--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am the very model of a modern…" description: "\"I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral, I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights his..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/w-s-gilbert-8102_animal_i-am-the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-ge_780700.jpg" --- # I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've… ![“I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral, I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical.” quote by W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/w-s-gilbert-8102_animal_i-am-the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-ge_780700.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/w-s-gilbert-8102_animal_i-am-the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-ge_780700.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/w-s-gilbert-8102_animal_i-am-the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-ge_780700.jpg) > “I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral, I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical.” [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous boast of vast knowledge across many subjects, showcasing wit and confidence. **In simple terms:** Proud of wide-ranging knowledge. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity. Themes knowledge wit confidence Mood playful confident Type literary humorous When to use this quote - public speaking - teaching - creative writing - debate Key Concepts education humor literature Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify your facts? - When is humility more effective? A Different Perspective Overconfidence may lead to errors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marathon/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Minerals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minerals/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Waterloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waterloo/) ## Related quotes > [I am the very model of a modern major general](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/i-am-the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-general/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [Who does not know that kings and rulers sprang from men who were ignorant of God, who assumed because of blind greed and intolerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-vii/who-does-not-know-that-kings-and-rulers-sprang-from-men-who-were/) [Pope Gregory VII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-vii/) > [If you follow me on social media, you may know that I am an L.A. Kings fan. I'm not kuh-ray-zee, but I am definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/retta/if-you-follow-me-on-social-media-you-may-know-that-i-am-an-l-a-kings/) [Retta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/retta/) > [I got a king-sized bed. I don't know any kings, but if one came over, I guess he'd be comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-got-a-king-sized-bed-i-don-t-know-any-kings-but-if-one-came-over-i/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [It take 15,000 casualties to train a major general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-foch/it-take-15-000-casualties-to-train-a-major-general/) [Ferdinand Foch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-foch/) > [If silicon had been a gas I should have been a major-general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-whistler/if-silicon-had-been-a-gas-i-should-have-been-a-major-general/) [James Whistler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-whistler/) > [It takes 15,000 casualties to train a major general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-foch/it-takes-15-000-casualties-to-train-a-major-general/) [Ferdinand Foch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-foch/) > [Before this war is over, I intend to be a Major General or a corpse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-r-trimble/before-this-war-is-over-i-intend-to-be-a-major-general-or-a-corpse/) Isaac R. Trimble > [A private soldier has as much right to justice as a major-general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/a-private-soldier-has-as-much-right-to-justice-as-a-major-general/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“My home is in Banff, Alberta, up in the Rockies. Waterloo is two time zones east, nine hundred kilometers farther south, and more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alan-gardner/my-home-is-in-banff-alberta-up-in-the-rockies-waterloo-is-two-time/) [James Alan Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alan-gardner/) > [The views from Waterloo Bridge are amazing - you can see so much of London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-warner/the-views-from-waterloo-bridge-are-amazing-you-can-see-so-much-of/) [Amelia Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-warner/) > [Of course the chronology of the books is a bit back- to - front, and books usually come out before movies. But happily, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/of-course-the-chronology-of-the-books-is-a-bit-back-to-front-and/) [Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/) > [Now, gentlemen, let tomorrow be their Waterloo!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-t-beauregard/now-gentlemen-let-tomorrow-be-their-waterloo/) P. G. T. Beauregard > [History is powerful stuff. One day your world is fine. The next day it's knocked for a metaphysical loop. Was Napoleon really at Waterloo?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-bromell/history-is-powerful-stuff-one-day-your-world-is-fine-the-next-day-it/) [Henry Bromell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-bromell/) > [“The peculiarity of the Battle of Waterloo was its narrow compass, with 140,000 men crammed into three square miles; the front was only four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mclynn/the-peculiarity-of-the-battle-of-waterloo-was-its-narrow-compass-with/) [Frank McLynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mclynn/) ## More by W. S. Gilbert > [The Law is the true embodiment of everything that's excellent; it has no kind of fault or flaw and I, my Lords, embody the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/the-law-is-the-true-embodiment-of-everything-that-s-excellent-it-has/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [A man is but an ass Who fights in a cuirass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/a-man-is-but-an-ass-who-fights-in-a-cuirass/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [I love my fellow creatures - I do all the good I can - yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/i-love-my-fellow-creatures-i-do-all-the-good-i-can-yet-everybody-says/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [The idiot who praises, with enthusiastic tone, All centuries but this, and every country but his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/the-idiot-who-praises-with-enthusiastic-tone-all-centuries-but-this/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [And that singular anomaly, the lady novelist-- I don't think she'd be missed--I'm sure she'd not be missed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/and-that-singular-anomaly-the-lady-novelist-i-don-t-think-she-d-be/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [I am the Captain of the Pinafore ; And a right good captain too! . . . . And I'm never, never sick at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/i-am-the-captain-of-the-pinafore-and-a-right-good-captain-too-and-i-m/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [There's a fascination frantic in a ruin that's romantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/there-s-a-fascination-frantic-in-a-ruin-that-s-romantic/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [Utopia's quite another land; In her enterprising movements, She is England--with improvements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/utopia-s-quite-another-land-in-her-enterprising-movements-she-is/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [Is life a boon? If so, it must befall That Death, whene'er he call, Must call too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/is-life-a-boon-if-so-it-must-befall-that-death-whene-er-he-call-must/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [every Jack He must study the knack If he wants to make sure of his Jill!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/every-jack-he-must-study-the-knack-if-he-wants-to-make-sure-of-his/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [If I can wheedle A knife or a needle, Why not a Silver Churn?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/if-i-can-wheedle-a-knife-or-a-needle-why-not-a-silver-churn/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [All bayonets are bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/all-bayonets-are-bad/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [The happiest hour a sailor sees Is when he's down At an inland town, With his Nancy on his knees, yo ho! And his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/the-happiest-hour-a-sailor-sees-is-when-he-s-down-at-an-inland-town/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [For duty, duty must be done; The rule applies to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/for-duty-duty-must-be-done-the-rule-applies-to-everyone/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [Then a sentimental passion of a vegetable fashion must excite your languid spleen, An attachment a la Plato for a bashful young potato, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/then-a-sentimental-passion-of-a-vegetable-fashion-must-excite-your/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) [Explore all 84 W. S. Gilbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“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/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral, I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. S. 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