--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The strongest argument for the…" description: "\"The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character of American life is that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png" --- # The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character… ![“The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character of American life is that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable.” quote by Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png) > “The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character of American life is that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable.” [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American culture tolerates intolerable conditions because it values non‑materialistic ideals over pure materialism. **In simple terms:** America accepts harsh realities for non‑material values. Key Takeaway Recognize the cost of non‑material ideals. Themes materialism values tolerance societal norms Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - social activism - education reform Key Concepts philosophy economics cultural criticism Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of tolerating intolerable conditions? - How do non‑material values shape policy? A Different Perspective May ignore practical hardships in favor of ideals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-life/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Argument Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-materialistic-2416727/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Conditions Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions-materialistic-2416728/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Materialistic Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic-character-2416729/) [Materialistic Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic-point-2416730/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Strongest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strongest/) [Tolerate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerate/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character of American life is the fact that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materialistic-character-of-american-2/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The strongest argument for the unmaterialistic character of American life is . . . that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-unmaterialistic-character-of-american/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The materialistic point of view in psychology can claim, at best, only the value of an heuristic hypothesis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-wundt/the-materialistic-point-of-view-in-psychology-can-claim-at-best-only/) [Wilhelm Wundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-wundt/) > [An absolutely devastating ridicule of all that is false, primitive, and vicious in current American life: the abuses of power, hero worship, aimless violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-southern/an-absolutely-devastating-ridicule-of-all-that-is-false-primitive-and/) [Terry Southern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-southern/) > [The materialistic idealism that governs American life, that on the one hand makes a chariot of every grocery wagon, and on the other a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/the-materialistic-idealism-that-governs-american-life-that-on-the-one/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [When an American heiress wants to buy a man, she at once crosses the Atlantic. 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Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/) [James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/) ## More by Mary McCarthy > [From what I have seen, I am driven to the conclusion that religion is only good for good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/from-what-i-have-seen-i-am-driven-to-the-conclusion-that-religion-is/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Yet friendship, I believe, is essential to intellectuals. 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Given a clean slate, man, it was hoped, would write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/america-is-indeed-a-revelation-though-not-quite-the-one-that-was/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The happy ending is our national belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-happy-ending-is-our-national-belief/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Making love, we are all more alike than we are when we are talking or acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/making-love-we-are-all-more-alike-than-we-are-when-we-are-talking-or/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-america-children-are-instructed-in-the-virtues-of-the-system-they/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The only form of action open to a child is to break something or strike someone, its mother or another child; it cannot cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-only-form-of-action-open-to-a-child-is-to-break-something-or/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Combativeness was, I suppose, the dominant trait in my grandmother's nature. An aggressive churchgoer, she was quite without Christian feeling; the mercy of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/combativeness-was-i-suppose-the-dominant-trait-in-my-grandmother-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I'm afraid I'm not sufficiently inhibited about the things that other women are inhibited about for me. They feel that you've given away trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/i-m-afraid-i-m-not-sufficiently-inhibited-about-the-things-that-other/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Be truthful... and pay attention. I would also recommend the avoidance of credit cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/be-truthful-and-pay-attention-i-would-also-recommend-the-avoidance-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [All ideas advanced to deal with the Florentine noise problem, the Florentine traffic problem, are Utopian, and nobody believes in them, just as nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/all-ideas-advanced-to-deal-with-the-florentine-noise-problem-the/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) [Explore all 154 Mary McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## More American life quotes > [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/) [James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'm Mexican-American, but I grew up with a normal American life. I don't have a low rider. I drive a Honda. I guess I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snow-tha-product/i-m-mexican-american-but-i-grew-up-with-a-normal-american-life-i-don/) [Snow Tha Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snow-tha-product/) > [“The line in the sand that Carter drew along Iran’s Zagros Mountains now stretches from Central Asia through the Middle East and across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-j-bacevich/the-line-in-the-sand-that-carter-drew-along-iran-s-zagros-mountains/) [Andrew J. Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-j-bacevich/) > [Vanity Fair has but two major articles in its editorial creed: first, to believe in the progress and promise of American life, and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/vanity-fair-has-but-two-major-articles-in-its-editorial-creed-first/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [One of the manifestations of depression for me is that I lose my will. And I thereby lose my ability to focus. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/one-of-the-manifestations-of-depression-for-me-is-that-i-lose-my-will/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [“Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/football-combines-two-of-the-worst-things-in-american-life-it-is/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I produced a play in New York that got nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best American Play.The play is called Stalking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-richman/i-produced-a-play-in-new-york-that-got-nominated-for-an-outer-critics/) [Adam Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-richman/) > [The final test of Afro-American studies will be the extent to which they rid the minds of whites and blacks alike of false learning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-saunders-redding/the-final-test-of-afro-american-studies-will-be-the-extent-to-which/) [Jay Saunders Redding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-saunders-redding/) > [In the decade of the 1980s, a massive and comprehensive study of religion in American life was undertaken by the Gallup organization. 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Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/) [Browse all 344 American life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character of American life is that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materialistic-character-of-american/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materialistic-character-of-american/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bc/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materi_241120.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The strongest argument for the un-materialistic character of American life is that we tolerate conditions…” — Mary McCarthy", "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": "Mary McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The strongest argument for the un-materialistic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materialistic-character-of-american/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materialistic-character-of-american/#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 } } ] } ```