---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For years they’ve grumbled that England…"
description: "\"“For years they’ve grumbled that England is a cesspool governed by an immoral king under the spell of the Whore of Babylon, which is their cute nicknam..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png"
---

#  For years they’ve grumbled that England is a cesspool…

![“For years they’ve grumbled that England is a cesspool governed by an immoral king under the spell of the Whore of Babylon, which is their cute nickname for the pope.” quote by Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png)

> ““For years they’ve grumbled that England is a cesspool governed by an immoral king under the spell of the Whore of Babylon, which is their cute nickname for the pope.””

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

## 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 satirically critiques how some view England as morally corrupt under a pope likened to a biblical figure.

**In simple terms:** England seen as corrupt under the pope.

Key Takeaway

Question authority and examine bias.

Themes

politics religion satire

Mood

skeptical ironic

Type

satirical critical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- religious commentary
- media analysis

Key Concepts

historical criticism mythmaking

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports such a view?
- How does satire shape perception?

A Different Perspective

Satire may oversimplify complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/)

## Related quotes

> [“Ma chère, I serve a man who multiplied the loaves and fishes”—he smiled, nodding at the pool, where the swirls of the carps’ feeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/ma-ch-re-i-serve-a-man-who-multiplied-the-loaves-and-fishes-he-smiled/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [“Sister Walburga ate some of the sausage she was taking upriver for the anchorites, but you'd think from her distress that she was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/sister-walburga-ate-some-of-the-sausage-she-was-taking-upriver-for/)

[Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/)

> [“Oooo...He's being a saucy motherfu\*ker tonight. He does wrong and I'm the one who gets treated like the whore of Babylon. Fine, he wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-k-logsdon/oooo-he-s-being-a-saucy-motherfu-ker-tonight-he-does-wrong-and-i-m/)

[S.K. Logsdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-k-logsdon/)

> [“Does it not whet your appetite for the critical opera omnia of such an author, where he will freely have at the lenth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-farrar-capon/does-it-not-whet-your-appetite-for-the-critical-opera-omnia-of-such/)

[Robert Farrar Capon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-farrar-capon/)

> [“New Englanders could be so brusque.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/new-englanders-could-be-so-brusque/)

[Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/)

> [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [No, I didn't forget Samoan - I understand it when you talk to me but, you know, to put phrases together I sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-seau/no-i-didn-t-forget-samoan-i-understand-it-when-you-talk-to-me-but-you/)

[Junior Seau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junior-seau/)

> [I was brought up by the English side of my family, who are very repressed and working class. Absolutely lovely, but very English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-brought-up-by-the-english-side-of-my-family-who-are-very/)

[Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/)

> [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. The old Soviet Union turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-we-like-to-think-queueing-is-unique-to-british-culture-the/)

[Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/)

> [I'm not very good at standard English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nesbitt/i-m-not-very-good-at-standard-english/)

[James Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nesbitt/)

> [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/)

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

> [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/)

[Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/)

> [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

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

## More by Sarah Vowell

> [“She is either male property (Mrs.), wannabe male property (Miss), or man-hating harpy (Ms.).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/she-is-either-male-property-mrs-wannabe-male-property-miss-or-man/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“We were breathing sooty air. The soot was composed of incinerated glass and steel but also, we knew, incinerated human flesh. When the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/we-were-breathing-sooty-air-the-soot-was-composed-of-incinerated/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [I was a big Nancy Drew reader. Nancy figures it out. Case closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-was-a-big-nancy-drew-reader-nancy-figures-it-out-case-closed/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“After Hymns and tears, they boarded the brig Thaddeus, a vessel so crappy, it made the Mayflower look like the QE2.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/after-hymns-and-tears-they-boarded-the-brig-thaddeus-a-vessel-so/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“The last line of Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is addressed to the American people and their congressmen. "As they deal with me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-last-line-of-hawaii-s-story-by-hawaii-s-queen-is-addressed-to-the/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“In the gravedigger scene in act V, Hamlet looks upon an anonymous skull and jokes that even Alexander the Great decomposed into dust that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/in-the-gravedigger-scene-in-act-v-hamlet-looks-upon-an-anonymous/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“Another reason I’m intrigued with the hanged of Salem, especially the women, is that a number of them aroused suspicion in the first place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/another-reason-i-m-intrigued-with-the-hanged-of-salem-especially-the/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [Listening to the radio every day for an entire year was a prison sentence. It was the most depressing, annoying, debilitating project I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/listening-to-the-radio-every-day-for-an-entire-year-was-a-prison/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [That's what I like to call him, "the current president." I find it difficult to say or type his name, George W. Bush. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/that-s-what-i-like-to-call-him-the-current-president-i-find-it/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [While I gave up God a long time ago, I never shook the habit of wanting to believe in something. So I replaced my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/while-i-gave-up-god-a-long-time-ago-i-never-shook-the-habit-of/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-violent-historical-death/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [There are two kinds of people in the world: the kind who alphabetize their record collections, and the kind who don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-the-kind-who-alphabetize/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [What are you hiding? No one ever asks that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/what-are-you-hiding-no-one-ever-asks-that/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“I don't have a driver's license (phobia).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-don-t-have-a-driver-s-license-phobia/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

[Explore all 190 Sarah Vowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

## More English quotes

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

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

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/)

[Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/)

> [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/)

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

> [I'm not very good at standard English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nesbitt/i-m-not-very-good-at-standard-english/)

[James Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nesbitt/)

> [While we like to think queueing is unique to British culture, the truth is that we are mere amateurs. The old Soviet Union turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/while-we-like-to-think-queueing-is-unique-to-british-culture-the/)

[Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/)

> [I was brought up by the English side of my family, who are very repressed and working class. Absolutely lovely, but very English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-was-brought-up-by-the-english-side-of-my-family-who-are-very/)

[Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/)

> [No, I didn't forget Samoan - I understand it when you talk to me but, you know, to put phrases together I sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-seau/no-i-didn-t-forget-samoan-i-understand-it-when-you-talk-to-me-but-you/)

[Junior Seau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junior-seau/)

> [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [“New Englanders could be so brusque.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/new-englanders-could-be-so-brusque/)

[Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/)

> [Oh, I think country has changed tremendously. I think country has totally changed. Country music when I was a kid was Hank Williams. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/oh-i-think-country-has-changed-tremendously-i-think-country-has/)

[John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/)

> [I'm fully English, but Portugal is my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dier/i-m-fully-english-but-portugal-is-my-home/)

[Eric Dier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-dier/)

> [I think as English people, we don't want to be reminded that at one point we ruled three-quarters of the globe, and now we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/i-think-as-english-people-we-don-t-want-to-be-reminded-that-at-one/)

[Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/)

> [When I saw what a mess everything was in I asked for my money back on the ticket. I would have felt I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/when-i-saw-what-a-mess-everything-was-in-i-asked-for-my-money-back-on/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

[Browse all 1,464 English quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For years they’ve grumbled that England is a cesspool governed by an immoral king under the spell of the Whore of Babylon, which is their cute nickname for the pope.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Vowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england-is-a-cesspool-governed-by-an/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "English"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england-is-a-cesspool-governed-by-an/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/sarah-vowell-2016_english_for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england_2084966.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For years they’ve grumbled that England is a cesspool governed by an immoral king under the spell of the…” — Sarah Vowell",
                "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": "Sarah Vowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For years they’ve grumbled that England...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england-is-a-cesspool-governed-by-an/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/for-years-they-ve-grumbled-that-england-is-a-cesspool-governed-by-an/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
