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“Proportion is the rule in all things. If a joke goes to malicious bounds, or if, for example, admiration turns to jealousy, nobody can stomach them. These things are like rice-cake, which is delicious toasted but horrible if it's burned black. Country people don't have the ability to make this kind of distinction and have no idea where to draw the line.” — Natsume Sōseki
Proportion is the rule in all things. If a joke goes to malicious bounds, or if, for example, admiration turns to jealousy, nobody can stomach them. These things are like rice-cake, which is delicious toasted but horrible if it's burned black. Country people don't have the ability to make this kind of distinction and have no idea where to draw the line.