It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
People are, if anything, more touchy about being thought silly than they are about being thought unjust.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People are more sensitive to being perceived as foolish than being seen as unfair.
This quote by E. B. White suggests that individuals often prioritize their image and how they are perceived by others, especially concerning their intelligence or judgment. The emphasis is on the societal tendency to fear looking silly more than being seen as unjust, indicating that self-image and public perception can overshadow concerns about moral integrity.
Themes
PerceptionFoolishnessSelf-ImageSocietyJudgment
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about social norms, one might use this quote to highlight how people value their image.
More from E. B. White
All quotes →It isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
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The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
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A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
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A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
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All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
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