--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jeremy Bentham startled the world many…" description: "\"“ Jeremy Bentham startled the world many years ago by stating in effect that if the amount of pleasure obtained from each be equal there is nothing to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg" --- # Jeremy Bentham startled the world many years ago by… ![“Jeremy Bentham startled the world many years ago by stating in effect that if the amount of pleasure obtained from each be equal there is nothing to choose between poetry and push-pin. Since few people now know what push-pin is, I may explain that it is a child's game in which one player tries to…” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg) > ““ Jeremy Bentham startled the world many years ago by stating in effect that if the amount of pleasure obtained from each be equal there is nothing to choose between poetry and push-pin. Since few people now know what push-pin is, I may explain that it is a child's game in which one player tries to push his pin across that of another player, and if he succeeds and then is able by pressing down on the two pins with the ball of his thumb to lift them off the table he wins possession of his opponent's pin. \[...\] The indignant retort to Bentham 's statement was that spiritual pleasures are obviously higher than physical pleasures. But who say so? Those who prefer spiritual pleasures. They are in a miserable minority, as they acknowledge when they declare that the gift of aesthetic appreciation is a very rare one. The vast majority of men are, as we know, both by necessity and choice preoccupied with material considerations. Their pleasures are material. They look askance at those who spent their lives in the pursuit of art. That is why they have attached a depreciatory sense to the word aesthete, which means merely one who has a special appreciation of beauty. How are we going to show that they are wrong? How are we going to show that there is something to choose between poetry and push-pin? I surmise that Bentham chose push-pin for its pleasant alliteration with poetry. Let us speak of lawn tennis. It is a popular game which many of us can play with pleasure. It needs skill and judgement, a good eye and a cool head. If I get the same amount of pleasure out of playing it as you get by looking at Titian 's 'Entombment of Christ' in the Louvre, by listening to Beethoven 's 'Eroica' or by reading Eliot 's 'Ash Wednesday', how are you going to prove that your pleasure is better and more refined than mine? Only, I should say, by manifesting that this gift you have of aesthetic appreciation has a moral effect on your character.”” [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical and spiritual pleasures are often judged unequal, but personal preference determines value. **In simple terms:** Pleasure is subjective. Key Takeaway Respect diverse tastes in pleasure. Themes aesthetics pleasure subjectivity culture Mood analytical contemplative Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - art appreciation - sports hobbies - music listening - literary analysis Key Concepts philosophy ethics art criticism Questions to Reflect On - What defines a higher pleasure? - Can we objectively compare artistic and mundane joys? 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Since few people now know what push-pin is, I may explain that it is a child's game in which one player tries to push his pin across that of another player, and if he succeeds and then is able by pressing down on the two pins with the ball of his thumb to lift them off the table he wins possession of his opponent's pin. [...] The indignant retort to Bentham 's statement was that spiritual pleasures are obviously higher than physical pleasures. But who say so? Those who prefer spiritual pleasures. They are in a miserable minority, as they acknowledge when they declare that the gift of aesthetic appreciation is a very rare one. The vast majority of men are, as we know, both by necessity and choice preoccupied with material considerations. Their pleasures are material. They look askance at those who spent their lives in the pursuit of art. That is why they have attached a depreciatory sense to the word aesthete, which means merely one who has a special appreciation of beauty. How are we going to show that they are wrong? How are we going to show that there is something to choose between poetry and push-pin? I surmise that Bentham chose push-pin for its pleasant alliteration with poetry. Let us speak of lawn tennis. It is a popular game which many of us can play with pleasure. It needs skill and judgement, a good eye and a cool head. If I get the same amount of pleasure out of playing it as you get by looking at Titian 's 'Entombment of Christ' in the Louvre, by listening to Beethoven 's 'Eroica' or by reading Eliot 's 'Ash Wednesday', how are you going to prove that your pleasure is better and more refined than mine? Only, I should say, by manifesting that this gift you have of aesthetic appreciation has a moral effect on your character.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. Somerset Maugham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-years-ago-by-stating-in-effect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ash wednesday" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-years-ago-by-stating-in-effect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/w-somerset-maugham-237_ash-wednesday_jeremy-bentham-startled-the-world-many-y_2512752.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Jeremy Bentham startled the world many years ago by stating in effect that if the amount of pleasure…” — W. 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