--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Through my youth, there was imposed on us…" description: "\"Through my youth, there was imposed on us a culture relentlessly English. English books were all you could buy; English television filled our screens, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/richard-flanagan-2253_books_through-my-youth-there-was-imposed-on-us_614572.jpg" --- # Through my youth, there was imposed on us a culture… ![“Through my youth, there was imposed on us a culture relentlessly English. English books were all you could buy; English television filled our screens, and in consequence, England seemed to matter in a way that our world didn't.” quote by Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/richard-flanagan-2253_books_through-my-youth-there-was-imposed-on-us_614572.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/richard-flanagan-2253_books_through-my-youth-there-was-imposed-on-us_614572.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/richard-flanagan-2253_books_through-my-youth-there-was-imposed-on-us_614572.jpg) > “Through my youth, there was imposed on us a culture relentlessly English. English books were all you could buy; English television filled our screens, and in consequence, England seemed to matter in a way that our world didn't.” [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. English cultural dominance shaped identity, making England seem central while marginalizing other cultures. **In simple terms:** English culture felt central, sidelining other worlds. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge cultural dominance for broader perspective. Themes culture identity colonialism language perspective Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - education curricula - media consumption - travel experiences - multilingual environments Key Concepts cultural hegemony identity formation globalization media influence Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape worldview? - What steps broaden cultural awareness? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on one culture can limit diversity appreciation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [Our world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-world/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/in-a-culture-that-relentlessly-promotes-avarice-and-excess-as-the/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [We still have a tradition certainly in English television; it's faded a bit in the last five years, but we still have a tradition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/we-still-have-a-tradition-certainly-in-english-television-it-s-faded/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [If English television is made for the American market, it's not very honest and doesn't do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marsh/if-english-television-is-made-for-the-american-market-it-s-not-very/) [Jean Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marsh/) > [English television from the Fifties to the Nineties was the least bad in the world, and now it's just as bad as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/english-television-from-the-fifties-to-the-nineties-was-the-least-bad/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Relentlessly savage, 'The Passion' plays like the 'Gospel according to the Marquis de Sade'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ansen/relentlessly-savage-the-passion-plays-like-the-gospel-according-to/) David Ansen > [John le Carre's 'The Night Manager' is a relentlessly exhilarating thriller with profound emotional depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/john-le-carre-s-the-night-manager-is-a-relentlessly-exhilarating/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [Pliable human nature is relentlessly pressed upon by its physical environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/pliable-human-nature-is-relentlessly-pressed-upon-by-its-physical/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [“it becomes crystal clear that history is moving relentlessly towards unity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/it-becomes-crystal-clear-that-history-is-moving-relentlessly-towards/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“by iniquity and will relentlessly pressure his flesh. 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She is love and it’s her mightiest strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatsiana/she-loves-relentlessly-it-s-the-way-of-her-being-she-is-love-and-it-s/) Tatsiana > [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I'm relentlessly aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-kemp/i-m-relentlessly-aggressive/) [Shawn Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-kemp/) ## More by Richard Flanagan > [I went to study at Oxford University in the 1980s on an imperial scholarship instituted by Cecil Rhodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-went-to-study-at-oxford-university-in-the-1980s-on-an-imperial/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Writing is not lying, nor is it theft. It is a journey and search for transparency between one’s words and one’s soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/writing-is-not-lying-nor-is-it-theft-it-is-a-journey-and-search-for/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In reading, you sense the divine: the things that are larger and greater and more mysterious than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-reading-you-sense-the-divine-the-things-that-are-larger-and/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Within white Australia, there was a growing movement for what was known as reconciliation - a movement that peaked with millions marching in 2000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/within-white-australia-there-was-a-growing-movement-for-what-was/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Murder and hate are as deeply buried in the human heart as love, perhaps more so, and in truth they're rather entwined, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/murder-and-hate-are-as-deeply-buried-in-the-human-heart-as-love/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My father was the first to read in his family, and he said to me that words were the first beautiful thing he ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-father-was-the-first-to-read-in-his-family-and-he-said-to-me-that/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I grew up in a world that was clannish - old Tasmanian-Irish families with big extended families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-grew-up-in-a-world-that-was-clannish-old-tasmanian-irish-families/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/if-30-australians-drowned-in-sydney-harbour-it-would-be-a-national/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [The enslavement, humiliation, torture, and ultimate destruction of thousands upon thousands of human beings for a project for which there was ultimately no purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-enslavement-humiliation-torture-and-ultimate-destruction-of/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [You have to attempt to find new forms that will force you to write freshly and better and hopefully more truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/you-have-to-attempt-to-find-new-forms-that-will-force-you-to-write/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My mother hoped I'd be a plumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-mother-hoped-i-d-be-a-plumber/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Family matters, friends matter, love matters. Those you love and who love you matter. That's what writing does - it allows you to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/family-matters-friends-matter-love-matters-those-you-love-and-who/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [A good book ... leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/a-good-book-leaves-you-wanting-to-reread-the-book-a-great-book/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) [Explore all 176 Richard Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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