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In the long run, failure was the only thing that worked predictably. All else was accidental.

Joseph Heller

Destiny is a good thing to accept when it’s going your way. When it isn’t, don’t call it destiny; call it injustice, treachery, or simple bad luck.
JOSEPH HELLER

Acceptance Bad Luck Destiny Injustice
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.
JOSEPH HELLER

Mad Paranoid
From men motivated by moral certitude, history teaches, no lasting good ever comes.
JOSEPH HELLER

Goodness History Moral Teaching
The question is: what is a sane man to do in an insane society?
JOSEPH HELLER

Depression Insane Man Society
Something did happen to me somewhere that robbed me of confidence and courage and left me with a fear of discovery and change and a positive dread of everything unknown that may occur.
JOSEPH HELLER

Change Confidence Courage Discovery Dread Fear Lost
While none of the work we do is very important, it is important that we do a great deal of it.
JOSEPH HELLER

Deal Greatness Important Work
I don’t understand the process of imagination-though I know that I am very much at its mercy.
JOSEPH HELLER

Imagination Mercy Process Understand
All of my books deal in a very rough, rude fashion with subjects about which there are great conflicts of opinion.
JOSEPH HELLER

Book Conflict Deal Fashion Opinion Rude Subject
I want to keep my dreams, even bad ones, because without them, I might have nothing all night long.
JOSEPH HELLER

Dreams Night
History was a trash bag of random coincidences torn open in a wind.
JOSEPH HELLER

Bag Coincidence History Open Random Trash Wind
The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.
JOSEPH HELLER

Enemy Kill War
He was never without misery, and never without hope.
JOSEPH HELLER

Hope Misery
You know, that might be the answer – to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That’s a trick that never seems to fail.
JOSEPH HELLER

Ashame Failure Trick
Where were you born?” “On a battlefield,” [Yossarian] answered. “No, no. In what state were you born?” “In a state of innocence.
JOSEPH HELLER

Born Innocence
When I look up, I see people cashing in. I don’t see heaven or saints or angels. I see people cashing in on every decent impulse and every human tragedy.
JOSEPH HELLER

Angel Decent Heaven Human Impulse Poeple Saint Tragedy
He knew everything there was to know about literature, except how to enjoy it.
JOSEPH HELLER

Enjoyment Except Literature

In the long run, failure was the only thing that worked predictably. All else was accidental.

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In the long run, failure was the only thing that worked predictably. All else was accidental.

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Popular Authors

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