--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When an Englishman wants something, he…" description: "\"“When an Englishman wants something, he never publicly admits to his wanting it; instead, his want is expressed as a 'burning conviction that it is his..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png" --- # When an Englishman wants something, he never publicly… ![“When an Englishman wants something, he never publicly admits to his wanting it; instead, his want is expressed as a 'burning conviction that it is his moral and religious duty to conquer those who possess the thing he wants” quote by Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png) > ““When an Englishman wants something, he never publicly admits to his wanting it; instead, his want is expressed as a 'burning conviction that it is his moral and religious duty to conquer those who possess the thing he wants”” [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often hide true desires behind moral or religious justifications, using conviction as a cover for personal ambition. **In simple terms:** Ambition is masked as moral duty. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden motives behind lofty claims. Themes ambition morality psychology politics self‑interest Mood critical analytical Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - corporate negotiations - political lobbying - personal relationships - public speaking Key Concepts Cognitive bias ethical façade motivational analysis Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen sincere moral conviction? - How can you discern genuine intent from self‑interest? A Different Perspective Assuming all convictions are false can breed cynicism and ignore genuine altruism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admits Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admits-wanting-1284857/) [Conviction Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction-moral-1284858/) [Englishman Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishman-wants-949285/) [Want Expressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-expressed-1284859/) [Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) ## Related quotes > [“When an Englishman wants something, George Bernard Shaw observed, he never publicly admits to his wanting it; instead, his want is expressed as ‘a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/when-an-englishman-wants-something-george-bernard-shaw-observed-he/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The Englishman wants to be recognized as a gentleman, or as some other suitable species of human being; the American wants to be considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/the-englishman-wants-to-be-recognized-as-a-gentleman-or-as-some-other/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [The last thing an Englishman wants to hear is a man from Brussels trying to imitate his language - you want to hear a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/the-last-thing-an-englishman-wants-to-hear-is-a-man-from-brussels/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [The ultimate foundation of honor is the conviction that moral character is unalterable: a single bad action implies that future actions of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-ultimate-foundation-of-honor-is-the-conviction-that-moral/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [My own experience and development deepen every day my conviction that our moral progress may be measured by the degree in which we sympathize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/my-own-experience-and-development-deepen-every-day-my-conviction-that/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [You must live your life with a solid conviction and a moral constitution. If you start to dilute your convictions, then you sacrifice your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-zounis/you-must-live-your-life-with-a-solid-conviction-and-a-moral/) [Nicholas Zounis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-zounis/) > [My own experience and development deepen everyday my conviction that our moral progress may be measured by the degree in which we sympathize with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ts-eliot/my-own-experience-and-development-deepen-everyday-my-conviction-that/) [TS Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ts-eliot/) > [It wasn't like, 'I'ma lose weight and start doing dramas.' I wanted to be healthier, and that was the impetus for wanting to lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-hill/it-wasn-t-like-i-ma-lose-weight-and-start-doing-dramas-i-wanted-to-be/) [Jonah Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-hill/) > [Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life. Hunger to see the next sunrise or sunset, to touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/desire-makes-life-happen-makes-it-matter-makes-everything-worth-it/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in, year out. This body of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/all-our-misery-comes-from-wanting-at-all-costs-to-go-on-being-tom/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [My earliest memory was watching gymnastics on live TV and wanting to do what the 'big girls' did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-hernandez/my-earliest-memory-was-watching-gymnastics-on-live-tv-and-wanting-to/) [Laurie Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-hernandez/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [Wanting someone you cant have, isnt that the way it always works?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wanting-someone-you-cant-have-isnt-that-the-way-it-always-works/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Shashi Tharoor > [“six decades of Independence have wrought significant change, as exposure to British practices has faded and India’s natural boisterousness has reasserted itself. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/six-decades-of-independence-have-wrought-significant-change-as/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“My China Diary and Walking With Lions, were memoirs of his diplomatic and political experiences. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/my-china-diary-and-walking-with-lions-were-memoirs-of-his-diplomatic/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The U.N. guards the vital principles entrenched in its charter, notably the sovereign equality of states and the inadmissibility of interference in their internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-u-n-guards-the-vital-principles-entrenched-in-its-charter-notably/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“control. The people’s character is deliberately debased, their mind is denationalized and perpetually kept in ignorance and fed with stories of England’s greatness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/control-the-people-s-character-is-deliberately-debased-their-mind-is/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“The past is not necessarily a guide to the future, but it does partly help explain the present. One cannot, as I have written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-past-is-not-necessarily-a-guide-to-the-future-but-it-does-partly/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American hard power:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and-standing-after-9-11-is-a/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“On election days, the burdens of poverty and corruption and of a creaky economic system are put aside, and India celebrates. Many voters dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/on-election-days-the-burdens-of-poverty-and-corruption-and-of-a/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“History, in any case, cannot be reduced to some sort of game of comparing misdeeds in different eras; each period must be judged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/history-in-any-case-cannot-be-reduced-to-some-sort-of-game-of/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“India is my country, and in that sense my outrage is personal. But I seek nothing from history—only an account of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/india-is-my-country-and-in-that-sense-my-outrage-is-personal-but-i/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [I make no bones about the fact that India matters to me, and I would like to matter to India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/i-make-no-bones-about-the-fact-that-india-matters-to-me-and-i-would/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“In debate he thought high and aimed low.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/in-debate-he-thought-high-and-aimed-low/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [“Jawaharlal Nehru, who wrote in a 1936 letter to an Englishman, Lord Lothian, that British rule is ‘based on an extreme form of widespread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/jawaharlal-nehru-who-wrote-in-a-1936-letter-to-an-englishman-lord/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [Much of the conventional analysis of India's stature in the world relies on the all-too-familiar economic assumptions. But we are famously a land of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/much-of-the-conventional-analysis-of-india-s-stature-in-the-world/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [Universality of the UN is a worthwhile thing in its own self because it means that every country belongs, feels it has a stake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/universality-of-the-un-is-a-worthwhile-thing-in-its-own-self-because/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [The Chinese, as befits a Communist autocracy, approached the task of dominating the Olympics with top-down military discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-chinese-as-befits-a-communist-autocracy-approached-the-task-of/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) [Explore all 153 Shashi Tharoor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) ## More Wanting quotes > [Wanting someone you cant have, isnt that the way it always works?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wanting-someone-you-cant-have-isnt-that-the-way-it-always-works/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [My earliest memory was watching gymnastics on live TV and wanting to do what the 'big girls' did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-hernandez/my-earliest-memory-was-watching-gymnastics-on-live-tv-and-wanting-to/) [Laurie Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-hernandez/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in, year out. This body of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/all-our-misery-comes-from-wanting-at-all-costs-to-go-on-being-tom/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life. Hunger to see the next sunrise or sunset, to touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/desire-makes-life-happen-makes-it-matter-makes-everything-worth-it/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [It wasn't like, 'I'ma lose weight and start doing dramas.' I wanted to be healthier, and that was the impetus for wanting to lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-hill/it-wasn-t-like-i-ma-lose-weight-and-start-doing-dramas-i-wanted-to-be/) [Jonah Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-hill/) > [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/) [Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/) > [We might make money and be in the careers we're in, but we don't need a bunch of stuff. We like showcasing that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-bella/we-might-make-money-and-be-in-the-careers-we-re-in-but-we-don-t-need/) [Brie Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-bella/) > [Dhobi Ghat' is the only script I actually completed and that I was convinced about wanting to direct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-rao/dhobi-ghat-is-the-only-script-i-actually-completed-and-that-i-was/) [Kiran Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-rao/) > [When I know things are not for me, I learn to let go. It doesn't mean I'm weak but I'm just showing how strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-know-things-are-not-for-me-i-learn-to-let-go-it-doesn-t-mean-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a rock/blues guitar player. I'm not wanting to be a pop star or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/i-m-a-rock-blues-guitar-player-i-m-not-wanting-to-be-a-pop-star-or/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [Stop WHINING about wanting a man, and just maybe you won't end up alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-whining-about-wanting-a-man-and-just-maybe-you-won-t-end-up-alone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At first, I was stubborn about not wanting to become a city boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cain/at-first-i-was-stubborn-about-not-wanting-to-become-a-city-boy/) [Matt Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cain/) [Browse all 1,544 Wanting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When an Englishman wants something, he never publicly admits to his wanting it; instead, his want is expressed as a 'burning conviction that it is his moral and religious duty to conquer those who possess the thing he wants”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shashi Tharoor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-never-publicly-admits-to-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Wanting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-never-publicly-admits-to-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/shashi-tharoor-2698_wanting_when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-ne_905724.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When an Englishman wants something, he never publicly admits to his wanting it; instead, his want is…” — Shashi Tharoor", "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": "Shashi Tharoor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When an Englishman wants something, he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-never-publicly-admits-to-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/when-an-englishman-wants-something-he-never-publicly-admits-to-his/#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 } } ] } ```