Where Sages & Tradesmen Are One & the Same

'Yiddish offers a refreshingly realistic view of human life and motivation. While it is unfair to say that Yiddish glories in human small-mindedness, Yiddish is certainly not afraid to acknowledge the importance of small-mindedness in human affairs. In the Yiddish world, where sages and tradesmen were often the very same people, happiness, contentment of the most inconsequential sort, is like a wallet-full of cash: great to have, dumb to flash.'
--from the introduction to Just Say Nu--Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won't Do).