— The Great Gatsby, Ch. 4
How strikingly true. Fitzgerald cuts to the core of unmasking people in all their human flaw and mess. The life process is a drudge to find a place of hope, something to motivate you, give you purpose. Fitzgerald calls out these "commendable worldly efforts" and (in the case of some) habits for what they really are — the shallow man-made illusions that keep us pursued, pursuing, busy and/or tired.
