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Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

Joseph Heller

I want to keep my dreams, even bad ones, because without them, I might have nothing all night long.
JOSEPH HELLER

Dreams Night
Mankind is resilient: the atrocities that horrified us a week ago become acceptable tomorrow.
JOSEPH HELLER

Acceptance Mankind Resilence Tomorrow
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
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
Remember that everyone deserves some fun during working hours.
JOSEPH HELLER

Deserve Fun Leadership Work
She was the epitome of stately sorrow each time she smiled.
JOSEPH HELLER

Epitome She Smile Sorrow Time
He was never without misery, and never without hope.
JOSEPH HELLER

Hope Misery
They agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.
JOSEPH HELLER

Agree Education Necessary People Possible Question
There was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to.
JOSEPH HELLER

Freedom People Question Want
There is no disappointment so numbing as someone no better than you achieving more.
JOSEPH HELLER

Achievement Disappointment Numb
Well, he died. You don’t get any older than that.
JOSEPH HELLER

Broken Heart Die Old
The question is: what is a sane man to do in an insane society?
JOSEPH HELLER

Depression Insane Man Society
I think in every country that there is at least one executive who is scared of going crazy.
JOSEPH HELLER

Country Crazy Executive Scare
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
He knew everything there was to know about literature, except how to enjoy it.
JOSEPH HELLER

Enjoyment Except Literature
It doesn’t make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who’s dead.
JOSEPH HELLER

Dead Difference War Win
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
Prostitution gives her an opportunity to meet people. It provides fresh air and wholesome exercise, and it keeps her out of trouble.
JOSEPH HELLER

Air Exercise Fresh Meet Opportunity People Prostitution Trouble
Death to all modifiers, he declared one day, and out of every letter that passed through his hands went every adverb and every adjective.
JOSEPH HELLER

Adjective Adverb Death Declare Hands
The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.
JOSEPH HELLER

Enemy Kill War
Never quit a job as a matter of principle. You’ll always regret it.
JOSEPH HELLER

Job Principle Quit Regret
When I grow up I want to be a little boy.
JOSEPH HELLER

Boy Grow Up Little
I wouldn’t want to live without strong misgivings.
JOSEPH HELLER

Freedom Live Strong
Frankly, I’d like to see the government get out of war altogether and leave the whole field to private industry.
JOSEPH HELLER

Government Industry Private Togetherness
What do you do when it rains?” The captain answered frankly. “I get wet.
JOSEPH HELLER

Rain Wet
The villains will come along. There were plenty in the Carter administration, and there will be plenty with Reagan.
JOSEPH HELLER

Villain
Every writer I know has trouble writing.
JOSEPH HELLER

Trouble Writer Writing

Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

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Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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