Pay attention to Nick's judgements. What do they reveal about his character that he does this (especially in relation to his opening comments)?

In the first paragraph, Nick describes himself as fair minded and tolerant. He believes himself to be nonjudgmental; "In consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores." Ironically, only a few sentences later, we come to understand that his outlook has become jaded, and his tolerance has shortened up a bit. He is no longer naive; "And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don’t care what it’s founded on. When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart."

What we hear in Nick's opening comments is disappointment. He's getting us ready to learn about the lessons he wants to share..... his waning optimism. Nick begins by telling us the way he was, and then quickly reverts to explain the reasons for the man he has become.