Animal Quote by Raymond Chandler
“Its big men are mostly little men with fancy offices and a lot of money. A great many of them are stupid little men, with reach-me-down brains, small-town arrogance and a sort of animal knack of smelling out the taste of the stupidest part of the public. They have played in luck so long that they have come to mistake luck for enlightenment." - on Hollywood”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Big Sleep, 1939
Powerful men are often insecure, petty, and opportunistic, mistaking luck for enlightenment.
In simple terms: Power corrupts and blinds.
Key Takeaway
Beware superficial authority.
Themes
politics
power
insecurity
elitism
society
Mood
critical
skeptical
observant
Type
political
social
When to use this quote
- corporate meetings
- political rallies
- media analysis
Key Concepts
psychology of power
social critique
elitist behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives insecurity in power?
- How can societies recognize false enlightenment?
A Different Perspective
Not all leaders are corrupt.
![“Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of [The Glass Key] is the record of a man's devotion to a friend. He was spare, frugal, hard-boiled, but he did over and over again what only the best writers can ever do at all. He wrote…” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/882/raymond-chandler-629_dashiel-hammett_hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said_20171.jpg)
![“He [James Cain] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and a board fence and nobody looking.” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/614/raymond-chandler-629_cain_he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i_41185.jpg)
