Too late – or else too early – too soft – or else too strong.
And when for once the wide world begins to praise her name
Her own sons crowd and hurry to shout her back to shame." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
"Poor Old Britain", Leave My Old Morale Alone (1948).
“

Nobody's wrong but England – and England's always wrong,
Too late – or else too early – too soft – or else too strong.
And when for once the wide world begins to praise her name
Her own sons crowd and hurry to shout her back to shame.

— A. P. Herbert

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Nobody's wrong but England – and England's always wrong,
Too late – or else too early – too soft – or else too strong.
And when for once the wide world begins to praise her name
Her own sons crowd and hurry to shout her back to shame." in the context of ""Poor Old Britain", Leave My Old Morale Alone (1948)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "A. P. Herbert" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#A. P. Herbert#too#else#strongand#englands#wrongtoo#nobodys#england#nameher#always#begins#praise
A. P. Herbert

About A. P. Herbert

Sir Alan Patrick Herbert (24 September 1890 – 11 November 1971) was an English humorist in many literary forms, a law-reform activist, and an independent M.P. representing Oxford University.