In England if something goes wrong—say, if one finds a skunk in the garden—he writes to the family solicitor, who proceeds to take the proper measures; whereas in America, you telephone the fire department. Each satisfies a characteristic need; in the English, love of order and legalistic procedure; and here in America, what you like is something vivid, and red, and swift.
ATTRIBUTION:
Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947), British philosopher. Dialogues, entry for August 30, 1941, Little, Brown (1954).
