[He offers a reassuring grin to salve her self-consciousness.]

There is no shame in a life of quiet industry.

[Would such a life drive him crazy? Almost certainly. He can no sooner sever himself from his ambitions than he can his body from his shadow. But he holds no less respect for someone who prefers a simpler life than for someone who strives for the grand and the bold.]

In my travels I've crossed paths with people from so many different walks of life. How one chooses to live does not preclude them from dignity.

[Then he lofts his eyebrows, and his voice pivots from sincerity to something airier.]

Unless, of course, one chooses to dedicate himself to drowning kittens and lighting people's houses on fire. Then I'm afraid he's lost my respect.