Great depression Quote by Donald Harington
““Eli Willard just looked at her for a long moment, and then he announced, ' Lady of the Lake strikes iceberg in mid-Atlantic; 215 drown. New York City fire destroys 700 buildings. Japanese earthquake kills 12,000. Worldwide cholera epidemic kills millions. Wages rise, but prices rise faster. Financial crash occurs on Van Buren's 36th day in office. Nation begins first great depression. Bank failures and closings spread like plague. 200,000 are unemployed. Business bankrupt; only pawnbrokers prosper. Van Buren declares ten-hour days on all federal jobs. There. Does that make you feel any better?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Life of Riley by Donald Harington, 1995
A character lists catastrophic events to illustrate how overwhelming bad news can dominate perception, questioning whether such bleakness offers comfort.
In simple terms: Listing disasters highlights how negativity can cloud hope.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when doom‑scrolling skews reality.
Themes
despair
information overload
perspective
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
cautionary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- news consumption
- mental health coping
Key Concepts
existentialism
media influence
cognitive bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How does constant exposure to tragedy affect your mood?
- Can you find balance between awareness and optimism?
A Different Perspective
Focusing only on calamities can ignore positive change.
![“World War II was really unusual, because America was in the Great Depression before. So the war did help the US economy to get securely out of this decline. This time, the war [in Iraq] is bad for the economy in both the short and long run. We could have spent trillions in research or education…” quote by Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/860/joseph-stiglitz-1351_america_world-war-ii-was-really-unusual-because_156000.jpg)
![“The crisis [the Great Depression] discovered a great man in Franklin Roosevelt...None too soon he has carried America forward to the second stage of democratic realization. His New Deal involves such collective controls of the national business that it would be absurd to call it anything but…” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/772/h-g-wells-1122_absurd_the-crisis-the-great-depression-discover_120950.jpg)
