--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was having dinner…in London…when…" description: "\"“I was having dinner…in London…when eventually he got, as the Europeans always do, to the part about “Your country’s never been invaded.” And so I said..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg" --- # I was having dinner…in London…when eventually he got, as… ![“I was having dinner…in London…when eventually he got, as the Europeans always do, to the part about “Your country’s never been invaded.” And so I said, “Let me tell you who those bad guys are. They’re us. WE BE BAD. We’re the baddest-assed sons of bitches that ever jogged in Reeboks. We’re…” quote by P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg) > ““I was having dinner…in London…when eventually he got, as the Europeans always do, to the part about “Your country’s never been invaded.” And so I said, “Let me tell you who those bad guys are. They’re us. WE BE BAD. We’re the baddest-assed sons of bitches that ever jogged in Reeboks. We’re three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car wreck and descended from a stock market crash on our mother’s side. You take your Germany, France, and Spain, roll them all together and it wouldn’t give us room to park our cars. We’re the big boys, Jack, the original, giant, economy-sized, new and improved butt kickers of all time. When we snort coke in Houston, people lose their hats in Cap d’Antibes. And we’ve got an American Express card credit limit higher than your piss-ant metric numbers go. You say our country’s never been invaded? You’re right, little buddy. Because I’d like to see the needle-dicked foreigners who’d have the guts to try. We drink napalm to get our hearts started in the morning. A rape and a mugging is our way of saying 'Cheerio.' Hell can’t hold our sock-hops. We walk taller, talk louder, spit further, fuck longer and buy more things than you know the names of. I’d rather be a junkie in a New York City jail than king, queen, and jack of all Europeans. We eat little countries like this for breakfast and shit them out before lunch.”” [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Satirical exaggeration of national pride, mocking hyper‑masculine bravado and cultural stereotypes. **In simple terms:** A humorous over‑the‑top brag about being the toughest. Key Takeaway Recognize satire and question exaggerated self‑importance. Themes irony national identity masculinity Mood playful provocative Type satirical humorous When to use this quote - political commentary - stand‑up comedy - social media memes Key Concepts hyperbole cultural critique identity performance Questions to Reflect On - What does this hyper‑bole reveal about cultural anxieties? - How does satire reshape perceptions of national identity? A Different Perspective Satire may be misread as genuine boasting, causing offense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [American express](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-express/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Car wreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car-wreck/) [Country Invaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-invaded-813700/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Dicked Foreigners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dicked-foreigners-4483516/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Europeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europeans/) [Foreigners Guts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigners-guts-4483517/) [Invaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invaded/) [Invaded Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invaded-said-4483515/) [Market crash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-crash/) [Nationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationality/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Stock market crash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stock-market-crash/) [York City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-city/) ## Related quotes > [When a country is invaded and attacked and people resist it's important to speak up and to say they have the right to resist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/when-a-country-is-invaded-and-attacked-and-people-resist-it-s/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [Iraq is a country that has been invaded. It's not a failing state that you want to help. It's a country that was functioning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakhdar-brahimi/iraq-is-a-country-that-has-been-invaded-it-s-not-a-failing-state-that/) [Lakhdar Brahimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakhdar-brahimi/) > [“Koreans are good at engaging in crisis,” he said, pointing to all the times the country had been invaded—by Britain, Russia, China, Japan, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euny-hong/koreans-are-good-at-engaging-in-crisis-he-said-pointing-to-all-the/) [Euny Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euny-hong/) > [“As several historians have pointed out, it would have made little sense for Fidel to do something that would risk having his country invaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-waldron/as-several-historians-have-pointed-out-it-would-have-made-little/) [Lamar Waldron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-waldron/) > [“Deep down in his heart the genuine Englishman has a rugged distaste for seeing his country invaded by a foreign army. People were asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/deep-down-in-his-heart-the-genuine-englishman-has-a-rugged-distaste/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [“from his company. After the stock market crash in 2000, Amazon went through two rounds of layoffs. But Bezos didn’t want to stop recruiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/from-his-company-after-the-stock-market-crash-in-2000-amazon-went/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [When the stock market crash, a lot of people realized that the American dream was not all it was cracked up to be. They'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-balli/when-the-stock-market-crash-a-lot-of-people-realized-that-the/) [Dominic Balli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-balli/) > [From early Colonial days, sex life in America had been based on the custom of men supporting women. That situation reached its heyday in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-loos/from-early-colonial-days-sex-life-in-america-had-been-based-on-the/) [Anita Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-loos/) > [“Not even much survives as memory. Many of the most notable names of the summer—Richard Byrd, Sacco and Vanzetti, Gene Tunney, even Charles Lindbergh—are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/not-even-much-survives-as-memory-many-of-the-most-notable-names-of/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Chapter 51 In Atlanta, the day had gone mostly as Elliott had expected. The stock market crash had rattled everyone. It was a cloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/chapter-51-in-atlanta-the-day-had-gone-mostly-as-elliott-had-expected/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [My father was a very successful businessman, but he was ruined in the stock market crash. A big stockbroker jumped out the window and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mason/my-father-was-a-very-successful-businessman-but-he-was-ruined-in-the/) [Jackie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mason/) > [“But you just watch, little girl. I'm goin' to show 'em. In five years they'll come crawlin' to me on their bellies. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/but-you-just-watch-little-girl-i-m-goin-to-show-em-in-five-years-they/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [The stock market crash in October 1929 didn't destroy a particularly large amount of wealth or make people highly pessimistic. Rather, it made companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/the-stock-market-crash-in-october-1929-didn-t-destroy-a-particularly/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) > [The stock market crashed in October 1929. But that was not the cause of what caused the Great Depression. It was, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-stock-market-crashed-in-october-1929-but-that-was-not-the-cause/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [The Mexican debt crisis, Latin American debt crisis, the crises of the 1990s, the Wall Street stock market crash, and other events should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/the-mexican-debt-crisis-latin-american-debt-crisis-the-crises-of-the/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) ## More by P.J. O'Rourke > [“Sucking the fun out of life has always been an important component of politics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/sucking-the-fun-out-of-life-has-always-been-an-important-component-of/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“A road trip with Richard Nixon would seem like gum surgery on wheels. But Hunter S. Thompson actually went on a road trip with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/a-road-trip-with-richard-nixon-would-seem-like-gum-surgery-on-wheels/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“Perhaps in that flight of birds . . . the leader was not really a bold spirit trusting to its own initiative and hypnotizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/perhaps-in-that-flight-of-birds-the-leader-was-not-really-a-bold/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“Indeed, it costs more. CNN reports that Hillary and Bill collected $153 million in speaking fees between 2001 and 2015. Ken Starr, according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/indeed-it-costs-more-cnn-reports-that-hillary-and-bill-collected-153/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“The world’s richest man pulled Microsoft out of his butt. All Bill Gates exploited was a line of 0s and 1s as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/the-world-s-richest-man-pulled-microsoft-out-of-his-butt-all-bill/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“We all know how 'modern democracies take loaves from the wealthy.' It's the slipups in the 'pass them out to the poor' department that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/we-all-know-how-modern-democracies-take-loaves-from-the-wealthy-it-s/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“The Affordable Health Care for Americans Act, passed by the House of Representatives on November 7, 2009, was 1,990 pages long. You could stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/the-affordable-health-care-for-americans-act-passed-by-the-house-of/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“We common folk may not be able to match Trump’s piggy bank, but even the most high-minded and charitable among us can match his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/we-common-folk-may-not-be-able-to-match-trump-s-piggy-bank-but-even/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“If Melania had come out and said, “According to my husband, I should be very pretty to get what I want in life,” that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/if-melania-had-come-out-and-said-according-to-my-husband-i-should-be/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“Instead of cathedrals, mosques and ancient temples, we have duty-free shops—at their best in Kuwait. I never knew there was so much stuff I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/instead-of-cathedrals-mosques-and-ancient-temples-we-have-duty-free/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“And if there’s a libertarian moment in the future it won’t be while moderates are in charge. Because there are three basic tenets to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/and-if-there-s-a-libertarian-moment-in-the-future-it-won-t-be-while/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“We got over feminism, too. At least women did, as soon as they were hired for those high-prestige jobs that only men used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/we-got-over-feminism-too-at-least-women-did-as-soon-as-they-were/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“Being gloomy is easier than being cheerful. Anybody can say "I've got cancer" and get a rise out of a crowd. But how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/being-gloomy-is-easier-than-being-cheerful-anybody-can-say-i-ve-got/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“The proper behaviour all through the holiday season is to be drunk. The drunkenness culminates on New Years’ Eve, when you get so drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/the-proper-behaviour-all-through-the-holiday-season-is-to-be-drunk/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) > [“It is astonishing that Donald Trump managed to eke out a victory over Donald Trump at the polls. It is amazing how narrow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/it-is-astonishing-that-donald-trump-managed-to-eke-out-a-victory-over/) [P.J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) [Explore all 56 P.J. O'Rourke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/) ## 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. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was having dinner…in London…when eventually he got, as the Europeans always do, to the part about “Your country’s never been invaded.” And so I said, “Let me tell you who those bad guys are. They’re us. WE BE BAD. We’re the baddest-assed sons of bitches that ever jogged in Reeboks. We’re three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car wreck and descended from a stock market crash on our mother’s side. You take your Germany, France, and Spain, roll them all together and it wouldn’t give us room to park our cars. We’re the big boys, Jack, the original, giant, economy-sized, new and improved butt kickers of all time. When we snort coke in Houston, people lose their hats in Cap d’Antibes. And we’ve got an American Express card credit limit higher than your piss-ant metric numbers go. You say our country’s never been invaded? You’re right, little buddy. Because I’d like to see the needle-dicked foreigners who’d have the guts to try. We drink napalm to get our hearts started in the morning. A rape and a mugging is our way of saying 'Cheerio.' Hell can’t hold our sock-hops. We walk taller, talk louder, spit further, fuck longer and buy more things than you know the names of. I’d rather be a junkie in a New York City jail than king, queen, and jack of all Europeans. We eat little countries like this for breakfast and shit them out before lunch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "P.J. O'Rourke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-eventually-he-got-as-the-europeans/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-eventually-he-got-as-the-europeans/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/p-j-o-rourke-2-11933_america_i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-event_2145075.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was having dinner…in London…when eventually he got, as the Europeans always do, to the part about “Your…” — P.J. O'Rourke", "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": "P.J. O'Rourke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I was having dinner…in London…when eventually...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-eventually-he-got-as-the-europeans/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke-2/i-was-having-dinner-in-london-when-eventually-he-got-as-the-europeans/#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 } } ] } ```