“It’s a pretty good rule of thumb, I should have thought.”
“Thought and non-thought is the only valid line of comparison.”
“Bit of a bird’s-eye view, isn’t it? That puts us on the same level as the proles.”
“Exactly.”" - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
“Man on Bridge” p. 89
“

“You see life as a contrast between misery and pleasure, Jon; that is not a correct interpretation.”
“It’s a pretty good rule of thumb, I should have thought.”
“Thought and non-thought is the only valid line of comparison.”
“Bit of a bird’s-eye view, isn’t it? That puts us on the same level as the proles.”
“Exactly.”

— Brian Aldiss

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "“You see life as a contrast between misery and pleasure, Jon; that is not a correct interpretation.”
“It’s a pretty good rule of thumb, I should have thought.”
“Thought and non-thought is the only valid line of comparison.”
“Bit of a bird’s-eye view, isn’t it? That puts us on the same level as the proles.”
“Exactly.”" in the context of "“Man on Bridge” p. 89" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Brian Aldiss" (Quotes, Short fiction, Who Can Replace a Man? (1965): All page numbers from the Signet mass market edition (T5055), November 1967 printing ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Brian Aldiss#interpretationits#thoughtthought#comparisonbit#prolesexactly#nonthought#contrast#pleasure#birdseye#between#correct#misery
Brian Aldiss

About Brian Aldiss

Brian Wilson Aldiss (August 18, 1925 – August 19, 2017) was an English writer of general fiction and science fiction.