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Quote by Jennifer Crusie

“Values aren't buses," she said shortly. "They're not supposed to get you anywhere. They're supposed to define who you are. And I'd rather be touchy-feely than morally bankrupt.”

Quote by Jennifer Crusie

Work

Strange Bedpersons

This book delves into the intricate tapestry of human interactions, focusing on the peculiar pairings and shared experiences of its characters. The narrative unfolds through the lens of these unique relationships, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. more

Author

Jennifer Crusie
Jennifer Crusie

Jennifer Crusie, born in 1949, is a renowned American female author. Her works are known for their humor, wit, and profound emotional descriptions, which have won her a large following among readers. more

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“One peculiarity of our present [ethical] climate is that we care much more about our rights than about our 'good'. For previous thinkers about ethics, such as those who wrote the Upanishads, or Confucius, or Plato, or the founders of the Christian tradition, the central concern was the state of one's soul, meaning some personal state of justice or harmony. Such a state might include resignation or renunciation, or detachment, or obedience, or knowledge, especially self-knowledge. For Plato there could be no just political order except one populated by just citizens.... Today we tend not to believe that; we tend to think that modern constitutional democracies are fine regardless of the private vices of those within them. We are much more nervous talking about our good: it seems moralistic, or undemocratic, or elitist. Similarly, we are nervous talking about duty. The Victorian ideal of a life devoted to duty, or a calling, is substantially lost to us. So a greater proportion of our moral energy goes to protecting claims against each other, and that includes protecting the state of our soul as purely private, purely our own business.”

“After breakfast, determined to pass as little of the day as possible in company with Lady Lowborough, I quietly stole away from the company and retired to the library. Mr. Hargrave followed me thither, under pretence of coming for a book; and first, turning to the shelves, he selected a volume, and then quietly, but by no means timidly, approaching me, he stood beside me, resting his hand on the back of my chair, and said softly, ‘And so you consider yourself free at last?’ ‘Yes,’ said I, without moving, or raising my eyes from my book, ‘free to do anything but offend God and my conscience.”