--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is something deeply attractive, at…" description: "\"There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a lot of people, about squalor, misery, and vice. They are regarded as more authentic, and cert..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/139/theodore-dalrymple-7084_attractive_there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at_553485.png" --- # There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a… ![“There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a lot of people, about squalor, misery, and vice. They are regarded as more authentic, and certainly more exciting, than cleanliness, happiness, and virtue.” quote by Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/139/theodore-dalrymple-7084_attractive_there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at_553485.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/139/theodore-dalrymple-7084_attractive_there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at_553485.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/139/theodore-dalrymple-7084_attractive_there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at_553485.png) > “There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a lot of people, about squalor, misery, and vice. They are regarded as more authentic, and certainly more exciting, than cleanliness, happiness, and virtue.” [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are drawn to hardship and immorality because they seem more genuine and exciting than virtue and happiness. **In simple terms:** Hardship feels authentic and exciting. Key Takeaway Question why we romanticize suffering. Themes vice authenticity misery Mood critical provocative Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - media narratives - personal identity - artistic expression Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we find suffering attractive? - How can we value virtue without boredom? A Different Perspective Glorifying vice can normalize harmful behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cleanliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleanliness/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Squalor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squalor/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [“What do we mean by poverty? Not what Dickens or Blake or Mayhew meant. Today no one seriously expects to go hungry in England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/what-do-we-mean-by-poverty-not-what-dickens-or-blake-or-mayhew-meant/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“Happiness is neither virtue or pleasure nor this thing or that, but simply growth. 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