--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But there was a flip side to his…" description: "\"“But there was a flip side to his fastidiousness. He saw that now. It was a nose-in-the-air way of moving through the world. In every smoothed wrinkle,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg" --- # But there was a flip side to his fastidiousness. He saw… ![“But there was a flip side to his fastidiousness. He saw that now. It was a nose-in-the-air way of moving through the world. In every smoothed wrinkle, every perfected motion, there was an air of moral judgment, though he didn't intend it. There were people, he implied, who lived sloppy lives, and…” quote by Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg) > ““But there was a flip side to his fastidiousness. He saw that now. It was a nose-in-the-air way of moving through the world. In every smoothed wrinkle, every perfected motion, there was an air of moral judgment, though he didn't intend it. There were people, he implied, who lived sloppy lives, and then there were people like him. ~Gilley”” [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques a perfectionist attitude that creates moral superiority and judgment toward others, implying that such behavior is detached and condescending. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism can become a snobbish judgment of others. Key Takeaway Beware of judging others through your own standards. Themes perfectionism morality judgment snobbery Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - leadership - community building Key Concepts social hierarchy ethical relativism self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - Do you judge others by your own standards? - How can humility replace moral superiority? A Different Perspective The perspective may overlook systemic factors influencing behavior, not just personal choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [I lived a sloppy life. So I took very small increments in my life. I started making my bed. I started cleaning my room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-goggins/i-lived-a-sloppy-life-so-i-took-very-small-increments-in-my-life-i/) [David Goggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-goggins/) > [This lunge at moral fastidiousness was something she'd noticed a lot in people around here. They were not good people. They were not kind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/this-lunge-at-moral-fastidiousness-was-something-she-d-noticed-a-lot/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Fastidiousness is the envelope of indelicacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chandler-haliburton/fastidiousness-is-the-envelope-of-indelicacy/) [Thomas Chandler Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chandler-haliburton/) > [There is a great amount of poetry in unconscious fastidiousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/there-is-a-great-amount-of-poetry-in-unconscious-fastidiousness/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [A pilgrimage is an admirable remedy for over-fastidiousness and sickly refinement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-theodore-tuckerman/a-pilgrimage-is-an-admirable-remedy-for-over-fastidiousness-and/) [Henry Theodore Tuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-theodore-tuckerman/) > [Fastidiousness is only another word for egotism; and all men who know not where to look for truth save in the narrow well of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/fastidiousness-is-only-another-word-for-egotism-and-all-men-who-know/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Intelligence is predatory, but full of fastidiousness and frights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/intelligence-is-predatory-but-full-of-fastidiousness-and-frights/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“He maintained his new fastidiousness without interruption, added to it an unwonted sparkle of eye and crispness of speech, and began little by little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/he-maintained-his-new-fastidiousness-without-interruption-added-to-it/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [We must avoid fastidiousness; neatness, when it is moderate, is a virtue; but when it is carried to an extreme, it narrows the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/we-must-avoid-fastidiousness-neatness-when-it-is-moderate-is-a-virtue/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [Children have a fastidiousness that time is slow to cure. It is to be wondered, for example, whether if the elderly were half as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/children-have-a-fastidiousness-that-time-is-slow-to-cure-it-is-to-be/) [Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/) > [It it's true that fastidiousness and attention to detail is very much in my genes - if you knew my parents, you'd see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-benjamin/it-it-s-true-that-fastidiousness-and-attention-to-detail-is-very-much/) [George Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-benjamin/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) ## More by Lee Martin > [“That dream was still in my head, that crazy dream about Katie and me on Dumbo the elephant and Mr. Dees walking in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/that-dream-was-still-in-my-head-that-crazy-dream-about-katie-and-me/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“Uncertainty is a good thing at the end of a narrative. A simultaneous gain and loss captures the complexity of human existence. The way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/uncertainty-is-a-good-thing-at-the-end-of-a-narrative-a-simultaneous/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“When someone you love disappears, it's like the light goes dim, and you're in the shadows. You try to do what people tell you:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/when-someone-you-love-disappears-it-s-like-the-light-goes-dim-and-you/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“That's the way it was, always will be. nothing we can do to make it different. It's a story now, and stories have endings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/that-s-the-way-it-was-always-will-be-nothing-we-can-do-to-make-it/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“Is it too late?" I asked Margot Cherry that afternoon. It's been more than thirty years and still I can remember how my voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/is-it-too-late-i-asked-margot-cherry-that-afternoon-it-s-been-more/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [ “\[sic\]Keep looking up, Mama used to tell me. There's nothing on the ground but your feet.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/sic-keep-looking-up-mama-used-to-tell-me-there-s-nothing-on-the/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“You can pretend that your life is going on when really, all along, you’re trapped in a moment you’ll never be able to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/you-can-pretend-that-your-life-is-going-on-when-really-all-along-you/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“Some folks can't hide things. They don't have enough, not enough money or influence or shame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/some-folks-can-t-hide-things-they-don-t-have-enough-not-enough-money/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“I thought to myself then that it didn't matter where I ended up; I'd always be living that summer in that town, wishing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/i-thought-to-myself-then-that-it-didn-t-matter-where-i-ended-up-i-d/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“... in a snap the world can fall down around you and leave you, for years and years, trying to get back to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/in-a-snap-the-world-can-fall-down-around-you-and-leave-you-for-years/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/the-measure-of-a-man-s-character-is-what-he-would-do-if-he-knew-he/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“Later, while she was sleeping, she woke to the sound of Ray moving through the house. At first she confused. She thought she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/later-while-she-was-sleeping-she-woke-to-the-sound-of-ray-moving/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“I think it was this: like most of us, he was carrying a misery in his soul. I don't say it to forgive what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/i-think-it-was-this-like-most-of-us-he-was-carrying-a-misery-in-his/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“Life had gone on. It always did. that's what you learned as you got older. Time. It kept moving. You wished you could change.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/life-had-gone-on-it-always-did-that-s-what-you-learned-as-you-got/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) > [“The only thing I know now is that we're all connected, everyone of us, even people we don't know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/the-only-thing-i-know-now-is-that-we-re-all-connected-everyone-of-us/) [Lee Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) [Explore all 17 Lee Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/) ## More Mind quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think every Christian needs to make up his own mind about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-m-not-here-trying-to-convince-anybody-to-vote-for-donald-trump-i/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 43,542 Mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But there was a flip side to his fastidiousness. He saw that now. It was a nose-in-the-air way of moving through the world. In every smoothed wrinkle, every perfected motion, there was an air of moral judgment, though he didn't intend it. There were people, he implied, who lived sloppy lives, and then there were people like him. ~Gilley”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidiousness-he-saw-that-now-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidiousness-he-saw-that-now-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/lee-martin-30710_quote_but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidi_1948427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But there was a flip side to his fastidiousness. He saw that now. It was a nose-in-the-air way of moving…” — Lee Martin", "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": "Lee Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But there was a flip side...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidiousness-he-saw-that-now-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-martin/but-there-was-a-flip-side-to-his-fastidiousness-he-saw-that-now-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 } } ] } ```