20 Seconds

'Better is one's own duty imperfectly carried out than

following perfectly the law of another.

Better is death in the fulfillment of one's own law,

for to follow another's law is perilous.'

 

What does this quote mean. Honestly I don't even know. It could and probably does have many meanings to Holden specifically and why this book changed society. Perilous means risk, hazardous, and unsafe. According to this quote it is better to do what you want and do a bad job than do what others want, and mess up. You feel better completing your own tasks rather than doing others tasks and taking a dangerous risk. Holden does what he wants when he wants and how he wants to do it. He thinks he should take the risk, his and his only, and see what happens. When he was asked to write a paper we wrote about something he wanted to and made it his own and loved it, but again it was for someone else. He did it for himself and not the other person and did good, but not what the other person wanted, but why would he if he wasn't going to do it right or the way he wanted. Why would you do something that doesn't make sense to you for someone else do it your way for yourself and do it right. It was difficult trying to find a quote, I found it in the most unexpected places. First time I heard it in a movie than I found it on Facebook as a status. "Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of embarrassing courage". I quote the movie "We bought a Zoo", and Allie. I love this quote it is Holden. I don't think he thinks of it as "embarrassing" but he might be feeling it. He more so shows this with judgement. I think that is how he levels the feelings, making fun of the other person. If you think about it all of his thoughts always lead to something, he is always calling a girl, first deciding it through and than completes, and calls. He does this many times already in the book. Maybe he doesn't look at it as embarrassing or courage but as an opportunity.