Everybody who flashed the signs of loyalty he took to be loyal. Everybody who flashed the signs of intelligence he took to be intelligent. And so he had failed to see into his daughter, failed to see into his wife, failed to see into his one and only mistress–probably had never even begun to see into himself Philip Roth
About This Quote

The Old Man is referring to people who are quick to display loyalty, intelligence, and talent in order to get ahead in life. When these people fail to see the true nature of another person, they fail to see the great necessity of self-examination. The Old Man is saying that when you look deep enough into yourself, you will find that you don’t need to play these games at all; they only make you look foolish.

Source: American Pastoral

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