--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This isn't the Gulf War, Michael. Which…" description: "\"This isn't the Gulf War, Michael. Which ironically IS like a big petrol station.\" — Steve Coogan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/steve-coogan-2910_gulf-war_this-isn-t-the-gulf-war-michael-which-ir_2737942.jpg" --- # This isn't the Gulf War, Michael. Which ironically IS like… ![“This isn't the Gulf War, Michael. Which ironically IS like a big petrol station.” quote by Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/steve-coogan-2910_gulf-war_this-isn-t-the-gulf-war-michael-which-ir_2737942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/steve-coogan-2910_gulf-war_this-isn-t-the-gulf-war-michael-which-ir_2737942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/steve-coogan-2910_gulf-war_this-isn-t-the-gulf-war-michael-which-ir_2737942.jpg) > “This isn't the Gulf War, Michael. Which ironically IS like a big petrol station.” [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. A sarcastic comparison of a conflict to a mundane, commercial setting, highlighting absurdity. **In simple terms:** War compared to a petrol station. Key Takeaway Recognize absurdities in serious narratives. Themes satire politics conflict Mood wry critical Type satirical observational When to use this quote - political commentary - media analysis - humor - public discourse Key Concepts absurdism media critique Questions to Reflect On - What does this comparison reveal about public perception of war? - How does humor affect our view of conflict? A Different Perspective May trivialize genuine suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big Petrol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-petrol-3005809/) [Gulf war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulf-war/) [Petrol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/petrol/) [Petrol Station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/petrol-station-1414239/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-michael-3005810/) ## Related quotes > [I was at the petrol station with my mum in the car. She went to pay for fuel and this guy taps on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-williamson/i-was-at-the-petrol-station-with-my-mum-in-the-car-she-went-to-pay/) [Leah Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-williamson/) > [The cost of motoring is a massive issue at the moment, there's no question. The price of petrol goes up every time you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/the-cost-of-motoring-is-a-massive-issue-at-the-moment-there-s-no/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [I worked in a petrol station on the A1 one summer. I enjoyed it except when I was on latrine duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-rice/i-worked-in-a-petrol-station-on-the-a1-one-summer-i-enjoyed-it-except/) [Tim Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-rice/) > [“It was the most banal idea about a war, Michael knew, that if of fatality, but it was impossible not to think of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/it-was-the-most-banal-idea-about-a-war-michael-knew-that-if-of/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/what-a-country-calls-its-vital-economic-interests-are-not-the-things/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [I was recently looking at what they can actually do to reduce consumption of petrol. It would be quite possible to build automobiles out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-george/i-was-recently-looking-at-what-they-can-actually-do-to-reduce/) [Susan George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-george/) > [Petrol price is a deregulated commodity, price of which is decided by our oil marketing companies based on input cost and other parameters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veerappa-moily/petrol-price-is-a-deregulated-commodity-price-of-which-is-decided-by/) [Veerappa Moily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veerappa-moily/) > [Water and petrol both come from the earth, and though they seem to be alike and even the same, they are in nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhu-sundar-singh/water-and-petrol-both-come-from-the-earth-and-though-they-seem-to-be/) [Sadhu Sundar Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhu-sundar-singh/) > [I drove to Oxford with my van full of petrol and tin cans, as I didn't know there were service stations on the motorway.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-drove-to-oxford-with-my-van-full-of-petrol-and-tin-cans-as-i-didn-t/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [The descendants of those who crucified Christ... have taken ownership of the riches of the world, a minority has taken ownership of the gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/the-descendants-of-those-who-crucified-christ-have-taken-ownership-of/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [\*petrol tank full\* one of the best feelings ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/petrol-tank-full-one-of-the-best-feelings-ever/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari. If you drive a Ferrari, you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zlatan-ibrahimovic/when-you-buy-me-you-are-buying-a-ferrari-if-you-drive-a-ferrari-you-2/) [Zlatan Ibrahimovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zlatan-ibrahimovic/) > [In a war you have to take up arms and people will get killed, and I can support that kind of action by petrol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-daly/in-a-war-you-have-to-take-up-arms-and-people-will-get-killed-and-i/) [Tim Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-daly/) > [I can live without you but that life would be like a car without petrol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akashdeep-singh-kailay/i-can-live-without-you-but-that-life-would-be-like-a-car-without/) [Akashdeep Singh Kailay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akashdeep-singh-kailay/) > [Regulation of petrol companies and the major retailers must demonstrate commitment to the motorist and the U.K.'s hard-pressed transport industries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/regulation-of-petrol-companies-and-the-major-retailers-must/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) ## 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 Gulf war quotes > [We are not intimidated by the size of the armies, or the type of hardware the US has brought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-are-not-intimidated-by-the-size-of-the-armies-or-the-type-of/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/iraq-made-commitments-after-the-gulf-war-to-completely-dismantle-all/) [Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/) > [We have to go massively, like we did in the first Gulf War where we destroyed Saddam's ability to take Kuwait. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/we-have-to-go-massively-like-we-did-in-the-first-gulf-war-where-we/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [When I finished graduate school, the first George Bush was president, and I really wanted to get out of the country. We'd just gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-king/when-i-finished-graduate-school-the-first-george-bush-was-president/) [Lily King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-king/) > [The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/the-last-un-weapons-inspectors-left-iraq-in-october-of-1998-we-are/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [The Gulf War may not have occurred in the actual global space, but it did occur in global time. And this thanks to CNN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/the-gulf-war-may-not-have-occurred-in-the-actual-global-space-but-it/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [I voted against the war in Iraq. I voted against the first Gulf War. I think war is the last resort - the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-voted-against-the-war-in-iraq-i-voted-against-the-first-gulf-war-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The U.S. victory in Gulf War was a stirring victory for the forces of aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/the-u-s-victory-in-gulf-war-was-a-stirring-victory-for-the-forces-of/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [After the end of the cold war, everybody thought, fantastic, finally the UN may be able to do what it was originally set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/after-the-end-of-the-cold-war-everybody-thought-fantastic-finally-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I, not for the first time, would like to say that I never took a pro-Iraq position during the Gulf War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein/i-not-for-the-first-time-would-like-to-say-that-i-never-took-a-pro/) [King Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein/) > [It took the Gulf War to demonstrate that America did want more than one friend in the Mideast, and also was willing to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/it-took-the-gulf-war-to-demonstrate-that-america-did-want-more-than/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [The Gulf War was like teenage sex. We got in too soon and out too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/the-gulf-war-was-like-teenage-sex-we-got-in-too-soon-and-out-too-soon/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [“Arabs and other Muslims generally agreed that Saddam Hussein might be a bloody tyrant, but, paralleling FDR's thinking, "he is our bloody tyrant." In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/arabs-and-other-muslims-generally-agreed-that-saddam-hussein-might-be/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Our firm view is that the president has no legal authority, none whatsoever, to commit American troops to war in the Persian Gulf or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-j-mitchell/our-firm-view-is-that-the-president-has-no-legal-authority-none/) [George J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) [Browse all 119 Gulf war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulf-war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This isn't the Gulf War, Michael. 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