Is this phrase true? I am in the process of writing a short story that has this as one of its themes.
In a related note, here is a description of the detective from P. D. James’ Death in Holy Orders, which I read over the break and thoroughly enjoyed. It is a mystery with some theological components and even a bit of a romantic payoff. Not bad.
James�s detective is not at all the two-dimensional sleuth of most mysteries, a caricature composed of a bundle of idiosyncrasies. He is a self-effacing professional, secure about his position and happy to have aides make crucial, enlightening discoveries. When asked if he is happy, widower Dalgliesh replies: �I have health, a job I enjoy; enough food, comfort, occasional luxuries if I feel the need of them, my poetry. Given the state of three-quarters of the world�s poor, wouldn�t you say that unhappiness would be a perverse indulgence?�
It is the last bit of this quote that relates to whining, or rather it is about why whining is really pretty pathetic.