--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps I became so vague, so exhilarated…" description: "\"Perhaps I became so vague, so exhilarated with vagueness, precisely in order to forestall a recognition of the final term of the syllogism that begins:..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/edmund-white-2376_finals_perhaps-i-became-so-vague-so-exhilarated_2933145.png" --- # Perhaps I became so vague, so exhilarated with vagueness… ![“Perhaps I became so vague, so exhilarated with vagueness, precisely in order to forestall a recognition of the final term of the syllogism that begins: If one man loves another he is a homosexual; I love a man.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/edmund-white-2376_finals_perhaps-i-became-so-vague-so-exhilarated_2933145.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/edmund-white-2376_finals_perhaps-i-became-so-vague-so-exhilarated_2933145.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/883/edmund-white-2376_finals_perhaps-i-became-so-vague-so-exhilarated_2933145.png) > “Perhaps I became so vague, so exhilarated with vagueness, precisely in order to forestall a recognition of the final term of the syllogism that begins: If one man loves another he is a homosexual; I love a man.” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He uses vague, ecstatic language to avoid confronting the logical conclusion that love between men is labeled homosexual. **In simple terms:** He avoids confronting his own sexuality. Key Takeaway Embrace clarity over evasive abstraction. Themes identity language sexuality logic evasion Mood introspective conflicted Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal confession - LGBTQ discussions - psychological analysis Key Concepts philosophical ambiguity self-deception social stigma Questions to Reflect On - What does the “final term of the syllogism” represent for you? - How does vague language protect or hinder identity? A Different Perspective Vagueness can mask truth; avoidance may hinder self-understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Homosexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexual/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague/) [Vagueness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vagueness/) ## Related quotes > [“Spiritual activity, education, civilization, culture, the idea are all vague, indefinite concepts, under the banner of which it is quite convenient to use words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/spiritual-activity-education-civilization-culture-the-idea-are-all/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [After all we speak of people 'taking refuge' in vagueness -the more precise you are, in general the more likely you are to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/after-all-we-speak-of-people-taking-refuge-in-vagueness-the-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Science fiction rarely is about scientists doing real science, in its slowness, its vagueness, the sort of tedious quality of getting out there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/science-fiction-rarely-is-about-scientists-doing-real-science-in-its/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [The mission of the law is not to oppress persons and plunder them of their property, even though the law may be acting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-mission-of-the-law-is-not-to-oppress-persons-and-plunder-them-of/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [No blur of inexactness, no cloud of vagueness, is allowable in good writing; from the first seeing to the last putting down, there must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/no-blur-of-inexactness-no-cloud-of-vagueness-is-allowable-in-good/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [When people talk, they lay lines on each other, do a lot of role playing, sidestep, shilly-shally and engage in all manner of vagueness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-people-talk-they-lay-lines-on-each-other-do-a-lot-of-role/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Conventions of generality and mathematical elegance may be just as much barriers to the attainment and diffusion of knowledge as may contentment with particularity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/conventions-of-generality-and-mathematical-elegance-may-be-just-as/) [Kenneth E. 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