By time-honored esthetic and moral standards the knowing…
““By time-honored esthetic and moral standards the knowing modern man, and woman, is a barely polite gangster; his machine-gun is his mind, ideas his bullets, power and possession his goals. The reduction of the real to the usable has been whittled into a necessity by the impossible number of potential choices within himself: he knows, after juggling more thoughts than he can reach conclusions about, that he must snap down the lid of fruitless speculation and use the precious energy for making warheads on the spears of practicality. Victims of their own subjective desperation, pigmies under the heavens of thought that dot the roof of their minds with a million perverse stars, converge upon the external prizes of life like hordes released from prison: eager to bury the intolerable freedom of the mind’s insanity in the beautiful sanity of – making it!””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Modern individuals are likened to gangsters, using intellect as weapons, overwhelmed by choices, leading to aggressive, practical pursuits at the expense of deeper thought.
In simple terms: People treat thoughts as weapons, overwhelmed, choose practical aggression over reflection.
Key Takeaway
Balance thoughtful reflection with practical action.
Themes
philosophy
culture
psychology
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- creative work
- decision making
- personal development
Key Concepts
cognitive overload
modernism
ethical decline
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives the shift from reflection to aggression?
- Can we reclaim mental freedom?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on practicality can stifle creativity.