The trouble with righting some wrongs is that it makes the remaining ones seem even more unbearable.
A. A. GillRead
If New York is a wise guy, Paris a coquette, Rome a gigolo and Berlin a wicked uncle, then London is an old lady who mutters and has the second sight. She is slightly deaf, and doesn't suffer fools gladly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote personifies cities with distinct characteristics, highlighting London's unique complexity and wisdom.
In this quote, A. A. Gill amusingly characterizes major cities as people with specific traits. New York is depicted as brash and confident, Paris as flirtatious, Rome as charismatic, and Berlin as mischievous. In contrast, London is portrayed as an old lady with wisdom, slight deafness, and a critical view of foolishness, suggesting that it has a rich history and a discerning nature that comes with age.
Themes
LondonCitiesCharacterWisdomHumor
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the personality of major cities when giving a travel presentation.
More from A. A. Gill
All quotes →If the world were to end tomorrow and we could choose to save only one thing as the explanation and memorial to who we were, then we couldn't do better than the Natural History Museum, although it wouldn't contain a single human. The systematic Linnean order, the vast inquisitiveness and range of collated knowledge and beauty would tell all that is the best of us.
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Being able to afford everything you desire is not, by any means, the worst thing that can happen to you. But, depressingly, and more profoundly, neither is it the best.
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America didn’t bypass or escape civilization. It did something far more profound, far cleverer: it simply changed what civilization could be.
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Celebrity is a national drama whose characters' parts and plots are written by the tabloids, gossip columnists, websites and interactive buttons. The famous don't actually have to turn up to their own lives at all.
A. A. GillRead
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