--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know if Britain ever really…" description: "\"I don't know if Britain ever really achieved that much glamour. We had post-war austerity rather than post-war prosperity, and our cultural products of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/quentin-s-crisp-4149_austerity_i-don-t-know-if-britain-ever-really-achi_1937624.jpg" --- # I don't know if Britain ever really achieved that much… ![“I don't know if Britain ever really achieved that much glamour. We had post-war austerity rather than post-war prosperity, and our cultural products of the time include some pretty dour kitchen-sink dramas of the A Kind of Loving variety. (This kind of film seems disillusioned with the sixties…” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/quentin-s-crisp-4149_austerity_i-don-t-know-if-britain-ever-really-achi_1937624.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/quentin-s-crisp-4149_austerity_i-don-t-know-if-britain-ever-really-achi_1937624.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/quentin-s-crisp-4149_austerity_i-don-t-know-if-britain-ever-really-achi_1937624.jpg) > “I don't know if Britain ever really achieved that much glamour. We had post-war austerity rather than post-war prosperity, and our cultural products of the time include some pretty dour kitchen-sink dramas of the A Kind of Loving variety. (This kind of film seems disillusioned with the sixties before they've even really begun.)” [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on Britain’s post‑war cultural climate, noting austerity over glamour and the bleak tone of contemporary films. **In simple terms:** Britain was austere, not glamorous, in post‑war cinema. Key Takeaway Recognize how economic context shapes artistic expression. Themes culture history film post‑war austerity Mood reflective analytical Type critical historical When to use this quote - film analysis - historical study - media criticism Key Concepts British cinema social realism cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How did economic conditions influence film narratives? - Can we find examples of post‑war British glamour? A Different Perspective The view may overlook pockets of optimism or successful productions of the era. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Austerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austerity/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Disillusioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disillusioned/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Glamour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glamour/) [Kitchen sinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-sinks/) [Post war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/post-war/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) [Sixties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixties/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I love Britain. It really worries me, the prospect of Ed Miliband propped up by Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP and what that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/i-love-britain-it-really-worries-me-the-prospect-of-ed-miliband/) [Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/) > [I was talking to my publisher in Britain and was told here we are - we are sixty million people and we reckon only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/i-was-talking-to-my-publisher-in-britain-and-was-told-here-we-are-we/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) > [I always wanted to work on films, and when I was starting in television in this country, in Great Britain, there really wasn't any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-newell/i-always-wanted-to-work-on-films-and-when-i-was-starting-in/) [Mike Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-newell/) > [We're all more or less interested in the 'swinging sixties', of course, but that's not what I mean. I'm interested in the particular naive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/we-re-all-more-or-less-interested-in-the-swinging-sixties-of-course/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [Some couture collections have everything including the kitchen sink! Everything gets thrown on to make it look expensive. I find it grotesque when clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/some-couture-collections-have-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [I always used to say to players at half-time, 'Be patient. The last fifteen minutes throw the kitchen sink at them. It's worth a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-always-used-to-say-to-players-at-half-time-be-patient-the-last/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [I think if you listen to our records, they come at different points in your life. 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My oldest brother Henry was a drummer, and he drummed on everything in the house from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/i-was-always-very-aware-of-drummers-my-oldest-brother-henry-was-a/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [For those of you who tried, but didn't make it, Settle down it's never what you think. The summit doesn't differ from the deep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/for-those-of-you-who-tried-but-didn-t-make-it-settle-down-it-s-never/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) > [One of the leading causes of divorce is sexual incompatibility. Why not mandate premarital sex, overseen, of course, by the Marriage Board to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rosen/one-of-the-leading-causes-of-divorce-is-sexual-incompatibility-why/) Mike Rosen > [They could've thrown a kitchen sink into the box and one of the guys would've headed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lambert/they-could-ve-thrown-a-kitchen-sink-into-the-box-and-one-of-the-guys/) [Paul Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lambert/) > [When one is able to overcome the romantic and emotional attitude, one discovers truth even in the kitchen sink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/when-one-is-able-to-overcome-the-romantic-and-emotional-attitude-one/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) ## More by Quentin S. Crisp > [I have a sense of them being Easter religions, for some reason. Christianity, of course, is a mystery religion, too, and I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-have-a-sense-of-them-being-easter-religions-for-some-reason/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ If we do want to do that \[ colonise space to survive, \], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space-to-survive-then-vacuous/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I seemed to recall some words from an old Zen master, something like, "My Zen cuts down mountains." My rejection of Buddhism was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-seemed-to-recall-some-words-from-an-old-zen-master-something-like/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ This is the strange thing about existing in time. As \[Philip\] Larkin puts it, "truly, though our element is time, we are not used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-the-strange-thing-about-existing-in-time-as-philip-larkin/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I've never been baptised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-ve-never-been-baptised/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [It would be hard to say that exactly, but antinatalism is a reality in my life, not just an interesting idea. I can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/it-would-be-hard-to-say-that-exactly-but-antinatalism-is-a-reality-in/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ \[william\] Burroughs, incidentally, took up the slogan that we are "Here to go", which contradicts the tendency in Eastern mysticism to advocate staying where… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/william-burroughs-incidentally-took-up-the-slogan-that-we-are-here-to/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [As children in the seventies we were told about nebulous 'strangers'. By definition, we didn't know who these strangers were, and we didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/as-children-in-the-seventies-we-were-told-about-nebulous-strangers-by/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This is part of the fundamental character of Buddhism that I find problematic - that it is not interested in anything. Hence the 'Fascination'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-part-of-the-fundamental-character-of-buddhism-that-i-find/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ I also remember a line from a song by Smog \[Bill Callahan\], which seems to describe the experience of a town-dweller moving to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-also-remember-a-line-from-a-song-by-smog-bill-callahan-which-seems/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This strong sense of who I am that I've always had, since I was very young, is what makes me write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-strong-sense-of-who-i-am-that-i-ve-always-had-since-i-was-very/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I like the concept of an anti-muse, though I'm not quite sure what that is. If there is such a thing in my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-like-the-concept-of-an-anti-muse-though-i-m-not-quite-sure-what/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ I really think \[William\] Burroughs was onto something here, when he said, "Dreams are a biologic necessity and your lifeline into space." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-really-think-william-burroughs-was-onto-something-here-when-he-said/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ \[My muse\] is, in fact, a woman of the world, and precisely because of this, hopes that a diversity of cultures will endure, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/my-muse-is-in-fact-a-woman-of-the-world-and-precisely-because-of-this/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I do have a muse. I am not sure how to describe her. She can be very elusive. She was born in England but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-do-have-a-muse-i-am-not-sure-how-to-describe-her-she-can-be-very/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) [Explore all 115 Quentin S. Crisp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) ## More Austerity quotes > [Mainstream economic theories popular in the last several decades have tended to downplay the government's role in markets and to increase skepticism about even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/mainstream-economic-theories-popular-in-the-last-several-decades-have/) [Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/) > [“It was my good fortune to be linked with Mme. Curie through twenty years of sublime and unclouded friendship. 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In Europe, the fans of austerity have had their chance, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-world-has-conducted-a-massive-macro-economic-experiment-since-the/) [Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/) > [We used to be one of the richest countries in the world, but we are now on a path towards under-development. This austerity that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/we-used-to-be-one-of-the-richest-countries-in-the-world-but-we-are/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [The emphasis so far on fiscal austerity, while to a degree necessary for the countries facing market funding difficulties, is excessive when carried out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dallara/the-emphasis-so-far-on-fiscal-austerity-while-to-a-degree-necessary/) [Charles Dallara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dallara/) > [And what if we’d been utterly open? Made jokes about the first wife? 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