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Theodore Dalrymple Quotes

Obesity is the result of a loss of self-control. Indeed, loss of self-control might be said to be the defining social (or anti-social) characteristic of our age: public drunkenness, excessive gambling, promiscuity and common-or-garden rudeness are all examples of our collective loss of self-control Picture Quote #1

It is only by having desire thwarted, and thereby learning to control it Â- in other words, by becoming civilized Â- that men become fully human Picture Quote #1

It is clear to me that people often want incompatible things. They want danger and excitement on the one hand, and safety and security on the other, and often simultaneously. Contradictory desires mean that life can never be wholly satisfying or without frustration Picture Quote #1

I do not think it possible for anyone to get by in life without prejudice. However, the attempt to do so leads many people to suppose that, in order to decide any moral question, they have to find an indubitable first principle from which they can deduce an answer Picture Quote #1

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong Picture Quote #1

Many young people now end a discussion with the supposedly definitive and unanswerable statement that such is their opinion, and their opinion is just as valid as anyone else’s. The fact is that our opinion on an infinitely large number of questions is not worth having, because everyone is infinitely ignorant Picture Quote #1

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A curious reversal in the locus of moral concern has taken place: people feel responsible for everything except for what they do Picture Quote #1

We all resort to the ad hominem from time to time: in human affairs, it is difficult to avoid it, and probably not desirable. After all, our opponents are human. The proper use of an ad hominem argument, however, still requires evidence to back it up Picture Quote #1

The idea that man is a tabula rasa, or Mao’s sheet of blank paper upon which the most beautiful characters can be written, is an old one with disastrous implications. I do not think though that the cults you mention could survive honest thought about human nature Picture Quote #1

Do I grow cleverer with age, or does the world grow more stupid? Picture Quote #1

Where a reputation for intolerance is more feared than a reputation for vice itself, all manner of evil may be expected to flourish Picture Quote #1

When every benefit received is a right, there is no place for good manners, let alone for gratitude Picture Quote #1

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The idea that freedom is merely the ability to act upon one’s whims is surely very thin and hardly begins to capture the complexities of human existence; a man whose appetite is his law strikes us not as liberated but enslaved Picture Quote #1

How many people does each of us know who claim to seek happiness but freely choose paths inevitably leading to misery? Picture Quote #1

There is nothing that an intellectual less likes to change than his mind, or a politician his policy Picture Quote #1

Feeling good about yourself is not the same thing as doing good. Good policy is more important than good feelings Picture Quote #1

The bravest and most noble are not those who take up arms, but those who are decent despite everything; who improve what it is in their power to improve, but do not imagine themselves to be saviours. In their humble struggle is true heroism Picture Quote #1

Considering the importance of resentment in our lives, and the damage it does, it receives scant attention from psychiatrists and psychologists. Resentment is a great rationalizer: it presents us with selected versions of our own past, so that we do not recognize our own mistakes and avoid the necessity to make painful choices Picture Quote #1

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So what exactly are the rewards of resentment. It is always a relief to know that the reason we have failed in life is not because we lack the talent, energy, or determination to succeed, but because of a factor that is beyond our control and that has loaded the dice decisively against us Picture Quote #1

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Obesity is the result of a loss of self-control. Indeed, loss of self-control might be said to be the defining social (or anti-social) characteristic of our age: public drunkenness, excessive gambling, promiscuity and common-or-garden rudeness are all examples of our collective loss of self-control (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) It is only by having desire thwarted, and thereby learning to control it Â- in other words, by becoming civilized Â- that men become fully human. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) It is clear to me that people often want incompatible things. They want danger and excitement on the one hand, and safety and security on the other, and often simultaneously. Contradictory desires mean that life can never be wholly satisfying or without frustration. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) I do not think it possible for anyone to get by in life without prejudice. However, the attempt to do so leads many people to suppose that, in order to decide any moral question, they have to find an indubitable first principle from which they can deduce an answer. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) Many young people now end a discussion with the supposedly definitive and unanswerable statement that such is their opinion, and their opinion is just as valid as anyone else’s. The fact is that our opinion on an infinitely large number of questions is not worth having, because everyone is infinitely ignorant. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) A curious reversal in the locus of moral concern has taken place: people feel responsible for everything except for what they do. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) We all resort to the ad hominem from time to time: in human affairs, it is difficult to avoid it, and probably not desirable. After all, our opponents are human. The proper use of an ad hominem argument, however, still requires evidence to back it up. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) The idea that man is a tabula rasa, or Mao’s sheet of blank paper upon which the most beautiful characters can be written, is an old one with disastrous implications. I do not think though that the cults you mention could survive honest thought about human nature. (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) Do I grow cleverer with age, or does the world grow more stupid? (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) Where a reputation for intolerance is more feared than a reputation for vice itself, all manner of evil may be expected to flourish (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) When every benefit received is a right, there is no place for good manners, let alone for gratitude (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) The idea that freedom is merely the ability to act upon one’s whims is surely very thin and hardly begins to capture the complexities of human existence; a man whose appetite is his law strikes us not as liberated but enslaved (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) How many people does each of us know who claim to seek happiness but freely choose paths inevitably leading to misery? (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) There is nothing that an intellectual less likes to change than his mind, or a politician his policy (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) Feeling good about yourself is not the same thing as doing good. Good policy is more important than good feelings (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) The bravest and most noble are not those who take up arms, but those who are decent despite everything; who improve what it is in their power to improve, but do not imagine themselves to be saviours. In their humble struggle is true heroism (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) Considering the importance of resentment in our lives, and the damage it does, it receives scant attention from psychiatrists and psychologists. Resentment is a great rationalizer: it presents us with selected versions of our own past, so that we do not recognize our own mistakes and avoid the necessity to make painful choices (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes) So what exactly are the rewards of resentment. It is always a relief to know that the reason we have failed in life is not because we lack the talent, energy, or determination to succeed, but because of a factor that is beyond our control and that has loaded the dice decisively against us (Theodore Dalrymple Quotes)