I know we're not saints or virgins or lunatics; we know all the lust and lavatory jokes, and most of the dirty people; we can catch buses and count our change and cross the roads and talk real sentences. But our innocence goes awfully deep, and our discreditable secret is that we don't know anything at all, and our horrid inner secret is that we don't care that we don't.

Summary

This quote reflects the paradoxical nature of human beings. It acknowledges that we are aware of our flaws, our crude humor, and our mundane daily lives. Yet, beneath all of this worldly knowledge, there remains a profound innocence. Despite our ability to function in society, we are fundamentally ignorant, lacking true understanding. Interestingly, though, this lack of knowledge does not seem to concern or bother us. We are content in our ignorance and embrace it as a secret that defines our existence.

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