"But instead I usually say that, though it may surprise them, I too believe in the necessity of organization"
About this Quote
A sly feint is doing most of the work here: Shea leads with "But instead" as if he’s correcting a stereotype in real time. The phrase "though it may surprise them" names an imagined audience that’s already decided what kind of person he is - the romantic, the dissenter, the anarchic writer who must be allergic to structure. He doesn’t argue with them directly; he needles them, letting their prejudice hang in the air long enough to make it embarrassing.
The punch is the modesty of "I usually say". This isn’t a manifesto, it’s a social tactic. Shea frames belief in organization not as a capitulation to bureaucracy but as a practical concession you make when you’ve lived long enough to see movements, projects, and even ideas die from chaos. "I too believe" is the tell: it implies organization has been claimed by others as their exclusive virtue - institutions, managers, party men - and he’s reclaiming it from their PR department.
In the context of mid-century political and countercultural currents that Shea moved through and wrote about, the line reads like a bridge between the libertarian imagination and the boring necessities of getting anything done. It’s also a writer’s confession. Creativity loves to cosplay as pure freedom, but books are built by systems: outlines, drafts, deadlines, editors. Shea’s wit lands because it admits the taboo without surrendering the posture of independence: yes, organization - just not theirs.
The punch is the modesty of "I usually say". This isn’t a manifesto, it’s a social tactic. Shea frames belief in organization not as a capitulation to bureaucracy but as a practical concession you make when you’ve lived long enough to see movements, projects, and even ideas die from chaos. "I too believe" is the tell: it implies organization has been claimed by others as their exclusive virtue - institutions, managers, party men - and he’s reclaiming it from their PR department.
In the context of mid-century political and countercultural currents that Shea moved through and wrote about, the line reads like a bridge between the libertarian imagination and the boring necessities of getting anything done. It’s also a writer’s confession. Creativity loves to cosplay as pure freedom, but books are built by systems: outlines, drafts, deadlines, editors. Shea’s wit lands because it admits the taboo without surrendering the posture of independence: yes, organization - just not theirs.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work Ethic |
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