Michael Dirda on Arthur Conan Doyle
My brother pointed me to this article on Victorian author Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. I loved this quotation:
Appropriately, Conan Doyle once named “unaffectedness” as his own favorite virtue, then listed “manliness” as his favorite virtue in another man; “work” as his favorite occupation; “time well filled” as his ideal of happiness; “men who do their duty” as his favorite heroes in real life; and “affectation and conceit” as his pet aversions.A lot of people might find that to be a description of a boring man; I think it’s awesome.
4 comments:
I completely agree.
our society is addicted to drama and all the shallowness that comes with it...
ex. I read a critic bad mouthing the participants on the show "Top Shot" (I dont like 90% of that show). Their major complaint was not being able to tell who won the competition because of the lack of dramatic reactions by the marksmen. This is major reason why 10% of that show is awesome (it is of course ruined by the other 90% being reality TV drama crap).
consistency, control, stability, truth, humility... these are considered "boring words." I submit that they are the farthest thing from boring.
Justin,
I'm not familiar with the show you're talking about, but it's a good example.
The world would be a lot better off if people were more boring—consistent, reliable, dutiful, responsible, humble, etc.
"Duty is the sublimest word in the English language." — Robert E. Lee (and quoted by Jimmy Allen)
Great quote! Robert E. Lee was a stud and so is Jimmy Allen)!
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