Skittles Quote by Charles Dickens
““Ah, that’s just the wery thing, Sir,’ rejoined Sam, ‘they don’t mind it; it’s a reg’lar holiday to them — all porter and skittles. It’s the t’other vuns as gets done over vith this sort o’ thing; them down-hearted fellers as can’t svig avay at the beer, nor play at skittles neither; them as vould pay if they could, and gets low by being boxed up. I’ll tell you wot it is, sir; them as is always a-idlin’ in public-houses it don’t damage at all, and them as is alvays a-workin’ wen they can, it damages too much. “It’s unekal,” as my father used to say wen his grog worn’t made half-and-half: “it’s unekal, and that’s the fault on it.”’ ‘I think you’re right, Sam,’ said Mr. Pickwick, after a few moments’ reflection, ‘quite right.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Pickwick Papers, 1836
Sam rationalizes a local custom as harmless, despite its negative effects, reflecting societal complacency.
In simple terms: People often accept harmful habits as normal.
Key Takeaway
Question the normality of harmful traditions.
Themes
tradition
social norms
complacency
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
literary
social commentary
When to use this quote
- community gatherings
- public houses
- social rituals
- habitual drinking
Key Concepts
cultural critique
behavioral economics
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do societies tolerate harmful customs?
- How can we challenge accepted norms?
A Different Perspective
Normalization can mask real damage.
![“I think I was like [a game of] skittles, knocked apart by this wooden ball, and there's a strength to that: you're not too self-conscious about what you're doing, so you're not too worried about it.” quote by David Toop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9c8/david-toop-17674_balls_i-think-i-was-like-a-game-of-skittles-kn_987265.jpg)
