It does not follow that the meaning must be given from above; that life and suffering must come neatly labeled; that nothing is worth while if the world is not governed by a purpose.
Walter KaufmannRead
Success is no proof of virtue. In the case of a book, quick acclaim is presumptive evidence of a lack of substance and originality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success does not necessarily indicate a person's moral character or the quality of their work.
This quote emphasizes that achieving success, especially in creative fields like literature, may not reflect true talent or integrity. Quick recognition may often be superficial and suggest a deficiency in deeper substance and originality, cautioning against valuing popularity over genuine quality and authenticity.
Themes
SuccessVirtueSubstanceOriginalityAcclaim
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary discussion about the merits of critically acclaimed versus popular books.
More from Walter Kaufmann
All quotes βLife ceases to be so oppressive: we are free to give our own lives meaning and purpose, free to redeem our suffering by making something of it.
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The only theism worthy of our respect believes in God not because of the way the world is made but in spite of that. The only theism that is no less profound than the Buddha's atheism is that represented in the Bible by Job and Jeremiah.
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Man stands alone in the universe, responsible for his condition, likely to remain in a lowly state, but free to reach above the stars.
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He who has no inclination to learn more will be very apt to think that he knows enough.
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