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Decent people Quote by Michael Cunningham

“Milwaukee, Rebecca. Order and sobriety and a devotion to cleanliness that scours out the soul. Decent people doing their best to live decent lives, three's nothing really to hate them for, they do their jobs and maintain their property and love their children (most of the time); they take family…” quote by Michael Cunningham
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““Milwaukee, Rebecca. Order and sobriety and a devotion to cleanliness that scours out the soul. Decent people doing their best to live decent lives, three's nothing really to hate them for, they do their jobs and maintain their property and love their children (most of the time); they take family vacations and visit relatives and decorate their houses for the holidays, collect some things and save up for other things; they're good people (most of them, most of the time), but if you were me, if you were young Pete Harris, you felt the modesty of it eroding you, depopulating you, all those little satisfactions and no big, dangerous ones; no heroism, no genius, no terrible yearning for anything you can't at least in theory actually have. If you were young lank-haired, pustule-plagued Pete Harris you felt like you were always about to expire from the safety of your life, its obdurate sensibleness, that Protestant love of the unexceptional; the eternal certainty of the faithful that flamboyance and the macabre are not just threatening but - worse - uninteresting.””

Michael Cunningham

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Hours by Michael Cunningham, 1998

The passage critiques the stifling conformity of middle‑class suburban life, suggesting it suppresses ambition, danger, and deeper yearning, leaving individuals feeling trapped in safe, unremarkable routines.

In simple terms: Conformity can crush ambition and desire for excitement.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge limiting norms.

Themes

conformity suburban life yearning identity restriction

Mood

reflective melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical critical

When to use this quote

  • career stagnation
  • personal growth
  • creative pursuits
  • family dynamics
  • community involvement

Key Concepts

existential ennui social expectations psychological suffocation

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does safety influence your choices?
  • What risks could enrich your life?
A Different Perspective

The desire for safety can also provide stability and community cohesion.

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