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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the idea of pursuing personal satisfaction and creativity over societal validation.
Dorothy Parker's quote expresses a sense of introspection and defiance against the pressures of conforming to societal expectations of success. While others around her may be achieving traditional forms of success in various fields—science, art, and leisure—she remains committed to her own standards of what is enjoyable and fulfilling, even if it leads her to be seen as doubtful or unproductive. Her metaphor of being inseparable from her 'nose and thumb' underscores her self-awareness and acceptance of her choices, suggesting that true fulfillment lies in personal expression rather than external accolades.
Themes
Personal FulfillmentSelf-AcceptanceSuccessCreativitySocietal Expectations
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a discussion about the importance of pursuing one's passions over conventional success.
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes →My 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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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 can’t write five words but that I change seven.
Dorothy ParkerRead
For this my mother wrapped me warm,_x000D_ _x000D_ And called me home against the storm,_x000D_ _x000D_ And coaxed my infant nights to quiet,_x000D_ _x000D_ And gave me roughage in my diet,_x000D_ _x000D_ And tucked me in my bed at eight,_x000D_ _x000D_ And clipped my hair, and marked my weight,_x000D_ _x000D_ And watched me as I sat and stood:_x000D_ _x000D_ That I might grow to womanhood_x000D_ _x000D_ To hear a whistle and drop my wits_x000D_ _x000D_ And break my heart to clattering bits.
Dorothy ParkerRead
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