The Great Gatsby Quotes

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Source: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn"

When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.

Context


Ouch.

For a guy who says he reserves judgment, Nick is getting all Judgy McJudgerson over here. Nick is the narrator of The Great Gatsby, and here, in Chapter 1, he's telling us how he really feels about the title character.

Where you've heard it

If you've ever heard someone say "unaffected scorn," you might be living in an SAT prep guide.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

If you drop this one to describe how you feel about someone, it's not looking good for you.