I can get to be so little you can’t even see me.
She controlled her face and whipped the fear from it. “You’re just doing it because you’re honest, is that it? You’re just too sugar sweet to live.
Never did seem right to me. S’pose Curley jumps a big guy an’ licks him. Ever’body says what a game guy Curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever’body says the big guy oughtta pick somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Seems like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance.
To the inner monster it must be even more obscure, since he has no visible thing to compare with others. To a man born without conscience, a soul-stricken man must seem ridiculous. To a criminal, honesty is foolish.
There’s so much talk about justice, injustice, conquest. Our people are invaded, but I don’t think they’re conquered.
I love you,” I said. And I do. I really do. And I remember thinking what a hell of a man a man could become.
He thought that she possessed the two great gifts: she was smart and she got the breaks – and you couldn’t want no better than that.
It seems to me that young people have lost their faith in America. Our ancestors had faith.
The one thing our species is helpless against is good fortune. It first puzzles, then frightens, then angers, and finally destroys us.
They were glad and proud and humble to be men in a world where men were valuable.
Try to believe that things are neither so good nor so bad as they seem to you now.
Riches seem to come to the poor in spirit, the poor in interest and joy. To put it straight – the very rich are a poor bunch of bastards. He wondered if that were true. They acted that way sometimes.
She cared deeply about words and she hated their misuse as she would hate the clumsy handling of any fine thing.
Things do not change with a change of scene.
Maybe what I want ain’t anywhere in the world, but I want it, so I think there is such a thing. I want a guy that’s wide open. I want him to be a real guy, maybe even a tough guy, but I want a window in him. He can have his dukes up every other place but not with me. And he got to need the hell out of me. He got to be the kind of guy that if he aint’ got me he ain’t got nothing. And brother, that guys’ going to have something!
And when one of our successful men had what he needed or wanted, he reassumed his virtue as easily as changing his shirt, and for all one could see, he took no hurt from his derelictions, always assuming that he didn’t get caught.
To a monster the norm must seem monstrous, since everyone is normal to himself. To the inner monster it must be even more obscure, since he has no visible thing to compare with others. To a man born without conscience, a soul-stricken man must seem ridiculous. To a criminal, honesty is foolish. You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and to a monster the norm is monstrous.
Do you think I’m a child?” she asked. “Not any more,” said Adam, “I’m beginning to think you’re a twisted human – or no human at all.
His whispered word seemed to hang in the air: “Timshel!” His eyes closed and he slept.
On’y way you gonna get me to go is whup me.′ She moved the jack handle gently again. ‘An’ I’ll shame you, Pa. I won’t take no whuppin’, cryin’ an’ a-beggin’. I’ll light into you. An’ you ain’t so sure you can whup me anyways. An’ if ya do get me, I swear to God I’ll wait till you got your back turned, or you’re settin’ down, an’ I’ll knock you belly-up with a bucket. I swear to Holy Jesus’ sake I will.