“There is a decivilizing bug somewhere at work; unconsciously persons of stern worth, by not resenting and resisting the small indignities of the times, are preparing themselves for the eventual acceptance of what they themselves know they don’t want.”

—  E. B. White

Harper's Magazine (October 1938); quoted in Scott Elledge, E.B. White: A Biography (New York: Norton, 1984), ch. X: Mr Tilley's Departure (p. 209)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "There is a decivilizing bug somewhere at work; unconsciously persons of stern worth, by not resenting and resisting the…" by E. B. White?
E. B. White photo
E. B. White 54
American writer 1899–1985

Related quotes

Mohsin Hamid photo

“Readers don’t work for writers. They work for themselves.”

Source: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

Prevale photo

“Those who know they are worth... always question themselves.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: Chi sa di valere... si mette sempre in discussione.
Source: prevale.net

“The base of the work is one of individuals believing in themselves, trusting themselves in the moment and being accepting of themselves and the people around them. In order to improvise in front of an audience, you have to be accepting, involved in the moment and courageous.”

Martin de Maat (1949–2001) American theatre director

A Conversation with Martin de Maat (1998)
Context: The base of the work is one of individuals believing in themselves, trusting themselves in the moment and being accepting of themselves and the people around them. In order to improvise in front of an audience, you have to be accepting, involved in the moment and courageous. Those issues, when transferred over to general communication, makes the communication richer and helps in all areas of life.

Jon Krakauer photo
Orson Scott Card photo
Ernst Mach photo

“Personally, people know themselves very poorly.”

Ernst Mach (1838–1916) Austrian physicist and university educator

Contributions to the analysis of the sensations (1897), translated by Cora May Williams, published by Open Court Publishing Company, p. 4
19th century

“People accept their limitations so as to prevent themselves from wanting anything they might get.”

Celia Green (1935) British philosopher

The Decline and Fall of Science (1976)

Clifford D. Simak photo
Richard Koch photo

Related topics