R.F. Kuang > Quotes > Quote > Olivia liked it

“Oh, he took a job in industry,” they would say, as if “industry” here was a euphemism like a farm for old sick dogs. And they said it with a kind, patronizing lilt that betrayed what they truly meant: alt academia meant failure. The life of the mind, unfettered from commerce, was the only kind worth living.”
― R.F. Kuang, Katabasis