...that in spite of living in a mansion an American is not above wearing a pair of secondhand pants, bought for fifty cents.

Jhumpa Lahiri
About This Quote

This quote is a great example of the American character, especially when it comes to materialism. While people in America are well-known for their love of material goods, they are also known for their love of thrift and hard-times. This quote captures that duality perfectly. Americans like to brag about how much stuff they have and how much they can spend money on stuff.

And we like to say we’re different from the rest of the world because we don’t buy into this materialism or antifraternalism. But as this quote shows, we aren’t as different as we think. As you read through these quotes, keep in mind that some of them may be sarcastic; those will be noted with an asterisk (*).

Remember: These quotes are not meant to be complete sentences and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the author.

Source: The Namesake

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