--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As is perhaps obvious, Morris Zapp had no…" description: "\"“As is perhaps obvious, Morris Zapp had no great esteem for his fellow-labourers in the vineyards of literature. They seemed to him vague, fickle, irre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/david-lodge-11610_academia_as-is-perhaps-obvious-morris-zapp-had-no_2640668.jpg" --- # As is perhaps obvious, Morris Zapp had no great esteem for… ![“As is perhaps obvious, Morris Zapp had no great esteem for his fellow-labourers in the vineyards of literature. They seemed to him vague, fickle, irresponsible creatures, who wallowed in relativism like hippopotami in mud, with their nostrils barely protruding into the air of common-sense. They…” quote by David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/david-lodge-11610_academia_as-is-perhaps-obvious-morris-zapp-had-no_2640668.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/david-lodge-11610_academia_as-is-perhaps-obvious-morris-zapp-had-no_2640668.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d1/david-lodge-11610_academia_as-is-perhaps-obvious-morris-zapp-had-no_2640668.jpg) > ““As is perhaps obvious, Morris Zapp had no great esteem for his fellow-labourers in the vineyards of literature. They seemed to him vague, fickle, irresponsible creatures, who wallowed in relativism like hippopotami in mud, with their nostrils barely protruding into the air of common-sense. They happily tolerated the existence of opinions contrary to their own — they even, for God’s sake, sometimes changed their minds. Their pathetic attempts at profundity were qualified out of existence and largely interrogative in mode. They liked to begin a paper with some formula like, ‘I want to raise some questions about so-and-so’, and seemed to think they had done their intellectual duty by merely raising them. This manoeuvre drove Morris Zapp insane. Any damn fool, he maintained, could think of questions; it was answers that separated the men from the boys.”” [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Morris Zapp despises literary scholars for their vague, relativistic, and indecisive approaches, valuing answers over endless questions. **In simple terms:** Zapp criticizes scholars for being indecisive and overly relativistic. Key Takeaway Prioritize seeking answers over endless questioning. Themes academia intellectual rigor criticism Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - academic conferences - research projects - peer review - teaching philosophy Key Concepts relativism questioning intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - Is questioning essential for progress? - How to balance questioning with decisive action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on answers can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academia/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Literature Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-vague-2265971/) [Minds Pathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds-pathetic-2265972/) [Morris Zapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morris-zapp-2265969/) [Opinions Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions-contrary-384500/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Zapp Insane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zapp-insane-2265970/) ## Related quotes > [Nowadays public opinion is not the sum of private opinions. 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They seemed to him vague, fickle, irresponsible creatures, who wallowed in relativism like hippopotami in mud, with their nostrils barely protruding into the air of common-sense. They happily tolerated the existence of opinions contrary to their own — they even, for God’s sake, sometimes changed their minds. Their pathetic attempts at profundity were qualified out of existence and largely interrogative in mode. They liked to begin a paper with some formula like, ‘I want to raise some questions about so-and-so’, and seemed to think they had done their intellectual duty by merely raising them. This manoeuvre drove Morris Zapp insane. 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