--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [ New York ] is a place that worships…" description: "\"[ 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..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/gore-vidal-466_cities_new-york-is-a-place-that-worships-incomp_2112370.jpg" --- # \[ New York \] is a place that worships incompetence… ![“[ 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/i/95c/gore-vidal-466_cities_new-york-is-a-place-that-worships-incomp_2112370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/gore-vidal-466_cities_new-york-is-a-place-that-worships-incomp_2112370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/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.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Made it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made-it/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Paranoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoid/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-confidence/) [Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truman/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truman-capote/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) [Worships Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worships-incompetence-4271032/) [York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york/) [York Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-truman-4271033/) ## Related quotes > [Truman Capote has made lying an art. A minor art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/truman-capote-has-made-lying-an-art-a-minor-art/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I am the heterosexual Truman Capote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-am-the-heterosexual-truman-capote/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) > [Before Truman Capote, journalism and non-fiction weren't taken very seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-clarke/before-truman-capote-journalism-and-non-fiction-weren-t-taken-very/) [Gerald Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-clarke/) > [Truman Capote is really an interesting cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/truman-capote-is-really-an-interesting-cat/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavis-smiley/it-s-hard-these-days-to-have-a-conversation-at-least-it-is-for-me/) [Tavis Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavis-smiley/) > [The whole ecosystem of celebrity has broken down for writers. If you go back to the '50s, '60s, and '70s, writers were on TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/the-whole-ecosystem-of-celebrity-has-broken-down-for-writers-if-you/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) > [Jimmy Carter as President is like Truman Capote marrying Dolly Parton. The job is just too big for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-little/jimmy-carter-as-president-is-like-truman-capote-marrying-dolly-parton/) [Rich Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-little/) > [ When you think about \[Truman\] Capote in the - was what he did exploitative of a person's life or exploitative of these murders? You… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/when-you-think-about-truman-capote-in-the-was-what-he-did/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [ \[Truman Capote\] was not only just selling his writing, but he was selling himself as a person. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/truman-capote-was-not-only-just-selling-his-writing-but-he-was/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [Are there any writers on the literary scene whom I consider truly great? Yes: Truman Capote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/are-there-any-writers-on-the-literary-scene-whom-i-consider-truly/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/with-good-night-and-good-luck-i-think-it-s-kind-of-obvious-what/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [Truman Capote was a pop figure, but it wasn't until he went on David Susskind's show and had that extraordinary voice and manner that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/truman-capote-was-a-pop-figure-but-it-wasn-t-until-he-went-on-david/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) > [Harper Lee and Truman Capote became friends as next-door neighbors in the late 1920s, when they were about kindergarten age. From the start, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/harper-lee-and-truman-capote-became-friends-as-next-door-neighbors-in/) [Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/) > [I remember writing 'The One I Can't Have' at the kitchen table. I was looking at a picture of Truman Capote with Marilyn Monroe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-remember-writing-the-one-i-can-t-have-at-the-kitchen-table-i-was/) [Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/) > [A society person who is enthusiastic about modern painting or Truman Capote is already half a traitor to his class. It is middle-class people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/a-society-person-who-is-enthusiastic-about-modern-painting-or-truman/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[ New York ] is a place that worships incompetence particularly if it's combined with energy and paranoid self-confidence. 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