--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This - where we are now - is where a…" description: "\"This - where we are now - is where a culture gets to, when it has chosen, for many years, banality over intelligence, the literal over the immaterial o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/741/george-saunders-317_acceptance_this-where-we-are-now-is-where-a-culture_1624352.jpg" --- # This - where we are now - is where a culture gets to, when… ![“This - where we are now - is where a culture gets to, when it has chosen, for many years, banality over intelligence, the literal over the immaterial or complex, materialism over spirituality. This is the result of many years of disrespecting the intellectual project - of a collective acceptance…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/741/george-saunders-317_acceptance_this-where-we-are-now-is-where-a-culture_1624352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/741/george-saunders-317_acceptance_this-where-we-are-now-is-where-a-culture_1624352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/741/george-saunders-317_acceptance_this-where-we-are-now-is-where-a-culture_1624352.jpg) > “This - where we are now - is where a culture gets to, when it has chosen, for many years, banality over intelligence, the literal over the immaterial or complex, materialism over spirituality. This is the result of many years of disrespecting the intellectual project - of a collective acceptance of the idea that thinking and reasoning and reading deeply in difficult text and being respectful of history are somehow "wimpy" or secondary.” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A culture that values superficiality over deep thought leads to materialism and loss of spiritual depth. **In simple terms:** Choosing banality over intelligence harms society. Key Takeaway Prioritize critical thinking and depth. Themes culture intelligence materialism spirituality history Mood concerned reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - media literacy - public discourse - personal study - community dialogue Key Concepts critical thinking intellectual humility depth of reading Questions to Reflect On - How can societies revalue deep intellectual work? - What structures support materialism over spirituality? A Different Perspective Such critiques may overlook the role of economic pressures and accessibility of complex texts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasoning/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Respectful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectful/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Possibly the words materialism and spirituality express two sides of one and the same fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/possibly-the-words-materialism-and-spirituality-express-two-sides-of/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Materialism and spirituality are two pretty racquets with which charlatans in cap and gown make the same ball fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/materialism-and-spirituality-are-two-pretty-racquets-with-which/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [What concerns me most is the horrible degradation our notions of truth, civility, and decency have undergone. Also the way that language has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-concerns-me-most-is-the-horrible-degradation-our-notions-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [It is so much easier to be nice, to be respectful, to put yourself in your customers' shoes and try to understand how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/it-is-so-much-easier-to-be-nice-to-be-respectful-to-put-yourself-in/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Be respectful. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respect the lowest rank and the highest rank and you'll never get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-rodriguez/be-respectful-treat-people-the-way-you-want-to-be-treated-respect-the/) [Alex Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-rodriguez/) > [When you have a good friend that really cares for you and tries to stick in there with you, you treat them like nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/when-you-have-a-good-friend-that-really-cares-for-you-and-tries-to/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [Be more humble than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, always offering respect onto others and never expecting any in return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaitanya-mahaprabhu/be-more-humble-than-a-blade-of-grass-more-tolerant-than-a-tree-always/) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu > [When you start really respecting yourself, those you love, and your money, the result is that you start having control over your money. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/when-you-start-really-respecting-yourself-those-you-love-and-your/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [Being respectful of extraordinary work that has happened in the last thirty-five years is not the same thing as it reflecting my values. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hollibaugh/being-respectful-of-extraordinary-work-that-has-happened-in-the-last/) [Amber Hollibaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hollibaugh/) > [If people are going to do post-publication peer review, they need to abide by the same rules as they abide by for pre-publication peer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fiske/if-people-are-going-to-do-post-publication-peer-review-they-need-to/) [Susan Fiske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fiske/) > [I try to be respectful of how other people think, I try to listen to what they're saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-scott/i-try-to-be-respectful-of-how-other-people-think-i-try-to-listen-to/) [Rick Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-scott/) > [I think you have to be respectful to the people who want to talk to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-harper/i-think-you-have-to-be-respectful-to-the-people-who-want-to-talk-to/) [Bryce Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-harper/) > [Work hard. Don’t quit. Be appreciative, be thankful, be grateful, be respectful. Also, never whine, never complain. And always, for crying out loud, keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-keaton/work-hard-don-t-quit-be-appreciative-be-thankful-be-grateful-be/) [Michael Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-keaton/) > [I consider myself to be respectful, and I believe this is a main value for sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-hilfiger/i-consider-myself-to-be-respectful-and-i-believe-this-is-a-main-value/) [Tommy Hilfiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-hilfiger/) > [Believe the best of everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/believe-the-best-of-everybody/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. These and all things started as nothing, latent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/none-of-it-was-real-nothing-was-real-everything-was-real/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-must-see-god-not-as-a-him-some-linear-rewarding-fellow-but-an-it-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [In my case, when I am trying to be "kind" I often default in a sort of toothless loving-all stance that is, actually, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-my-case-when-i-am-trying-to-be-kind-i-often-default-in-a-sort-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“A Clinton staffer tells me his theory. Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. But the one that people often know about is the transition between the moment of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-re-in-the-transition-between-birth-and-death-but-the-one-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-don-t-want-to-be-that-parent-the-one-who-dresses-his-kid-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) [Explore all 690 George Saunders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. Be it Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, you must inculcate acceptance, not tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/acceptance-is-the-only-thing-you-should-teach-be-it-christian-muslim/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,960 Acceptance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This - where we are now - is where a culture gets to, when it has chosen, for many years, banality over intelligence, the literal over the immaterial or complex, materialism over spirituality. 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