I have always thought of sophistication as rather a feeble substitute for decadence.

— Hampton, Christopher

Hip is the sophistication of the wise primitive in a giant jungle.

— Mailer, Norman

Sophistication might be described as the ability to cope gracefully with a situation involving the presence of a formidable menace to one's poise and prestige (such as the butler, or the man under the bed -- but never the husband).

— Thurber, James