A theorist can believe in a calling yet resist its daily practice.

Evidence

In theory—even his own theory—Moses should have been happy at the Bureau. With its concentration on the improvement of the mechanics of government, it was, after all, addressing itself to concerns that he had expressed in his thesis. The admission policy of the Training School, moreover, answered the main demand of the thesis: the need for “university men” in public service. Only applicants of the most impeccable scholastic background were accepted. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 265

Categorization

• XREF: Near-universal pattern in skill biographies: the abstract idealist who disdains the discipline’s actual tradecraft. Echoes how Caro frames Moses across the book. — connects to: Theory is valuable only when one must struggle against it — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 242

Broader Connections

• Theory is valuable only when one must struggle against it #qualifies (0.80) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 242