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An American of the present day reading his Sunday newspaper in a state of lazy collapse is one of the most perfect symbols of the triumph of quantity over quality that the world has yet seen.
Irving Babbitt
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote critiques modern society's preference for superficial abundance over meaningful substance.

Irving Babbitt highlights a societal trend where people prioritize the quantity of information and entertainment, represented by a person lazily reading a Sunday newspaper, over the quality of thought and experience. This reflects a cultural shift toward valuing superficial abundance, suggesting a loss of deeper engagement with life and ideas.

Themes

SocietyQuantityQualitySuperficialCritique

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be shared in a discussion about consumerism and its effects on culture.

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Commercialism is laying its great greasy paw upon everything including the irresponsible quest of thrills; so that, whatever democracy may be theoretically, one is sometimes tempted to define it practically as standardized and commercialized melodrama.
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