--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the…" description: "\"Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the old heroes with their fighting, boasting, and cocksure lovemaking.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png" --- # Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the old heroes with… ![“Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the old heroes with their fighting, boasting, and cocksure lovemaking.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png) > “Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the old heroes with their fighting, boasting, and cocksure lovemaking.” [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet describes modern confusion about traditional heroes, noting their aggressive and boastful nature. **In simple terms:** Confused by old heroes' bravado. Key Takeaway Question hero worship. Themes culture heroism confusion humor Mood reflective ironic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - literary analysis - social commentary - personal reflection Key Concepts nostalgia critique of masculinity Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to flawed heroes? - What defines true heroism today? A Different Perspective May overlook positive aspects of heroism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroines/) [Ironic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ironic/) ## Related quotes > [I am a citizen of the world, and I have met, in my time, with so many different sorts of virtue, that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/i-am-a-citizen-of-the-world-and-i-have-met-in-my-time-with-so-many/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [Our heroes are fighting to bring stability to the Middle East, and they have put pressure on all of the tyrannies of the Middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/our-heroes-are-fighting-to-bring-stability-to-the-middle-east-and/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [People try to glorify war, particularly those who aren't actually fighting in them. People tend to make heroes of those who are fighting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/people-try-to-glorify-war-particularly-those-who-aren-t-actually/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [“Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died. They are only sleeping at the bottom of your mind, waiting for our call. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kunitz/old-myths-old-gods-old-heroes-have-never-died-they-are-only-sleeping/) [Stanley Kunitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kunitz/) > [“The old heroes were called Namsara after a beloved god, he said. So she would be called Iskari, after a deadly one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ciccarelli/the-old-heroes-were-called-namsara-after-a-beloved-god-he-said-so-she/) [Kristen Ciccarelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ciccarelli/) > [At retirement, switching from "I must" to "I want" leaves me puzzled and uneasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/at-retirement-switching-from-i-must-to-i-want-leaves-me-puzzled-and/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Colin: "1 dinna understand why we canna just go to bed and have sex." He looked truly puzzled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-bangs/colin-1-dinna-understand-why-we-canna-just-go-to-bed-and-have-sex-he/) [Nina Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-bangs/) > [They came out over the highway and they stopped and that's when Barney got out, with the binoculars to try and identify the craft.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/they-came-out-over-the-highway-and-they-stopped-and-that-s-when/) [Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/) > [I would just stand there puzzled, then realize this would be a great place to make a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tune/i-would-just-stand-there-puzzled-then-realize-this-would-be-a-great/) [Tommy Tune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tune/) > [In 1966, while working on a feature about a Picasso exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, I recorded the pre-opening preparations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micha-bar-am/in-1966-while-working-on-a-feature-about-a-picasso-exhibition-at-the/) Micha Bar-Am > [What is up,you never look down. What is down, you never look up. But you forgot there is always something missing,the missing piece that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-cliff/what-is-up-you-never-look-down-what-is-down-you-never-look-up-but-you/) Ricky Cliff > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) ## More by Mason Cooley > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) [Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More Boast quotes > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/) [Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-thou-art-fair-and-at-thy-birth-dear-boy-nature-and-fortune-join-d/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Science appears but what in truth she is, Not as our glory and our absolute boast, But as a succedaneum, and a prop To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/science-appears-but-what-in-truth-she-is-not-as-our-glory-and-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bulfinch/it-has-therefore-been-a-favorite-boast-of-the-people-of-wales-and/) [Thomas Bulfinch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bulfinch/) > [Boasting is only a masked shame; it does not truly believe in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/boasting-is-only-a-masked-shame-it-does-not-truly-believe-in-itself/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) [Browse all 567 Boast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the old heroes with their fighting, boasting, and cocksure lovemaking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mason Cooley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the-old-heroes-with-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the-old-heroes-with-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/mason-cooley-92_boast_ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the_1982276.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled by the old heroes with their fighting, boasting, and cocksure lovemaking.” — Mason Cooley", "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": "Mason Cooley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ironic and jittery, we are puzzled...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the-old-heroes-with-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/ironic-and-jittery-we-are-puzzled-by-the-old-heroes-with-their/#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 } } ] } ```