Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a sense of getting somewhere fast, which satisfies a native American urge.
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests a belief in the virtue of dogs compared to humans, implying that dogs may possess a purity that earns them a place in heaven.
James Thurber's quote reflects a humorous yet profound commentary on human nature and morality. By asserting that certain dogs are more deserving of immortality than most people, he highlights the often perceived innocence and loyalty of dogs in contrast to the complexity and moral failings of human beings. This sentiment expresses a deep appreciation for the unconditional love and goodness found in dogs, suggesting that their simple, genuine nature may be closer to the divine than that of many humans.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about morality and the nature of good, one might use this quote to highlight the innocence often found in animals compared to humans.
More from James Thurber
All quotes βThe laughter of man is more terrible than his tears, and takes more forms hollow, heartless, mirthless, maniacal.
Things have dropped from me. I have outlived certain desires; I have lost friends, some by death... others through sheer inability to cross the street.
The appreciative smile, the chuckle, the soundless mirth, so important to the success of comedy, cannot be understood unless one sits among the audience and feels the warmth created by the quality of laughter that the audience takes home with it.
Unless artists can remember what it was to be a little boy, they are only half complete as artist and as man.
These are the days of bootleg love.
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I am seeking for the bridge which leans from the visible to the invisible through reality.
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O what hardness of heart mayst thou see in every corner whither thou goest, and where thou preachest, most part being as unconcerned as the very stones of the wall; and say what thou wilt, either by setting before them alluring promises or dreadful threatenings, yet people are hardened against both, none relenting for what they have done, or concerned about it.
The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space-each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.
To some degree, we're all thinking about the same things. It's the zeitgeist. The trick, in a way, as a writer, is to hope that your interests in some sense link up with the culture around you.