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It was once said, and very rightly, that a man who is well…

“It was once said, and very rightly, that a man who is well brought-up may read anything. The only people who boggle at what is perfectly natural are those who are the worst swine and the finest experts in filth. In their utterly contemptible pseudo-morality they ignore the contents and madly…” quote by Jaroslav Hašek
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““It was once said, and very rightly, that a man who is well brought-up may read anything. The only people who boggle at what is perfectly natural are those who are the worst swine and the finest experts in filth. In their utterly contemptible pseudo-morality they ignore the contents and madly attack individual words.””

Jaroslav Hašek

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Well‑educated people may critique natural language, but their moral pretensions hide vulgarity and hypocrisy.

In simple terms: Educated critics can be hypocritical.

Key Takeaway

Judge ideas, not just words.

Themes

criticism hypocrisy language morality

Mood

skeptical thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

  • academic debate
  • public discourse
  • media criticism

Key Concepts

intellectual elitism semantic attacks

Questions to Reflect On

  • When is criticism constructive?
  • How to separate content from delivery?
A Different Perspective

Overgeneralizes all critics.

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