzac-day-it-seems-must-now-be-done-with-bluster-hoopla-and-media/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Anzac Day is a time to reflect on the servicemen and servicewomen, past and present, who have displayed courage and self-sacrifice serving our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anzac-day-is-a-time-to-reflect-on-the-servicemen-and-servicewomen/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We remember and thank all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and country on this Anzac Day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-remember-and-thank-all-those-who-made-the-ultimate-sacrifice-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ANZAC Day is where we honor the memories of those brave Aussie and NZ soldiers who fought and never came home at Gallipoli 98…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anzac-day-is-where-we-honor-the-memories-of-those-brave-aussie-and-nz/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [By dawn on December 20th ANZAC had faded into a dim blue line lost amid other hills on the horizon, as the ships took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-bryce-ac-cvo/by-dawn-on-december-20th-anzac-had-faded-into-a-dim-blue-line-lost/)

Quentin Bryce AC CVO

> [The Anzac Spirit runs through todays Australians. We see it, of course, in our forces. But we also see it, every day, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-bryce-ac-cvo/the-anzac-spirit-runs-through-todays-australians-we-see-it-of-course/)

Quentin Bryce AC CVO

> [It was true of Anzac Day. And our crowd would have been proud to see our club play that way, under that stress when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-true-of-anzac-day-and-our-crowd-would-have-been-proud-to-see/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [From us here at Aussie West Lakes, we pause to remember those who fought on conflicts over seas this ANZAC day. Lest We Forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-us-here-at-aussie-west-lakes-we-pause-to-remember-those-who/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There goes a stunning butterfly! Metamorphosis! Fair dinkum! Fair dinkum!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-m-rochel/there-goes-a-stunning-butterfly-metamorphosis-fair-dinkum-fair-dinkum/)

[Lana M. Rochel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-m-rochel/)

> [We want our leaders to be fair dinkum, as much among us as above us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cosgrove/we-want-our-leaders-to-be-fair-dinkum-as-much-among-us-as-above-us/)

[Peter Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cosgrove/)

> [To make films like 'X-Men' work commercially - and also have some class - is one of the hardest things there is to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/to-make-films-like-x-men-work-commercially-and-also-have-some-class/)

[Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/)

> [What the Anzac legend did do, by the bravery and sacrifice of our troops, was reinforce our own cultural notions of independence, mateship, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/what-the-anzac-legend-did-do-by-the-bravery-and-sacrifice-of-our/)

[Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/)

> [People seem to take as much offence as they possibly can these days - it's almost a new type of greed, a new kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/people-seem-to-take-as-much-offence-as-they-possibly-can-these-days/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [One of the mainstays of an army is its esprit-de-corps, that spirit which gives a soldier purpose and the endurance to carry on when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-mainstays-of-an-army-is-its-esprit-de-corps-that-spirit/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> ['To all of those young brave soldiers who have sacrificed their lives to protect us all in the past,...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latisha/to-all-of-those-young-brave-soldiers-who-have-sacrificed-their-lives/)

[Latisha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latisha/)

## More by Michael Leunig

> [In my journey as a cartoonist, I seem to have accidentally stumbled into all sorts of traps, damnations and blacklists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-my-journey-as-a-cartoonist-i-seem-to-have-accidentally-stumbled/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Have I got the right to experiment with my child's life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/have-i-got-the-right-to-experiment-with-my-child-s-life/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [There are only two feelings, Love and fear: There are only two languages, Love and fear: There are only two activities, Love and fear:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-are-only-two-feelings-love-and-fear-there-are-only-two/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [If European symbols and traditions have grown tired, perfunctory and oppressively banal in Australia, or been drained of spirit and meaning by the dreary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-european-symbols-and-traditions-have-grown-tired-perfunctory-and/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Socialised humanity represses nature and degrades human nature; it takes life and waters it down - probably to control it - diluting existence with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/socialised-humanity-represses-nature-and-degrades-human-nature-it/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I became a cartoonist because I'd sort of failed at everything else, really. I mean, it was by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-became-a-cartoonist-because-i-d-sort-of-failed-at-everything-else/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I never really understood who the Magi were as a child. What is a Magi? Not a word I would use, but a magpie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-never-really-understood-who-the-magi-were-as-a-child-what-is-a-magi/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [There can be many reasons to travel, but wandering into the world for no particular reason is a sublime madness, which in all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-can-be-many-reasons-to-travel-but-wandering-into-the-world-for/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I'm totally deaf in my right ear, yeah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-m-totally-deaf-in-my-right-ear-yeah/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Emotional stability has not been America's gift to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/emotional-stability-has-not-been-america-s-gift-to-the-world/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [Life seems sadly mishandled by humans, as if it's all too much for them - they spend so much time and energy hurting each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/life-seems-sadly-mishandled-by-humans-as-if-it-s-all-too-much-for/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [If you know anything about ducks, you know a baby duck will imprint itself on you. It misses its mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-you-know-anything-about-ducks-you-know-a-baby-duck-will-imprint/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [I think melancholy is part of the natural condition, you know. Anyway, I think it's the artist's function to have their melancholy and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-think-melancholy-is-part-of-the-natural-condition-you-know-anyway-i/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [At last, after completing year 12, I failed the great final examination, repeated the following year and failed again even more dismally than before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/at-last-after-completing-year-12-i-failed-the-great-final-examination/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

[Explore all 175 Michael Leunig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

## More Anzac day quotes

> [Anzac Day is a time to reflect on the servicemen and servicewomen, past and present, who have displayed courage and self-sacrifice serving our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anzac-day-is-a-time-to-reflect-on-the-servicemen-and-servicewomen/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> ['To all of those young brave soldiers who have sacrificed their lives to protect us all in the past,...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latisha/to-all-of-those-young-brave-soldiers-who-have-sacrificed-their-lives/)

[Latisha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latisha/)

> [Anzac Day, it seems, must now be done with bluster, hoopla and media hypnotism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/anzac-day-it-seems-must-now-be-done-with-bluster-hoopla-and-media/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [One of the mainstays of an army is its esprit-de-corps, that spirit which gives a soldier purpose and the endurance to carry on when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-mainstays-of-an-army-is-its-esprit-de-corps-that-spirit/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To all the unselfish hero's who have given everything for us, you will never be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-all-the-unselfish-hero-s-who-have-given-everything-for-us-you-will/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It gives us great confidence that our country is in safe hands if the number of youth who turned up in Maitland is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-goode/it-gives-us-great-confidence-that-our-country-is-in-safe-hands-if-the/)

Fred Goode

> [From us here at Aussie West Lakes, we pause to remember those who fought on conflicts over seas this ANZAC day. Lest We Forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-us-here-at-aussie-west-lakes-we-pause-to-remember-those-who/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It was true of Anzac Day. And our crowd would have been proud to see our club play that way, under that stress when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-true-of-anzac-day-and-our-crowd-would-have-been-proud-to-see/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I have so much respect for all the soldiers who have died fighting for my country. We will remember them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-so-much-respect-for-all-the-soldiers-who-have-died-fighting/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Anzac Spirit runs through todays Australians. We see it, of course, in our forces. But we also see it, every day, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-bryce-ac-cvo/the-anzac-spirit-runs-through-todays-australians-we-see-it-of-course/)

Quentin Bryce AC CVO

> [At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them. Lest we forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-the-going-down-of-the-sun-and-in-the-morning-we-shall-remember/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [By dawn on December 20th ANZAC had faded into a dim blue line lost amid other hills on the horizon, as the ships took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-bryce-ac-cvo/by-dawn-on-december-20th-anzac-had-faded-into-a-dim-blue-line-lost/)

Quentin Bryce AC CVO

> [Today we commemorate our diggers, it's a day to thank them for their service &amp; remember those who died defending our freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-we-commemorate-our-diggers-it-s-a-day-to-thank-them-for-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Today, we celebrate freedom. And those that fought and died for it from many parts of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-we-celebrate-freedom-and-those-that-fought-and-died-for-it-from/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What's not to love?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-auckett/what-s-not-to-love/)

Geoff Auckett

[Browse all 24 Anzac day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anzac-day/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a Turk might be the most meaningful and fair dinkum dawn service you could possibly have.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Leunig"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-turk-might-be-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anzac day"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-turk-might-be-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc4/michael-leunig-2274_anzac-day_on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-tur_2181428.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes with a Turk might be the most meaningful and fair dinkum dawn service you…” — Michael Leunig",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael Leunig",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On Anzac Day, coffee and jokes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-turk-might-be-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/on-anzac-day-coffee-and-jokes-with-a-turk-might-be-the-most/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
