Prufrock had measured out his life with measuring spoons; Dubin, in books resurrecting the lives of others.
Freedom has its dangers as well as its joys. And the sooner we learn to get up after a fall, the better off we'll be.
I suspected, however, that I wasn't homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. The longing was for what I wouldn't find: the past and all the people and places there were lost to me.
A letter is always better than a phone call. People write things in letters they would never say in person. They permit themselves to write down feelings and observations using emotional syntax far more intimate and powerful than speech will allow.
It is one of the strongest bonds, I think, that can spring up between people: sharing a passion for certain books and their authors.
I suppose that, after the passion of love, water rights have caused more trouble than anything else to the human species.
The fun-seekers, I noted, were spontaneous and flexible. They approached each day and each situation with a willingness to ride whatever wave came along, just for the experience of it. The complainers, on the other hand, would only catch a wave if it was exactly to their liking. Anything else drew loud protestations about how it was not what they expected.
Negative feelings can either lead to sinking into oneself and disappearing, or they can make you angry and want to prove that you're worthy to be in the conversation.
I wish to have no status as a man. I am equally content to be a worm or a rat, and am only glad that I am not becuase they have such a rough time without the pleasure of painting.
There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.
People notice peacemakers because they dress funny. We know how the people who make war dress - in uniforms and medals, or in computers and clipboards, or in absoluteness, severity, greed, and cynicism. But the peacemaker is dressed in righteousness, justice, and faithfulness - dressed for the work that is to be done.