Part V, ch. 26 (Sylvia Barrett)
“
When I tried to tell McHabe that it would have been more valuable to let Ferone keep his appointment with me than to kick him out, he let me have it:
"When you're in the system as long as I," he said (They all say that!) "you'll realize it isn't understanding they need. I understand them all right — they're no good."
— Bel Kaufman
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When I tried to tell McHabe that it would have been more valuable to let Ferone keep his appointment with me than to kick him out, he let me have it:
"When you're in the system as long as I," he said (They all say that!) "you'll realize it isn't understanding they need. I understand them all right — they're no good."" in the context of "Part V, ch. 26 (Sylvia Barrett)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Bel Kaufman" (Quotes, Up the Down Staircase (1965))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Bel Kaufman
Bella Kaufman (May 10, 1911 – July 25, 2014) was an American novelist and teacher.
About Bel Kaufman
Bella Kaufman (May 10, 1911 – July 25, 2014) was an American novelist and teacher.
View all quotes →