They succeed, they get on

Erb looked moody as he closed the satchel. ‘Absorption in self isn’t thought. Children naturally have the most, and even at our age there are some odious remnants; but these people who all their lives seem just made of it — pure egoism, spontaneous self-pushery, instinct for leadership and self-dramatization — why, damn it, they succeed; they get on!

Booth Tarkington - The Show Piece (1947)


If thought is remembered language then maybe this quote works. Absorption in self isn’t thought because it is not remembered language. This may be so if we assume that egoists do not reinforce their egoism by standing before a mirror describing to themselves how special they are. Justin Trudeau may be an exception to that of course, but we can’t be sure.

In which case egoism is not a way of thinking but a self-centred attitude which permeates thinking. Not so much remembered language, but the overriding priority of self which selects what is remembered and ignores the rest. But damn it, they succeed; they get on!