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Joseph Epstein is a distinguished American essayist, editor, and writer whose elegant prose and intellectual wit have left a lasting mark on American letters. As editor of The American Scholar and author of countless essays and books, Epstein explored culture, literature, and the intricacies of human behavior. His commitment to clarity, insight, and tradition has earned him respect across generations. Epstein’s work champions thoughtful discourse and the enduring value of the written word.
"I know from the middle distance I give off the look of being prolific, which is a funny compliment to receive."
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"I know from the middle distance I give off the look of being prolific, which is a funny compliment to receive."

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"Culture means, I think, that you have widened your experience enough through reading and through being a little bit thoughtful about these things that it has changed your outlook in some ways. And not necessarily made you a better human being but made you see things."
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"Culture means, I think, that you have widened your experience enough through reading and through being a little bit thoughtful about these things that it has changed your outlook in some ways. And not necessarily made you a better human being but made you see things."

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"I am married to someone I love."
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"I am married to someone I love."

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"In recompense, envy may be the subtlest - perhaps I should say the most insidious - of the seven deadly sins."
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"In recompense, envy may be the subtlest - perhaps I should say the most insidious - of the seven deadly sins."

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"One serious drawback about letters is that, in order to get them, one must send some out. When it comes to the mail, I feel it is better to receive than to give."
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"One serious drawback about letters is that, in order to get them, one must send some out. When it comes to the mail, I feel it is better to receive than to give."

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"By the way, the secret of speaking French is confidence. Whether you are right or wrong, you don't hesitate."
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"By the way, the secret of speaking French is confidence. Whether you are right or wrong, you don't hesitate."

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"One of the pleasures of being a Jew, I don't have to tell you, it allows you anti-Semitism."
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"One of the pleasures of being a Jew, I don't have to tell you, it allows you anti-Semitism."

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"We know the ideal isn't where the action is."
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"We know the ideal isn't where the action is."

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"Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all."
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"Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all."

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"Envy is never general, but always very particular - at least envy of the kind one feels strongly."
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"Envy is never general, but always very particular - at least envy of the kind one feels strongly."

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"I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might."
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"I should prefer to die laughing, and, on more than one occasion, thought I might."

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"I just know so many people who have six or seven foreign languages and have read everything and have musical training and they are still dorks."
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"I just know so many people who have six or seven foreign languages and have read everything and have musical training and they are still dorks."

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"No one has really ever defined what a friend is."
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"No one has really ever defined what a friend is."

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"The pleasure of jogging and running is rather like that of wearing a fur coat in Texas in August: the true joy comes in being able to take the damn thing off."
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"The pleasure of jogging and running is rather like that of wearing a fur coat in Texas in August: the true joy comes in being able to take the damn thing off."

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"The decisive moment in the defeat of upper class, capital-S, Society may have come when, in newspapers all over the nation, what used to be call the Society page was replaced by the Style section."
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"The decisive moment in the defeat of upper class, capital-S, Society may have come when, in newspapers all over the nation, what used to be call the Society page was replaced by the Style section."

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"Not to like ice cream is to show oneself uninterested in food."
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"Not to like ice cream is to show oneself uninterested in food."

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"I am basically a complainer and all the grounds for complaint have been swept out from under me."
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"I am basically a complainer and all the grounds for complaint have been swept out from under me."

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"I myself think anti-Semitism is about envy."
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"I myself think anti-Semitism is about envy."

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