--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: New York is at once cosmopolitan and…" description: "\"New York is at once cosmopolitan and parochial, a compendium of sentimental certainties. It is in fact the most sentimental of the world's great cities..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-gregory-dunne-35282_certainty_new-york-is-at-once-cosmopolitan-and-par_145695.jpg" --- # New York is at once cosmopolitan and parochial, a… ![“New York is at once cosmopolitan and parochial, a compendium of sentimental certainties. It is in fact the most sentimental of the world's great cities - in its self-congratulation a kind of San Francisco of the East.” quote by John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-gregory-dunne-35282_certainty_new-york-is-at-once-cosmopolitan-and-par_145695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-gregory-dunne-35282_certainty_new-york-is-at-once-cosmopolitan-and-par_145695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-gregory-dunne-35282_certainty_new-york-is-at-once-cosmopolitan-and-par_145695.jpg) > “New York is at once cosmopolitan and parochial, a compendium of sentimental certainties. It is in fact the most sentimental of the world's great cities - in its self-congratulation a kind of San Francisco of the East.” [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. New York blends global openness with narrow localism, creating a city of deep emotional certainty and self‑congratulation. **In simple terms:** City mixes worldliness and narrowness, feeling sentimental. Key Takeaway Recognize both global and local influences in urban life. Themes urbanism identity sentimentality parochialism cosmopolitanism Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - Travel writing - city planning - personal reflection - tourism - marketing Key Concepts Cultural duality self‑perception urban narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does cosmopolitanism coexist with parochial attitudes? - What does sentimental certainty reveal about urban identity? A Different Perspective The sentiment may overlook the city's diversity and contradictions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Congratulations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congratulations/) [Cosmopolitan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmopolitan/) [Cosmopolitan Parochial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmopolitan-parochial-1633782/) [East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental/) [Sentimental Certainties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental-certainties-1633783/) [Sentimental World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental-world-1459515/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york/) ## Related quotes > [Call me sentimental, but there's no-one in the world that I'd like to see get dysentery more than you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/call-me-sentimental-but-there-s-no-one-in-the-world-that-i-d-like-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Yeah. Maybe we can get sentimental after the world's finished choking to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-noble/yeah-maybe-we-can-get-sentimental-after-the-world-s-finished-choking/) [Donna Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-noble/) > [“Roosevelt loved the subtleties of human relations...He was sensitive to nuances in a way that Harry Truman never was and never would be. Truman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/roosevelt-loved-the-subtleties-of-human-relations-he-was-sensitive-to/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I go for cosmopolitan cities, and I like to be in the middle of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-urie/i-go-for-cosmopolitan-cities-and-i-like-to-be-in-the-middle-of/) [Michael Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-urie/) > [“Who are theologians? What kind of self-identity could or should a theologian claim? 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Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [All good men are international. Nearly all bad men are cosmopolitan. If we are to be international we must be national.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/all-good-men-are-international-nearly-all-bad-men-are-cosmopolitan-if/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [My parents are very modern. My father is a cosmopolitan person. He always supported the fact that I will be an actress. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareena-kapoor-khan/my-parents-are-very-modern-my-father-is-a-cosmopolitan-person-he/) [Kareena Kapoor Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareena-kapoor-khan/) > [For those who struggle with anti-pagan prejudices and stereotypes, Humanist Paganism might be a powerful educational tool. It can show that a pagan can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/for-those-who-struggle-with-anti-pagan-prejudices-and-stereotypes/) [Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/) > [I love downtown Seattle. It's a city that has all of the outdoor activities and is still a very cosmopolitan city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lemond/i-love-downtown-seattle-it-s-a-city-that-has-all-of-the-outdoor/) [Greg LeMond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lemond/) > [“I believe theology should be about one's way of life, a kind of gaze into onesself and others, and a mode of one's profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/i-believe-theology-should-be-about-one-s-way-of-life-a-kind-of-gaze/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [“Cosmopolitan theology affirms and radicalizes the belief that the Divine creates each and every human being as equal to every one else as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/cosmopolitan-theology-affirms-and-radicalizes-the-belief-that-the/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [“I want to affirm that thinking and living, knowing and doing, theory and practice intersect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/i-want-to-affirm-that-thinking-and-living-knowing-and-doing-theory/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) ## More by John Gregory Dunne > [“Writing is a manual labor of the mind: a job, like laying pipe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/writing-is-a-manual-labor-of-the-mind-a-job-like-laying-pipe/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [Novels do take charge of the writer, and the writer is basically a kind of sheepdog just trying to keep things on track.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/novels-do-take-charge-of-the-writer-and-the-writer-is-basically-a/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [Violence is the way stupid people try to level the playing field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/violence-is-the-way-stupid-people-try-to-level-the-playing-field/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [The world is divided up into two kinds of people - those who look at their body waste in the toilet bowl, and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/the-world-is-divided-up-into-two-kinds-of-people-those-who-look-at/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [The professional guts a book through - in full knowledge that what he is doing is not very good. Not to work is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/the-professional-guts-a-book-through-in-full-knowledge-that-what-he/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [Because one has written other books does not mean the next becomes any easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/because-one-has-written-other-books-does-not-mean-the-next-becomes/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [I’ve always thought a novelist only has one character and that is himself or herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/i-ve-always-thought-a-novelist-only-has-one-character-and-that-is/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [I started all over again on page 1, circling the 262 pages like a vulture looking for live flesh to scavenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/i-started-all-over-again-on-page-1-circling-the-262-pages-like-a/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [The narrative was too constricted; it was like a fetus strangling on its own umbilical cord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/the-narrative-was-too-constricted-it-was-like-a-fetus-strangling-on/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [There are two types of people ... the scrutinizers and the scrutinized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/there-are-two-types-of-people-the-scrutinizers-and-the-scrutinized/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [The point of a notebook is to jumpstart the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/the-point-of-a-notebook-is-to-jumpstart-the-mind/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) > [The eleventh commandment of a motion picture negotiation: Thou shalt not take less than thy last deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gregory-dunne/the-eleventh-commandment-of-a-motion-picture-negotiation-thou-shalt/) [John Gregory Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) [Explore all 13 John Gregory Dunne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gregory-dunne/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "New York is at once cosmopolitan and parochial, a compendium of sentimental certainties. 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