--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He knew what retributions your devils are…" description: "\"“He knew what retributions your devils are liable to bring for the way you treat your wife and women or behave while your father is on his deathbed, wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/saul-bellow-558_marriage_he-knew-what-retributions-your-devils-ar_121434.png" --- # He knew what retributions your devils are liable to bring… ![“He knew what retributions your devils are liable to bring for the way you treat your wife and women or behave while your father is on his deathbed, what you ought to think of your pleasure, of acting like a cockroach; he had the intelligence for the comparison. He had the intelligence to be…” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/saul-bellow-558_marriage_he-knew-what-retributions-your-devils-ar_121434.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/saul-bellow-558_marriage_he-knew-what-retributions-your-devils-ar_121434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/saul-bellow-558_marriage_he-knew-what-retributions-your-devils-ar_121434.png) > ““He knew what retributions your devils are liable to bring for the way you treat your wife and women or behave while your father is on his deathbed, what you ought to think of your pleasure, of acting like a cockroach; he had the intelligence for the comparison. He had the intelligence to be sublime. But sublimity can't exist only as a special gift of the few, due to an accident of origin, like being born an albino. If it were, what interest would we have in it?”” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that lofty intellect or sublimity is not an exclusive gift; if it were, its value would diminish, implying that greatness should be accessible rather than rare. **In simple terms:** Greatness shouldn't be a rare, privileged trait. Key Takeaway Exclusivity reduces the worth of excellence. Themes intellect ethics human nature philosophy Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - educational equity debates - talent development programs - social mobility discussions Key Concepts egalitarianism value of merit Practical Applications - Promote inclusive mentorship - Design systems that recognize diverse forms of excellence Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can democratize access to intellectual development? - Does universal potential risk diluting standards of excellence? A Different Perspective May overlook the role of innate aptitude and the difficulty of achieving true sublimity for many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Sublimity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublimity/) ## Related quotes > [“A hippie is like a cockroach. So are the beatniks. So are the Chicanos. We’re all around, Judge. 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Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/) > [Ownership in the world I have none, but I have an infinite interest in it; for if not my own it is my God's;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/ownership-in-the-world-i-have-none-but-i-have-an-infinite-interest-in/) [William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/) > [The dogma of the mystic offices of Christ being dropped, and he standing on his genius as a moral teacher, 'tis impossible to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-dogma-of-the-mystic-offices-of-christ-being-dropped-and-he/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain and danger, that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/whatever-is-fitted-in-any-sort-to-excite-the-ideas-of-pain-and-danger/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“The rain always reminds me of your sublimity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/the-rain-always-reminds-me-of-your-sublimity/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [I look upon all four Gospels as thoroughly genuine, for there shines forth from them the reflected splendor of a sublimity proceeding from Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-look-upon-all-four-gospels-as-thoroughly-genuine-for-there-shines/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. 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My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. 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And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Marriage quotes > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) John Whiting > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. 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