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I found America the friendliest, most forgiving, and most generous nation I had ever visited. We South Americans tend to think of things in terms of convenience, whereas people in the United States approach things ethically. This - amateur Protestant that I am - I admired above all. It even helped me overlook skyscrapers, paper bags, television, plastics, and the unholy jungle of gadgets.

Jorge Luis Borges#119

SocietyCultureEthicsNationTravelValues

About this quote

What does it mean?
The author praises American ethical approach and generosity, contrasting it with South American convenience.
In plain terms
He admires how Americans prioritize ethics over convenience.
What can you take from it?
Ethical values can outweigh material or cultural flaws.

Where it applies

  • travel reflection
  • cultural comparison
  • political view

Putting it to work

  • focus on ethical behavior
  • look past surface flaws

Questions to consider

  • What values do you admire?
  • How do cultures differ?

Another view

The generalization about nations may overlook internal diversity.

More from Jorge Luis Borges

  1. Of course, like all young men, I tried to be as unhappy as I could - a kind of Hamlet and Raskolnikov rolled into one.

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  2. Any time something is written against me, I not only share the sentiment but feel I could do the job far better myself. Perhaps I should advise would-be enemie…

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  3. This was the first time Remington rifles were used in the Argentine, and it tickles my fancy to think that the firm that shaves me every morning bears the same…

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