You’ve got to believe you can be a standup before you can be a standup. You have to believe you can act before you can act. You have to believe you can be an astronaut before you can be an astronaut. You’ve got to believe.
Eddie IzzardRead
We stole countries with the cunning use of flags. Just sail around the world and stick a flag in. "I claim India for Britain!" They're going "You can't claim us, we live here! Five hundred million of us!" "Do you have a flag …? "No..." "Well, if you don't have a flag, then you can't have a country. Those are the rules... that I just made up!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously points out the absurdity of colonialism and the arbitrary nature of claiming land.
Eddie Izzard's quote critiques the ridiculousness of colonialism by illustrating how the act of planting a flag symbolized ownership, despite the presence of indigenous people who already inhabited the land. He highlights the irony in the arbitrary rules created by colonizers, suggesting that the concept of sovereignty was often more about power and perception than genuine rights over the land and its people.
Themes
ColonialismFlagSovereigntyAbsurdityOwnership
In practice
Example use cases
A history lecture on imperialism could use this quote to illustrate the ridiculous justifications for colonialism.
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