---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of…"
description: "\"Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a sense of getting somewhere fast, which satisfie..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg"
---

#  Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic…

![“Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a sense of getting somewhere fast, which satisfies a native American urge.” quote by James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg)

> “Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a sense of getting somewhere fast, which satisfies a native American urge.”

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Speed is not the highest virtue in design, but it offers unique benefits and satisfies an instinctive desire for quick progress.

**In simple terms:** Speed in design has rewards despite not being supreme.

Key Takeaway

Balance speed with quality.

Themes

design speed creativity

Mood

analytical inspired

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- advertising
- web design
- illustration

Key Concepts

visual hierarchy efficiency

Questions to Reflect On

- When is speed more important than detail?
- How does speed influence viewer perception?

A Different Perspective

Rushing can compromise clarity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Native american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/native-american/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/)

## Related quotes

> [Without the breath of real freedom we're getting nowhere fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/without-the-breath-of-real-freedom-we-re-getting-nowhere-fast/)

[Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/)

> [Woven through Timothy J. Clark’s paintings are unique combinations of visual and emotional stimuli.His sense of space, light and composition combine to create graphic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-barnet/woven-through-timothy-j-clark-s-paintings-are-unique-combinations-of/)

Will Barnet

> [I look at graphic design as communication, meaning that the work has to have a vibe to connect to the viewer or perceiver. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-van-hamersveld/i-look-at-graphic-design-as-communication-meaning-that-the-work-has/)

[John Van Hamersveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-van-hamersveld/)

> [I have had vegan Thanksgiving of tofurkey and soy gravy. And it's not to say that Thanksgiving will ever justify the genocide of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kondabolu/i-have-had-vegan-thanksgiving-of-tofurkey-and-soy-gravy-and-it-s-not/)

[Hari Kondabolu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kondabolu/)

> [I am tired of talk that comes to nothing It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-joseph/i-am-tired-of-talk-that-comes-to-nothing-it-makes-my-heart-sick-when/)

[Chief Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-joseph/)

> [It is worth the while to detect new faculties in man,--he is so much the more divine; and anything that fairly excites our admiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-worth-the-while-to-detect-new-faculties-in-man-he-is-so-much/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I think people should look at learning about Native American history the same as visiting Washington, D.C., and seeing the monuments there. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaske-spencer/i-think-people-should-look-at-learning-about-native-american-history/)

[Chaske Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaske-spencer/)

> [I'm proud of my Native American heritage,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-m-proud-of-my-native-american-heritage/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/everything-an-indian-does-is-in-a-circle-and-that-is-because-the/)

[Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/)

> [The most common trait of all primitive peoples is a reverence for the life-giving earth, and the Native American shared this elemental ethic: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/the-most-common-trait-of-all-primitive-peoples-is-a-reverence-for-the/)

[Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/)

> [I saw The Revenant, and they were calling Native Americans "tree niggers," and that is not cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-staples/i-saw-the-revenant-and-they-were-calling-native-americans-tree/)

[Vince Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-staples/)

> [I have always been interested in mythology and history. The more I read, the more I realized that there have always been people at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/i-have-always-been-interested-in-mythology-and-history-the-more-i/)

[Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/)

> [Tribe follows tribe, nations follow nations like the tides of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/tribe-follows-tribe-nations-follow-nations-like-the-tides-of-the-sea/)

[Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/)

> [There's all sorts of soul. There's Irish soul and Native American soul. If it touches you and moves you, it's soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/there-s-all-sorts-of-soul-there-s-irish-soul-and-native-american-soul/)

[John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/)

> [It's interesting to think about the history of Israel in relation to the history of the U.S.. There were Native Americans living here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/it-s-interesting-to-think-about-the-history-of-israel-in-relation-to/)

[Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/)

## More by James Thurber

> [ Salvador \[Dali\] was brought up in Spain, a country colored by the legends of Hannibal, El Greco, and Cervantes. I was brought up in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/salvador-dali-was-brought-up-in-spain-a-country-colored-by-the/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/her-own-mother-lived-the-latter-years-of-her-life-in-the-horrible/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“Against the may, the could be, and the should, folly 'tis to balance doubt or hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/against-the-may-the-could-be-and-the-should-folly-tis-to-balance/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Love is the strange bewilderment that overtakes one person on account of another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/love-is-the-strange-bewilderment-that-overtakes-one-person-on-account/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“ There was an old coddle so molly, He talked in a glot that was poly, His gaws were so gew That his laps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/there-was-an-old-coddle-so-molly-he-talked-in-a-glot-that-was-poly/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“you might as well fall on your face as lean over too far backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/you-might-as-well-fall-on-your-face-as-lean-over-too-far-backwards/)

[james thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [I myself have known some profoundly thoughtful dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-myself-have-known-some-profoundly-thoughtful-dogs/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [He knows all about art, but he doesn't know what he likes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/he-knows-all-about-art-but-he-doesn-t-know-what-he-likes/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/all-men-should-strive-to-learn-before-they-die-what-they-are-running/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Quick, name some towns in New Jersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/quick-name-some-towns-in-new-jersey/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Looks can be deceiving; it's eating that's believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/looks-can-be-deceiving-it-s-eating-that-s-believing/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [“I don’t understand,” said the scientist, “why you lemmings all rush down to the sea and drown yourselves.” “How curious,” said the lemming. “The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/i-don-t-understand-said-the-scientist-why-you-lemmings-all-rush-down/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Humor does not include sarcasm, invalid irony, sardonicism, innuendo, or any other form of cruelty. When these things are raised to a high point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/humor-does-not-include-sarcasm-invalid-irony-sardonicism-innuendo-or/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Where most of us end up there is no knowing, but the hellbent get where they are going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/where-most-of-us-end-up-there-is-no-knowing-but-the-hellbent-get/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

> [Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/comedy-has-to-be-done-en-clair-you-can-t-blunt-the-edge-of-wit-or-the/)

[James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

[Explore all 229 James Thurber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/)

## More Composition quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [At the risk of some oversimplification, if the skill composition of our work force meshed fully with the needs of our increasingly complex capital-stock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-risk-of-some-oversimplification-if-the-skill-composition-of/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [Writers and musicians know well the importance of extensive reading for successful writing or extensive listening for musical composition. Likewise, visual artists... understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/writers-and-musicians-know-well-the-importance-of-extensive-reading/)

[Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/)

> [A composition is always more than the sum of its parts. In other words, a really good piece of music is more than itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/a-composition-is-always-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-in-other-words/)

[Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/)

> [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [Though I cannot claim to be a Christian in the sectarian sense, the example of Jesus suffering is a factor in the composition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/though-i-cannot-claim-to-be-a-christian-in-the-sectarian-sense-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [I always look at money not as a motivating factor but as an element in the composition. You can't ignore it, but you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/i-always-look-at-money-not-as-a-motivating-factor-but-as-an-element/)

[Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/)

> [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [Musical compositions, it should be remembered, do not inhabit certain countries, certain museums, like paintings and statues. The Mozart Quintet is not shut up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rabaud/musical-compositions-it-should-be-remembered-do-not-inhabit-certain/)

Henri Rabaud

> [Science does not enter a chaotic society to put order into it anymore, to simplify its composition, and to put an end to controversies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-latour/science-does-not-enter-a-chaotic-society-to-put-order-into-it-anymore/)

[Bruno Latour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-latour/)

> [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [If you really want to be a good archaeologist, you have to understand ancient DNA; you have to understand chemical analysis to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/if-you-really-want-to-be-a-good-archaeologist-you-have-to-understand/)

[Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/)

> [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Composition is definitely what I'm born to do, and it came last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-friedman/composition-is-definitely-what-i-m-born-to-do-and-it-came-last/)

[David Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-friedman/)

Browse all 766 Composition quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a sense of getting somewhere fast, which satisfies a native American urge.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Thurber"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of-graphic-composition-but-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Composition"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of-graphic-composition-but-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/james-thurber-1534_composition_speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of_2457413.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue of graphic composition, but it has its curious rewards. There is a…” — James Thurber",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Thurber",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Speed is scarcely the noblest virtue...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of-graphic-composition-but-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/speed-is-scarcely-the-noblest-virtue-of-graphic-composition-but-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
