Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.
Chapter 3 · Narrator
Context
The chapter's final line, coming after Nick's reflections on Jordan's dishonesty, his own romantic entanglements, and his need to extricate himself from a relationship back home before pursuing Jordan.
Analysis
This is one of the novel's most critically debated statements. The opening clause ('Everyone suspects himself') frames self-assessment as inherently unreliable—a universal human tendency toward self-flattery—then Nick immediately enacts that very tendency by claiming honesty as his virtue. The dramatic irony is intense: Nick has just revealed his moral compromises (passively ending an affair, tolerating Jordan's dishonesty, his gendered double standards). The word 'suspects' rather than 'knows' introduces epistemological uncertainty that undermines the very claim being made. This passage fundamentally destabilizes Nick's authority as narrator for the remainder of the novel.
How to Use in Essay
One of the most important quotes in the entire novel for essays on narratorial reliability, self-knowledge, moral hypocrisy, or the relationship between honesty and storytelling. Essential for any essay examining Nick's role as narrator.