The true New Yorker’s secret belief that people living anywhere else had to be, in some sense, kidding.

The line appears in John Updike’s 1982 novel "Bech Is Back" as part of the narration describing the mindset of his fictional writer character Henry Bech while observing New York City life. It is presented as Bech’s inward attitude rather than a direct statement of the author’s own beliefs.

It captures a stereotypical, insular New York City worldview: the city feels so central and self-sufficient that living elsewhere seems almost unreal or like a joke to a committed New Yorker.

The folks downtown looked merry to Bech, and the whole burg on a play scale; he had the true New Yorker’s secret belief that people living anywhere else had to be, in some sense, kidding.

the secret belief of the true New Yorker is that “people living anywhere else had to be, in some sense, kidding.”

the native New Yorker’s secret belief that people living anywhere else had to be, in some sense, kidding

the true New Yorker secretly believes that “people living anywhere else had to be, in some sense, kidding.”

The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.