An ornate brass balance scale stands with one hanging pan and an empty hook on the opposite arm against a cool grey background.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy  ·  1979

Douglas Adams

As soon as Mr. Prosser realized that he was substantially the loser after all, it was as if a weight lifted itself off his shoulders: this was more like the world as he knew it.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

This passage describes a strange relief that comes from ultimately losing an argument or contest, as if defeat somehow restores a familiar, expected order to the world. The ironic observation suggests some people find comfort in disappointment simply because it matches their low expectations of how things go.

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