# Robertson Davies: on the superiority of Ornamental Knowledge over Useful Knowledge You like the mind to be a neat machine equipped to work efficiently, if narrowly, and with no extra bits or useless parts. I like the mind to be a dustbin of scraps of brilliant fabric, odd gems, worthless but fascinating curiosities, tinsel, quaint bits of carving, and a reasonable amount of healthy dirt. Shake the machine and it goes out of order; shake the dustbin and it adjusts itself beautifully to its new position. From _Tempest-Tost_, first book of [the Salterton Trilogy](https://books.google.com/books?isbn=014015910X); my source: p.159 of the 1986 Penguin Books paperback I first encountered this notion quoted as a pullout chapter heading while reading Patricia Pitcher's fine text, [the Drama of Leadership](https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0471148431). I thought the idea so well-put that I immediately sought and then bought the _the Salterton Trilogy_, assuming that an author witty enough to posit this argument would have plenty more witticisms to offer. I recommend reading both the Pitcher and Davies books! ---- [Back to the Meditations collection](meditations)