--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I must have read every issue of 'Punch'…" description: "\"I must have read every issue of 'Punch' published in the 20th century, and I think in the process I picked up the true voice of English humour - that a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg" --- # I must have read every issue of 'Punch' published in the… ![“I must have read every issue of 'Punch' published in the 20th century, and I think in the process I picked up the true voice of English humour - that amiable, fairly liberal, laconic voice which you find in something like 'Three Men in a Boat.'” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg) > “I must have read every issue of 'Punch' published in the 20th century, and I think in the process I picked up the true voice of English humour - that amiable, fairly liberal, laconic voice which you find in something like 'Three Men in a Boat.'” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading Punch shaped his comedic voice, favoring a gentle, liberal, laconic style like in 'Three Men in a Boat.' **In simple terms:** Punch influenced his humor style. Key Takeaway Study classic satire for voice. Themes humor literature voice development Mood lighthearted introspective Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary analysis - stand‑up comedy Key Concepts cultural history comedy theory Questions to Reflect On - Which classic works inspire you? - How does laconic humor affect audience? A Different Perspective Modern humor may differ in tone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amiable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amiable/) [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Laconic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laconic/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [I prefer the finesse of French humour. English humour is more scathing, more cruel, as illustrated by Monty Python and Little Britain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-prefer-the-finesse-of-french-humour-english-humour-is-more-scathing/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I have never considered myself English Both my husband and my son say I don't understand English humour, and they don't always understand what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-michael-of-kent/i-have-never-considered-myself-english-both-my-husband-and-my-son-say/) [Princess Michael of Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-michael-of-kent/) > [In my early teens, I read every bound volume of the magazine Punch. Every writer of any distinction in the English language, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/in-my-early-teens-i-read-every-bound-volume-of-the-magazine-punch/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [That city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-city-is-well-fortified-which-has-a-wall-of-men-instead-of-brick/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love the English language just like I love all American things. But I confess that I don't feel confident using complex sentences or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-love-the-english-language-just-like-i-love-all-american-things-but/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [The proponents of Steinitz' theory - Tarrasch and his supporters - tried to express Steinitz' teaching in the form of laconic rules, and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kotov/the-proponents-of-steinitz-theory-tarrasch-and-his-supporters-tried/) [Alexander Kotov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kotov/) > [To Garan's credit, the treatment of Dellian prisoners did change after that. One particularly laconic man, after a session in which Fire learned positively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/to-garan-s-credit-the-treatment-of-dellian-prisoners-did-change-after/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [The connoisseur might be defined as a laconic art historian, and the art historian as a loquacious connoisseur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-panofsky/the-connoisseur-might-be-defined-as-a-laconic-art-historian-and-the/) Erwin Panofsky > [People say I talk slowly. I talk in a way sometimes called laconic. The phone rings, I answer, and people ask if they've woken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/people-say-i-talk-slowly-i-talk-in-a-way-sometimes-called-laconic-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Wishes run over in loquacious impotence, will presses on with laconic energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/wishes-run-over-in-loquacious-impotence-will-presses-on-with-laconic/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [Robert Frost says in a piece of homely doggerel that he has hoped wisdom could be not only Attic but Laconic, Boeotian even -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/robert-frost-says-in-a-piece-of-homely-doggerel-that-he-has-hoped/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [“You're very perceptive for a guy who can go a whole day without talking,” she said, peering up at him. “That's why I'm perceptive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-re-very-perceptive-for-a-guy-who-can-go-a-whole-day-without/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [You can get far in North America with laconic grunts. "Huh," "hun," and "hi!" in their various modulations, together with "sure," "guess so," "that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/you-can-get-far-in-north-america-with-laconic-grunts-huh-hun-and-hi/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [“She's terse. I can be terse. Once, in flight school, I was laconic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-whedon/she-s-terse-i-can-be-terse-once-in-flight-school-i-was-laconic/) Josh Whedon > [Fantasy fans are incredibly loyal and passionate. Other people don't want to be seen as passionate about things, they want to be cool and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradley-west/fantasy-fans-are-incredibly-loyal-and-passionate-other-people-don-t/) [John Bradley-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradley-west/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More 20th century quotes > [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) Browse all 672 20th century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I must have read every issue of 'Punch' published in the 20th century, and I think in the process I picked up the true voice of English humour - that amiable, fairly liberal, laconic voice which you find in something like 'Three Men in a Boat.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-published-in-the-20th-century/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "20th century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-published-in-the-20th-century/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/terry-pratchett-19_20th-century_i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-pu_331342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I must have read every issue of 'Punch' published in the 20th century, and I think in the process I picked…” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I must have read every issue...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-published-in-the-20th-century/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-must-have-read-every-issue-of-punch-published-in-the-20th-century/#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 } } ] } ```