---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was as absurd as an Athenian…"
description: "\"“He was as absurd as an Athenian demagogue, about whom Dr Faure had that morning been characteristically rude, since they were foreign, given to unnatu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg"
---

#  He was as absurd as an Athenian demagogue, about whom Dr…

![“He was as absurd as an Athenian demagogue, about whom Dr Faure had that morning been characteristically rude, since they were foreign, given to unnatural vices, and favoured democracy. Being thirteen, it was the unnatural vices that interested us.” quote by Jonathan Grimwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg)

> ““He was as absurd as an Athenian demagogue, about whom Dr Faure had that morning been characteristically rude, since they were foreign, given to unnatural vices, and favoured democracy. Being thirteen, it was the unnatural vices that interested us.””

Jonathan Grimwood

## About This Quote

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

Youth are fascinated by the exotic and the unconventional, especially when presented by outsiders.

**In simple terms:** Youth gravitate to the exotic.

Key Takeaway

Explore diverse perspectives.

Themes

youth exotic cultural curiosity

Mood

analytical critical

Type

thoughtful cautious

When to use this quote

- education
- cross‑cultural dialogue
- media analysis

Key Concepts

anthropology literature

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are we drawn to the unfamiliar?
- How can we appreciate without exoticizing?

A Different Perspective

Exoticism can reinforce stereotypes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“The tastes of France are changing and we are the last of the banquet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/the-tastes-of-france-are-changing-and-we-are-the-last-of-the-banquet/)

Jonathan Grimwood

> [“We say cat tastes like chicken when, had we been weaned on kitten stew, we’d say chicken tastes like cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/we-say-cat-tastes-like-chicken-when-had-we-been-weaned-on-kitten-stew/)

Jonathan Grimwood

> [“Anything is forgiven those who sin elegantly; while gaucheness sours even the noblest deed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/anything-is-forgiven-those-who-sin-elegantly-while-gaucheness-sours/)

Jonathan Grimwood

## More by Jonathan Grimwood

> [“The tastes of France are changing and we are the last of the banquet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/the-tastes-of-france-are-changing-and-we-are-the-last-of-the-banquet/)

Jonathan Grimwood

> [“We say cat tastes like chicken when, had we been weaned on kitten stew, we’d say chicken tastes like cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/we-say-cat-tastes-like-chicken-when-had-we-been-weaned-on-kitten-stew/)

Jonathan Grimwood

> [“Anything is forgiven those who sin elegantly; while gaucheness sours even the noblest deed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/anything-is-forgiven-those-who-sin-elegantly-while-gaucheness-sours/)

Jonathan Grimwood

Explore all 4 Jonathan Grimwood quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He was as absurd as an Athenian demagogue, about whom Dr Faure had that morning been characteristically rude, since they were foreign, given to unnatural vices, and favoured democracy. Being thirteen, it was the unnatural vices that interested us.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Grimwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogue-about-whom-dr-faure-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absurd Athenian"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogue-about-whom-dr-faure-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/jonathan-grimwood-69758_absurd-athenian_he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogu_2748826.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He was as absurd as an Athenian demagogue, about whom Dr Faure had that morning been characteristically…” — Jonathan Grimwood",
                "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": "Jonathan Grimwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-grimwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He was as absurd as an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogue-about-whom-dr-faure-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-grimwood/he-was-as-absurd-as-an-athenian-demagogue-about-whom-dr-faure-had/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```