--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think you should be grateful to the…" description: "\"“I think you should be grateful to the English, they built this country and made it civil.”\" — Peter Murphy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png" --- # I think you should be grateful to the English, they built… ![“I think you should be grateful to the English, they built this country and made it civil.” quote by Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png) > ““I think you should be grateful to the English, they built this country and made it civil.”” [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He expresses gratitude to the English for civilizing the country. **In simple terms:** English built and civilized the nation. Key Takeaway Recognize contributions of past societies. Themes cultural influence civilization gratitude Mood thoughtful balanced Type historical political When to use this quote - history education - cultural exchange - public discourse - policy analysis Key Concepts colonial legacy national identity Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of English influence were harmful? - How can we balance gratitude with critique? A Different Perspective Overlooking negative impacts of colonization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) ## Related quotes > [There's always been deep divisions in this country - we had a civil war - and there've been regional and cultural and demographic. They've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/there-s-always-been-deep-divisions-in-this-country-we-had-a-civil-war/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [When I get my feelings hurt, or when things scare me, or freak out my sensibilities, or when my feathers get ruffled, it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/when-i-get-my-feelings-hurt-or-when-things-scare-me-or-freak-out-my/) [Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/) > [We think we have to do something to be grateful or something has to be done in order for us to be grateful, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-think-we-have-to-do-something-to-be-grateful-or-something-has-to/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [I think you have to be grateful to those who have helped you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesc-fabregas/i-think-you-have-to-be-grateful-to-those-who-have-helped-you/) [Cesc Fabregas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesc-fabregas/) > [We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-sometimes-think-that-being-grateful-is-what-we-do-after-our-2/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [I'm so grateful for where I am now, but I think I'm more grateful because it's been so hard-won; I haven't given up, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneva-carr/i-m-so-grateful-for-where-i-am-now-but-i-think-i-m-more-grateful/) [Geneva Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneva-carr/) > [I have times when I doubt what I'm doing. When those moments hit, I think about how grateful I am to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbra/i-have-times-when-i-doubt-what-i-m-doing-when-those-moments-hit-i/) [Kimbra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbra/) > [As actors, we're all encouraged to feel that each job is the last job. They plant some little electrode in your head at an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/as-actors-we-re-all-encouraged-to-feel-that-each-job-is-the-last-job/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [“Think and Thank.” Think of all we have to be grateful for, and thank God for all our boons and bounties.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/think-and-thank-think-of-all-we-have-to-be-grateful-for-and-thank-god/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Whenever you can't think of something to be grateful for, remember your breath. With each breath you take, you can say, 'I'm still here.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/whenever-you-can-t-think-of-something-to-be-grateful-for-remember/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-sometimes-think-that-being-grateful-is-what-we-do-after-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The words "Think and Thank" are inscribed in many of the Cromwellian churches of England. These words ought to be inscribed in our hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-words-think-and-thank-are-inscribed-in-many-of-the-cromwellian/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“I would think you’d be grateful, puppy. Kill some rabids, burn down a church—I don’t see a downside here, do you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/i-would-think-you-d-be-grateful-puppy-kill-some-rabids-burn-down-a/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [It's easy to let days fly by without taking notice to the world around you. Life is beautiful. Soak it in, think about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-easy-to-let-days-fly-by-without-taking-notice-to-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think grateful is the right word. Content would be dangerous given there's still so much I want to achieve. But I'm grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-rose/i-think-grateful-is-the-right-word-content-would-be-dangerous-given/) [Justin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-rose/) ## More by Peter Murphy > [“His voice evoked the ghosts of those who had paid that price and died horribly. They hovered in the shadows muttering vengeance, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/his-voice-evoked-the-ghosts-of-those-who-had-paid-that-price-and-died/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [The unfulfilling job is not the failure; not pursuing your dreams is the real failure. Developing a vision requires conquering your fears and finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/the-unfulfilling-job-is-not-the-failure-not-pursuing-your-dreams-is/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [Nico was gothic, but she was Mary Shelley gothic to everyone else's Hammer horror film gothic. They both did Frankenstein, but Nico's was real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/nico-was-gothic-but-she-was-mary-shelley-gothic-to-everyone-else-s/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“Shadows gathered as they had done for eons, beneath the moon and the twinkling of a million stars, like a gathering of forgotten deities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/shadows-gathered-as-they-had-done-for-eons-beneath-the-moon-and-the/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“Another brave new world beckoned, but Dublin was dubious – too often hope had been trampled down by foreign armies or strangled in dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/another-brave-new-world-beckoned-but-dublin-was-dubious-too-often/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [The goths are beautiful, a vast depth of subcultural, aesthetic and poetic ideas, and we would identify with that as we did back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/the-goths-are-beautiful-a-vast-depth-of-subcultural-aesthetic-and/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“Some good things did come out of France, but the place has become unbearably Gaulish don’t you think?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/some-good-things-did-come-out-of-france-but-the-place-has-become/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“Words that had looked so strong on the page, which ran through his mind like music, now shriveled in the air around him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/words-that-had-looked-so-strong-on-the-page-which-ran-through-his/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“My mother always said that I would come to a bad end but I never thought she meant this - writing allegory in literal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/my-mother-always-said-that-i-would-come-to-a-bad-end-but-i-never/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“They were still in that forgiving time when even their flaws were quaint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/they-were-still-in-that-forgiving-time-when-even-their-flaws-were/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“We have had a spot of bother. I am afraid that I shot the Bard in the bottom. Good thing that I was over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/we-have-had-a-spot-of-bother-i-am-afraid-that-i-shot-the-bard-in-the/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“Is "to-read" the new "I'll-call-you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/is-to-read-the-new-i-ll-call-you/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [Rewriting is like scrubbing the basement floor with a toothbrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/rewriting-is-like-scrubbing-the-basement-floor-with-a-toothbrush/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [ \[S\]ince there is no wrong or right, you just reap what you sow. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/s-ince-there-is-no-wrong-or-right-you-just-reap-what-you-sow/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“May God forgive you for saying such a thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/may-god-forgive-you-for-saying-such-a-thing/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) [Explore all 24 Peter Murphy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) ## More Grateful quotes > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [Dear God, I trust that no matter what happens in my life, it is for my highest good. And no matter what happens in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/dear-god-i-trust-that-no-matter-what-happens-in-my-life-it-is-for-my/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/kenny-g-i-have-to-be-grateful-to-him-for-proving-that-the-instrument/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Our nation's promise to have veterans' backs must extend to their families, who for their own service and sacrifices, deserve the full support of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kim/our-nation-s-promise-to-have-veterans-backs-must-extend-to-their/) [Andy Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kim/) > [“I'm grateful you entrusted me with them. But the day will come when someone will knock the sails out of you. She'll shatter every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senayda-pierre/i-m-grateful-you-entrusted-me-with-them-but-the-day-will-come-when/) [Senayda Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senayda-pierre/) > [Cooking brings me so much joy. I love everything, down to the execution of the plate to picking out fresh ingredients at the market.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-budig/cooking-brings-me-so-much-joy-i-love-everything-down-to-the-execution/) [Kathryn Budig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-budig/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [Together, we must prioritize the wellbeing of those who have selflessly served our nation. This is the least that a grateful nation can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/together-we-must-prioritize-the-wellbeing-of-those-who-have/) [Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [Often I'm told I'm an inspiration to people which I will forever be grateful for. But the reality is that I'm only able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/often-i-m-told-i-m-an-inspiration-to-people-which-i-will-forever-be/) [Lizzie Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [Love your family. Love your country. Never stop learning... And always look back and be grateful to where you came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gokongwei/love-your-family-love-your-country-never-stop-learning-and-always/) [John Gokongwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gokongwei/) > [I'm grateful to Kroger for investing in our community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-james/i-m-grateful-to-kroger-for-investing-in-our-community/) [John E. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-james/) [Browse all 4,100 Grateful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think you should be grateful to the English, they built this country and made it civil.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Murphy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-english-they-built-this-country/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grateful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-english-they-built-this-country/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/peter-murphy-24283_grateful_i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-en_1770907.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think you should be grateful to the English, they built this country and made it civil.” — Peter Murphy", "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": "Peter Murphy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think you should be grateful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-english-they-built-this-country/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/i-think-you-should-be-grateful-to-the-english-they-built-this-country/#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 } } ] } ```