Rag & Bone

In Theodore Dalrymple’s August New English Review essay, he recalls some childhood memories and the important life lessons taught by his mother before showing how these lessons are still applicable in the present day.

The pleasure that some people take in the gratuitous humiliation of others to make themselves appear larger in their own eyes (and that comes to be habitual) does not do so in the eyes of others, rather the reverse. All this my mother tried implicitly to impress upon me. Manners maketh man.

12 thoughts on “Rag & Bone

  1. Wil

    So good to find this site up and running again: well done to all concerned!

    I’m a big fan of the good doctor’s work – a sane voice in a crazy world. And very useful to be able to access it from one place.

    Once again: excellent!

    Reply
    1. David Seri Post author

      Thank you for the kind words, Wil. I am on an extended vacation, but will be returning to posting regularly beginning today. Cheers.

      Reply
    1. David Seri Post author

      Thank you for the link, Damian. This is a great find and I have added the Quadrant as a new link for our readers. I will be posting the above essay as well as the more recent Quadrant one this week. Thank you again.

      Best,
      David

      Reply
  2. Jonathan

    I’m another longtime fan who is grateful to see this site running again.

    Thanks, David – your efforts are much appreciated.

    Reply
  3. James Wills, MD

    I’m a long-time fan from the Colonies, having been introduced to Dalrymple’s work in the early ‘nineties by an expat general surgeon from Glasgow. I think the starter was an article from a column called, “When Symptoms Subside,” or something like that. “What do you think of this?” Dr. Gardner said.

    I was hooked. During my years of medical practice I read multiple of Dalrymple’s books and found them an island of sanity which I needed to visit often to help keep my keel underwater. Thank you, sir.

    OK – enough rambling. Thanks again for all you do. Looking forward to seeing more.

    Reply
    1. David Seri Post author

      An island of sanity indeed. I discovered Theodore Dalrymple by accident during one of my more boring corporate desk jobs and I was hooked immediately. The eloquence and precision of his writing and a unique worldview that I had not heard articulated so clearly by an intellectual in this sad, mediocre, and relativistic century of ours. Thank you for your comment, Dr. Wills.

      Best,
      David

      Reply
  4. Andrew S

    Off topic:

    Two new books by TD have just been published here in the UK. (Not sure whether they’re available in other countries): “False Positive: A Year of Error, Omission, and Political Correctness in the New England Journal of Medicine”, and “In Praise of Folly: A Psychiatrist on the Blindspots of Genius”. I thought readers of this blog might be interested to know about these books.

    Reply
      1. David Seri Post author

        Thank you for letting us know, Andrew and Michael. We will post reviews and links once we have read these new books. Cheers.

        Reply

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