Quoted in The Daily Telegraph, 30 October 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/10/30/dl3003.xml
• When asked by Sir Ian McKellen, in 1997, whether he was heterosexual or homosexual.
• When asked by Sir Ian McKellen, in 1997, whether he was heterosexual or homosexual.
“
That's a bit like asking a man crawling across the Sahara whether he would prefer Perrier or Malvern water.
— Alan Bennett
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "That's a bit like asking a man crawling across the Sahara whether he would prefer Perrier or Malvern water." in the context of "Quoted in The Daily Telegraph, 30 October 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/10/30/dl3003.xml
• When asked by Sir Ian McKellen, in 1997, whether he was heterosexual or homosexual." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Alan Bennett" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English playwright, screenwriter, memoirist, essayist and actor. He first came to notice as a writer-performer of Beyond the Fringe. His plays include Forty Years On, An Englishman Abroad, Talking Heads, A Question of Attribution, The Madness of King George and The History Boys. He also created the sketch comedy On the Margin in 1966 with John Sergeant.
About Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English playwright, screenwriter, memoirist, essayist and actor. He first came to notice as a writer-performer of Beyond the Fringe. His plays include Forty Years On, An Englishman Abroad, Talking Heads, A Question of Attribution, The Madness of King George and The History Boys. He also created the sketch comedy On the Margin in 1966 with John Sergeant.
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