The fortunate man is the one who cannot take more than a couple of drinks without becoming intoxicated. The unfortunate wight is the one who can take many glasses without betraying a sign; who must take numerous glasses in order to get the kick.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- London suggests that being sensitive to alcohol is fortunate because it prevents overconsumption.
- In plain terms
- It is better to get drunk quickly than to need many drinks to feel anything.
- What can you take from it?
- Low tolerance may protect you from drinking too much.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is low tolerance a blessing or a curse?
- How does tolerance affect your drinking?
Another view
It assumes low tolerance is always positive, ignoring potential downsides.
More from Jack London
Men do not knowingly drink for the effect alcohol produces on the body. What they drink for is the brain-effect; and if it must come through the body, so much …
Permalink to quote #5 Life's not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well.
Permalink to quote #7 I was five years old the first time I got drunk.
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he doesn't afterward.
Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright quote #26 When you get up in the morning and you have your first couple of beers and you throw up blood - that's probably not a good sign ... I don't think that's suppos…
Alice CooperAlice Cooper quote #27 There are, broadly speaking, two types of drinkers. There is the man whom we all know, stupid, unimaginative, whose brain is bitten numbly by numb maggots; who…
Jack LondonJack London quote #3