--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The strongest argument for the…" description: "\"The strongest argument for the unmaterialistic character of American life is . . . that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-unmateria_805873.png" --- # The strongest argument for the unmaterialistic character… ![“The strongest argument for the unmaterialistic character of American life is . . . that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable . . . the food we eat, the cramped apartments . . . the crowded subways. . . . American life, in large cities, at any rate, is a…” quote by Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-unmateria_805873.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-unmateria_805873.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/mary-mccarthy-2691_american-life_the-strongest-argument-for-the-unmateria_805873.png) > “The strongest argument for the unmaterialistic character of American life is . . . that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable . . . the food we eat, the cramped apartments . . . the crowded subways. . . . American life, in large cities, at any rate, is a perpetual assault of the senses and the nerves; it is out of asceticism, out of unworldliness, precisely, that we bear it.” [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 urban life forces people to endure harsh, material conditions, highlighting a paradox of materialism and ascetic endurance. **In simple terms:** City life is harsh yet tolerated. Key Takeaway Recognize and address urban hardships. Themes urban life materialism asceticism Mood critical reflective Type analytical social When to use this quote - city living - housing policy - public transportation - social welfare Key Concepts sociology urban studies Questions to Reflect On - How can societies reduce sensory overload? - What reforms improve urban livability? A Different Perspective Comfort may be sacrificed for progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-life/) [Apartment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apartment/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Argument Unmaterialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument-unmaterialistic-6157543/) [Asceticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asceticism/) [Asceticism Unworldliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asceticism-unworldliness-2676233/) [Assault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assault/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Conditions Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions-materialistic-2416728/) [Large cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-cities/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Materialistic Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic-point-2416730/) [Nerves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerves/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate/) [Strongest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strongest/) [Subway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subway/) [Tolerate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerate/) [Unmaterialistic Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unmaterialistic-character-6157544/) [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 un-materialistic character of American life is that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-strongest-argument-for-the-un-materialistic-character-of-american/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [American life, in large cities, is a perpetual assault on the senses and the nerves; it is out of asceticism, out of unworldliness, precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccarthy/american-life-in-large-cities-is-a-perpetual-assault-on-the-senses/) [Joseph McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-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/) > [Poverty has, in large cities, very different appearances; it is often concealed in splendour, and often in extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/poverty-has-in-large-cities-very-different-appearances-it-is-often/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The tumultuous populace of large cities are ever to be dreaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-tumultuous-populace-of-large-cities-are-ever-to-be-dreaded/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [A good many inconveniences attend playgoing in any large city, but the greatest of them is usually the play itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-tynan/a-good-many-inconveniences-attend-playgoing-in-any-large-city-but-the/) [Kenneth Tynan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-tynan/) > [When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-we-get-piled-upon-one-another-in-large-cities-as-in-europe-we/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [...nuclear warfare is not necessary to cause a breakdown of our society. You take a large city like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago-their water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-roddenberry/nuclear-warfare-is-not-necessary-to-cause-a-breakdown-of-our-society/) [Gene Roddenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-roddenberry/) > [I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-think-our-governments-will-remain-virtuous-for-many-centuries-as/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A transition from an author's book to his conversation is too often like an entrance into a large city, after a distant prospect. Remotely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-transition-from-an-author-s-book-to-his-conversation-is-too-often/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A large city cannot be experientially known; its life is too manifold for any individual to be able to participate in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/a-large-city-cannot-be-experientially-known-its-life-is-too-manifold/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [In our large cities, the population is godless, materialized,--no bond, no fellow-feeling, no enthusiasm. These are not men, but hungers, thirsts, fevers, and appetites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-our-large-cities-the-population-is-godless-materialized-no-bond-no/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Many, many large cities have old, crumbling infrastructure that have got to be dealt with in the nearest future, or they're going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-natsios/many-many-large-cities-have-old-crumbling-infrastructure-that-have/) [Andrew Natsios](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-natsios/) > [ I think the book \[Straight to the Heart: Political Cantos\] has meaning for any large city with urban problems. There are political machines in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-alioto/i-think-the-book-straight-to-the-heart-political-cantos-has-meaning/) [Angela Alioto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-alioto/) ## 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. It is probably the growth hormone the mind requires as it begins its activity of producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/yet-friendship-i-believe-is-essential-to-intellectuals-it-is-probably/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Any sizeable Portuguese town looks like a superstitious bride's finery - something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/any-sizeable-portuguese-town-looks-like-a-superstitious-bride-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The desire to believe the best of people is a prerequisite for intercourse with strangers; suspicion is reserved for friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-desire-to-believe-the-best-of-people-is-a-prerequisite-for/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [ “She considered \[her\] life, which had not been a life but only a sort of greeting, a Hello There.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/she-considered-her-life-which-had-not-been-a-life-but-only-a-sort-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [America is indeed a revelation, though not quite the one that was planned. 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. The results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/in-the-decade-of-the-1980s-a-massive-and-comprehensive-study-of/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Envy is the central fact of American life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/envy-is-the-central-fact-of-american-life/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [A trillion dollars spent, 2,000 American lives lost - Afghanistan is the longest war in American history. But you don't hear a word about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-baumgartner/a-trillion-dollars-spent-2-000-american-lives-lost-afghanistan-is-the/) [Michael Baumgartner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-baumgartner/) > [Crime and the fear of crime have permeated the fabric of American life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/crime-and-the-fear-of-crime-have-permeated-the-fabric-of-american-life/) [Warren E. 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 unmaterialistic character of American life is . . . that we tolerate conditions that are, from a materialistic point of view, intolerable . . . the food we eat, the cramped apartments . . . the crowded subways. . . . 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