Books Quote by Philip Roth
““I think I should learn to get along better with people," he explained to Miss Benson one day, when she came upon him in the corridor of the literature building and asked what he was doing wearing a fraternity pledge pin (wearing it on the chest of the new V-neck pullover in which his mother said he looked so collegiate). Miss Benson's response to his proposed scheme for self-improvement was at once so profound and so simply put that Zuckerman went around for days repeating the simple interrogative sentence to himself; like Of Times and the River, it verified something he had known in his bones all along, but in which he could not placed his faith until it had been articulated by someone of indisputable moral prestige and purity : "Why," Caroline Benson asked the seventeen-year-old boy, "should you want to learn a thing like that?””
About This Quote
A student asks why he should learn to get along with people; the question prompts deep self‑reflection on the value of social skills.
In simple terms: A professor asks a teen why he should improve social skills.
Key Takeaway
Reflect on the purpose of learning interpersonal abilities.
Themes
self‑improvement
education
social skills
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
conversational
When to use this quote
- school
- career
- personal growth
- relationships
Key Concepts
self‑reflection
interpersonal development
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do you want to improve socially?
- What benefits do you expect from better relationships?
A Different Perspective
Understanding motives behind self‑improvement can be elusive.
