I'm really very sorry for you all, but it's an unjust world, and virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances.
W. S. GilbertRead
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus, I know the scientific names of beings animalculous; In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously portrays a character who is overly proud of his knowledge and skills.
In this quote, W. S. Gilbert presents a comic character who boasts about his extensive knowledge across various fields, including calculus and biology, while using exaggerated language to emphasize his pride and self-importance. The humor lies in the absurdity of the character's claim to be an expert in so many areas while remaining oblivious to the fact that such broad knowledge is both unrealistic and comically pretentious.
Themes
KnowledgeHumorPrideExpertiseAbsurdity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of humility in learning, one might use this quote to illustrate how overconfidence can be humorous.
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Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.
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I was too old for a paper route, too young for Social Security and too tired for an affair.
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When I'm up there, I'm just thinking that I've got to make them laugh or they won't show up next time.
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I find that people find a way out of misery through humor and it's humor that's often unacceptable to people who are not in quite such a state of misery.
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Ben Franklin was a little stout later in life and it was said that in Paris a young woman, tapping him on his protruding abdomen, said,"Dr. Franklin, if this were on a woman, we'd know what to think." And Franklin replied,"Half an hour ago, Mademoiselle, it was on a woman, and now what do you think?"
Benjamin FranklinRead
Laughter has been implanted in our soul, that the soul may sometime be refreshed.
Saint John ChrysostomRead