---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Going to a grammar school, you mixed with…"
description: "\"Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of different types and I used to listen to how they talked. When I did my imitations, I could sound..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg"
---

#  Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of…

![“Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of different types and I used to listen to how they talked. When I did my imitations, I could sound like someone really rough, or I could sound like a cabinet minister.” quote by Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg)

> “Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of different types and I used to listen to how they talked. When I did my imitations, I could sound like someone really rough, or I could sound like a cabinet minister.”

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Observing diverse speech patterns in school allowed him to mimic various personas, from rough to formal.

**In simple terms:** He learned to imitate many voices.

Key Takeaway

Practice listening, expand vocal range.

Themes

language identity performance

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

artistic educational

When to use this quote

- acting class
- public speaking
- improvisation
- voiceover work

Key Concepts

accent social observation adaptability

Questions to Reflect On

- What does voice reveal about self?
- How can imitation become a tool?

A Different Perspective

Mimicry can lead to loss of authentic voice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Grammar school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar-school/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/)

## Related quotes

> [Although I had a private education at secondary level, I went to a local primary school where I mixed with kids of all backgrounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/although-i-had-a-private-education-at-secondary-level-i-went-to-a/)

[Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/)

> [I did imitations of anyone who came to my parents' house, and that was my identity at school - if there were ten minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-did-imitations-of-anyone-who-came-to-my-parents-house-and-that-was/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [My dad was the manager at the 45,000-acre ranch, but he owned his own 1,200-acre ranch, and I owned four cattle that he gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/my-dad-was-the-manager-at-the-45-000-acre-ranch-but-he-owned-his-own/)

[Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/)

> [There were all us baby boomers who had a grammar school education, started to learn, then went on the pill, the whole thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-all-us-baby-boomers-who-had-a-grammar-school-education/)

[Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/)

> [My first interest in graffitti came when I was in grammar school, around '87 or '88 I was about twelve years old. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaws/my-first-interest-in-graffitti-came-when-i-was-in-grammar-school/)

[KAWS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaws/)

> [It would also have been helpful to have gone to a Catholic grammar school. The only people who know grammar are those people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/it-would-also-have-been-helpful-to-have-gone-to-a-catholic-grammar/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [In my grammar school years back in the 1920s I used my ten-cents-a-week allowance for Saturday matinees of Douglas Fairbanks movies. All that swashbuckling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/in-my-grammar-school-years-back-in-the-1920s-i-used-my-ten-cents-a/)

[Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/)

> [I credit that eight years of grammar school with nourishing me in a direction where I could trust myself and trust my instincts. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-credit-that-eight-years-of-grammar-school-with-nourishing-me-in-a/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Most of the time I was in grammar school through high school, I was in some kind of rock n' roll band. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-atwater/most-of-the-time-i-was-in-grammar-school-through-high-school-i-was-in/)

[Lee Atwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-atwater/)

> [As a former high school teacher and a student in a class of 60 urchins at St. Brigid's grammar school, I know that education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/as-a-former-high-school-teacher-and-a-student-in-a-class-of-60/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [Thou hast most traitorously corrupted the youth of the realm in erecting a grammar school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-hast-most-traitorously-corrupted-the-youth-of-the-realm-in/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I'd like to say a few words about one of the most popular concepts in the modern education--show and tell. Show and Tell is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-d-like-to-say-a-few-words-about-one-of-the-most-popular-concepts-in/)

[Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/)

> [As a child, I lived with being punier than other boys in class. The only consolation was my parents' empathy - they encouraged constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/as-a-child-i-lived-with-being-punier-than-other-boys-in-class-the/)

[James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/)

> [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [Ever since grammar school, I knew I wanted to be famous - I always wanted to be a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-hudson/ever-since-grammar-school-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-famous-i-always/)

[Jennifer Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-hudson/)

## More by Steve Coogan

> [As soon as I see period costume, I turn off. It's like hearing drama on Radio 4.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/as-soon-as-i-see-period-costume-i-turn-off-it-s-like-hearing-drama-on/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [A woman wearing a revealing dress will always be sexier than a naked woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/a-woman-wearing-a-revealing-dress-will-always-be-sexier-than-a-naked/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I like to do movies that provoke rather than reinforce conservative values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-like-to-do-movies-that-provoke-rather-than-reinforce-conservative/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I'm gonna hump ya. Like Deputy Dog... Would hump ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-gonna-hump-ya-like-deputy-dog-would-hump-ya/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [What terrifies me is that I might somehow endorse that view so people think they don't have to read books anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/what-terrifies-me-is-that-i-might-somehow-endorse-that-view-so-people/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I am lucky to be in a profession that is not age dependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-am-lucky-to-be-in-a-profession-that-is-not-age-dependent/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I think there's as much profundity and wisdom in Shakespeare, more so in fact, than those in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-think-there-s-as-much-profundity-and-wisdom-in-shakespeare-more-so/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I don't apologize for my behavior anymore. Whatever I do or don't do shouldn't matter. Moral certainty is dangerous. Moral certainty is what makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-don-t-apologize-for-my-behavior-anymore-whatever-i-do-or-don-t-do/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [A womb with a view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/a-womb-with-a-view/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I'm really encouraged by Pope Francis, because I think his attitude is totally laudable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-really-encouraged-by-pope-francis-because-i-think-his-attitude-is/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [Knowing about comedy has helped me with the drama. To see people laugh, it's like there are moments of catharsis in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/knowing-about-comedy-has-helped-me-with-the-drama-to-see-people-laugh/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I happen to have a public profile. Ditto newspaper editors. It's a result of what I do, not an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-happen-to-have-a-public-profile-ditto-newspaper-editors-it-s-a/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [The fundamentalists are insistent that they know best. It's a dictatorial attitude towards personal morality, which is a modern creation that came about in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/the-fundamentalists-are-insistent-that-they-know-best-it-s-a/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [I use improvisation as a writing tool to help produce material that goes into a script, but a well-crafted script shouldn't sound scripted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-use-improvisation-as-a-writing-tool-to-help-produce-material-that/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

> [If the person who can effectively sanction ill-conceived wars can play the electric guitar, which is a symbol of rebellion, then that whole worldview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/if-the-person-who-can-effectively-sanction-ill-conceived-wars-can/)

[Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

[Explore all 145 Steve Coogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/)

## More Cabinets quotes

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [Every person of any rank in the left, from voter on up to cabinet member to elected official in the Democrat Party, has contempt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/every-person-of-any-rank-in-the-left-from-voter-on-up-to-cabinet/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I can hardly wait until Donald Trump announces his celebrity cabinet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-can-hardly-wait-until-donald-trump-announces-his-celebrity-cabinet/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [Well, we're just a couple of weeks from new President Barack Obama being sworn in. And he's been very busy naming a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/well-we-re-just-a-couple-of-weeks-from-new-president-barack-obama/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Some pretty senior young individuals in and around the Cabinet should share the responsibility for talking up an election and referring publicly on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-winnick/some-pretty-senior-young-individuals-in-and-around-the-cabinet-should/)

David Winnick

> [Nobody wants me as a Cabinet Minister and they are perfectly right. I am an agitator, not an administrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-astor/nobody-wants-me-as-a-cabinet-minister-and-they-are-perfectly-right-i/)

[Nancy Astor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-astor/)

> [I find myself in a new and strange position here: President, cabinet, Gen. Scott, and all deferring to me. By some strange operation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-mcclellan/i-find-myself-in-a-new-and-strange-position-here-president-cabinet/)

[George B. McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-b-mcclellan/)

> [I worry about the lack of experience that Rex Tillerson has had on the diplomatic front and, frankly, I think that's true for many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-worry-about-the-lack-of-experience-that-rex-tillerson-has-had-on/)

[Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/)

> [Fletch then kisses me on the forehead before opening the cabinet under the coffeemaker to grab placemats and napkins. Retrieving these items is his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-lancaster/fletch-then-kisses-me-on-the-forehead-before-opening-the-cabinet/)

[Jen Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-lancaster/)

> [Every cabinet minister gets a mission statement from the Prime Minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/every-cabinet-minister-gets-a-mission-statement-from-the-prime/)

[Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/)

> [Lillian Gish thought that there should be a cabinet position for the arts and I think she was right. I think she was right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-wray/lillian-gish-thought-that-there-should-be-a-cabinet-position-for-the/)

[Fay Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-wray/)

> [First of all, Donald Trump cabinet or - I call it the 3-G cabinet, Goldman, generals and gazillionaires. And I think it's one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/first-of-all-donald-trump-cabinet-or-i-call-it-the-3-g-cabinet/)

[Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/)

> [In a sense, Open City is a kind of Wunderkammer, one of those little rooms assembled with bric-a-brac by Renaissance scholars. I don't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/in-a-sense-open-city-is-a-kind-of-wunderkammer-one-of-those-little/)

[Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/)

> [A man who is ill-adjusted to the world is always on the verge of finding himself. One who is adjusted to the world never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-man-who-is-ill-adjusted-to-the-world-is-always-on-the-verge-of/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

Browse all 308 Cabinets quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of different types and I used to listen to how they talked. When I did my imitations, I could sound like someone really rough, or I could sound like a cabinet minister.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steve Coogan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with-all-sorts-of-different-types/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cabinets"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with-all-sorts-of-different-types/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa3/steve-coogan-2910_cabinets_going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with_2216211.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Going to a grammar school, you mixed with all sorts of different types and I used to listen to how they…” — Steve Coogan",
                "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": "Steve Coogan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Going to a grammar school, you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with-all-sorts-of-different-types/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/going-to-a-grammar-school-you-mixed-with-all-sorts-of-different-types/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
