Some people are under the impression that all that is required to make a good fisherman is the ability to tell lies easily and without blushing; but this is a mistake. Mere bald fabrication is useless; the veriest tyro can manage that. It is in the circumstantial detail, the embellishing touches of probability, the general air of scrupulous - almost of pedantic - veracity, that the experienced angler is seen.
There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the human tendency to adapt to difficult circumstances while imagining a better, more idyllic world.
Jerome K. Jerome's quote speaks to the resilience of the human spirit and our capacity to acclimate to life's hardships. It contrasts the harsh realities we face with the whimsical idea of a utopian land filled with comfort and beauty. The mention of 'bicycle saddles made of rainbow, stuffed with cloud' serves as a metaphor for our dreams and desires, highlighting how we often long for an escape from our struggles. Ultimately, it reminds us that despite these fanciful visions, it is often easier to accept and endure the challenges of our current reality.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speaker may use this quote to inspire resilience in the face of difficulties.
More from Jerome K. Jerome
All quotes βIt is in our faults and failings, not in our virtues, that we touch each other, and find sympathy. It is in our follies that we are one.
Life is a thing to be lived, not spent; to be faced, not ordered. Life is not a game of chess, the victory to the most knowing; it is a game of cards, one's hand by skill to be made the best of.
It is a curious fact, but nobody ever is sea-sick - on land. At sea, you come across plenty of people very bad indeed, whole boat-loads of them; but I never met a man yet, on land, who had ever known at all what it was to be sea-sick. Where the thousands upon thousands of bad sailors that swarm in every ship hide themselves when they are on land is a mystery.
The world must be rather a rough place for clever people. Ordinary folk dislike them, and as for themselves, they hate each other most cordially.
A cat's got her own opinion of human beings. She don't say much, but you can tell enough to make you anxious not to hear the whole of it.
Similar quotes
Apakah penampilanku satu-satunya hal yang membuatku berharga? Jika begitu, jangan tatap aku. Wajahku bisa menyembunyikan hati yang palsu.
Any pleasure that does no harm to other people is to be valued.
No amount of political freedom will satisfy the hungry masses.
We are a nation that has a government-not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth.
After all, if there is no class stratification in a society, it follows that there is no state, because the state arose as an instrument to be used by a particular class to control the rest of society in its own interests.
A true libertarian supports free enterprise, opposes big business; supports local self-government, opposes the nation-state; supports the National Rifle Association, opposes the Pentagon.