Cities Quote by Gore Vidal
![“[ New York ] is a place that worships incompetence particularly if it's combined with energy and paranoid self-confidence. Only in a city like New York could Truman Capote have made it, or John Simon.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/95c/gore-vidal-466_cities_new-york-is-a-place-that-worships-incomp_2112370.jpg)
“[ New York ] is a place that worships incompetence particularly if it's combined with energy and paranoid self-confidence. Only in a city like New York could Truman Capote have made it, or John Simon.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New York Review of Books, 1975
The writer criticizes New York’s culture that glorifies incompetence when paired with confidence, implying talent is overlooked.
In simple terms: Confidence can mask lack of skill.
Key Takeaway
Value competence over flashy confidence.
Themes
culture
competence
confidence
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
essay
social commentary
When to use this quote
- career advancement
- media
- political
Key Concepts
social critique
urban sociology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does confidence affect perception of ability?
- What balances confidence and competence?
A Different Perspective
Overvaluing confidence can lead to mediocrity.
![“It's hard these days to have a conversation, at least it is for me, about [Truman]Capote without "Good Night, and Good Luck" coming up in the same conversation.” quote by Tavis Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1f1/tavis-smiley-7372_communication_it-s-hard-these-days-to-have-a-conversat_867941.jpg)
![“When you think about [Truman] Capote in the - was what he did exploitative of a person's life or exploitative of these murders? You look at our culture now, you look at celebrity and how it plays out in our culture now, and Capote was one of the great PR men of his time.” quote by Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c49/philip-seymour-hoffman-2704_capote_when-you-think-about-truman-capote-in-th_694751.jpg)
![“[Truman Capote] was not only just selling his writing, but he was selling himself as a person.” quote by Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/793/philip-seymour-hoffman-2704_capote_truman-capote-was-not-only-just-selling_647265.jpg)
![“With "Good Night, and Good Luck," I think it's kind of obvious what [Truman Capote]'s getting at there, and the importance of how it's playing out today, that is journalism doing, are the journalists doing their job, are they being the other checks and balances in our country that the way that…” quote by Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e49/philip-seymour-hoffman-2704_balance_with-good-night-and-good-luck-i-think-it_536205.jpg)
![“Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Less Developed Countries]?... I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that... I’ve always…” quote by Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ac4/lawrence-summers-16940_air_just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-wo_4703.jpg)
