I'm very good at integral and differential calculus, I know the scientific names of beings animalculous; In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
I'm really very sorry for you all, but it's an unjust world, and virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects despair towards the unfairness of reality, suggesting that true virtue is often only found in fiction, such as plays.
W. S. Gilbert's quote highlights a cynical perspective on life, indicating that despite individuals' genuine virtues, the world often operates in ways that do not reward such qualities. The phrase 'virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances' implies that morality and goodness may be celebrated in stories and art, yet frequently go unrecognized in real life, leading to a sense of disillusionment with the inherent injustices of the world.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of morality in today's society, this quote can illustrate the challenges faced by virtuous individuals.
More from W. S. Gilbert
All quotes βIt isn't so much what's on the table that matters, as what's on the chairs.
When everyone is somebody, then no one's anybody.
Similar quotes
The prison industrial complex is perhaps, at least domestically, the most striking example of us putting profit before people. It all stems from one basic misunderstanding: that the public good can be shepherded by private interests.
It was never what I wanted to buy that held my heart's hope. It was what I wanted to be.
You see, one thing is, I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things... It doesn't frighten me.
It seems to me there is less meanness in atheism, by a good measure. It seems that the spirit of religious self-righteousness this article deplores is precisely the spirit in which it is written. Of course he's right about many things, one of them being the destructive potency of religious self-righteousness. (p. 146)
I must also have a dark side if I am to be whole.
A 'mistake' is beside the point, for once anything happens it authentically is.