There's life for you. Spend the best years of your life studying penmanship and rhetoric and syntax and Beowulf and George Eliot, and then somebody steals your pencil.
Dorothy ParkerRead
But I give you my word, in the entire book there is nothing that cannot be said aloud in mixed company. And there is, also, nothing that makes you a bit the wiser. I wonder--oh, what will you think of me--if those two statements do not verge upon the synonymous.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the superficiality of certain truths, suggesting that what is deemed appropriate for public discussion often lacks depth or insight.
Dorothy Parker's quote reflects on the nature of truth and wisdom within literature, indicating that while something may be acceptable to share in diverse company, it does not necessarily enhance one's understanding or knowledge. The irony presents a critique of the limitations of communication, highlighting that mere acceptability does not equate to depth or value in content.
Themes
WisdomTruthSuperficialityLiteratureCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the merits of safe vs. profound literature at a book club.
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes βMy land is bare of chattering folk; / the clouds are low along the ridges, / and sweet's the air with curly smoke / from all my burning bridges.
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Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.
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They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.
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It is that word 'hunny,' my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader fwowed up.
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I canβt write five words but that I change seven.
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