I turned on the pillow with a little moan, and at this juncture Jeeves entered with the vital oolong. I clutched at it like a drowning man at a straw hat.
P. G. WodehouseRead
Judges, as a class, display, in the matter of arranging alimony, that reckless generosity which is found only in men who are giving away someone else's cash.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously critiques judges' leniency in alimony cases, suggesting it's easier to be generous with money that isn't theirs.
P. G. Wodehouse uses wit to highlight the perceived recklessness of judges when it comes to deciding alimony payments. The humor lies in the idea that judges handle financial matters with a carefree attitude, likening their generosity to someone who freely gives away money that does not belong to them, ultimately commenting on the disconnect between their decisions and the financial realities faced by the individuals involved.
Themes
JudgesAlimonyGenerosityHumorMoney
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be referenced during a discussion on family law reform to highlight the perceptions of judicial generosity.
More from P. G. Wodehouse
All quotes βWhile not exactly disgruntled, he was far from feeling gruntled. He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.
P. G. WodehouseRead
She fitted into my biggest arm-chair as if it had been built round her by someone who knew they were wearing arm-chairs tight about the hips that season
P. G. WodehouseRead
It was a nasty look. It made me feel as if I were something the dog had brought in and intended to bury later on, when he had time.
P. G. WodehouseRead
Memories are like mulligatawny soup in a cheap restaurant. It is wiser not to stir them.
P. G. WodehouseRead
It was a confusion of ideas between him and one of the lions he was hunting in Kenya that had caused A. B. Spottsworth to make the obituary column. He thought the lion was dead, and the lion thought it wasn't.
P. G. WodehouseRead
Similar quotes
Wit penetrates; humor envelops. Wit is a function of verbal intelligence; humor is imagination operating on good nature.
Peggy NoonanRead
Like O'Rielly, we'll grab the most important word of each sentence... 'The' for example. Also, I'll say, 'I'm angry,' and the graphic will read, 'Colbert angry.
Stephen ColbertRead
Some people have no idea what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.
George CarlinRead
EMOTION, n. A prostrating disease caused by a determination of the heart to the head. It is sometimes accompanied by a copious discharge of hydrated chloride of sodium from the eyes.
Ambrose BierceRead
People who are rather more than six feet tall and nearly as broad across the shoulders often have uneventful journeys. People jump out at them from behind rocks then say things like, "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.
Terry PratchettRead
When an audience is laughing with a character, they make themselves so vulnerable, and they open up. They expose their heart the moment they're laughing, because they're relaxed and they're disarmed.
Phoebe Waller-BridgeRead