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Robertson Davies: on the superiority of Ornamental Knowledge over Useful Knowledge
<html><quote> 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. </quote></html>
From Tempest-Tost, first book of the Salterton Trilogy; 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. 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!
