50+ J. D. Salinger Quotes | Minimalist Quotes

If you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It’s a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn’t education. It’s history. It’s poetry.
J. D. SALINGER

Beautiful History Learning Poetry Yourself
Who in the Bible besides Jesus knew–knew–that we’re carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we’re all too goddam stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look?
J. D. SALINGER

Carry Emotional Heaven Imaginational Stupidity
Mothers are all slightly insane.
J. D. SALINGER

Mad Mom One Liner Sanity
Poets are always taking the weather so personally. They’re always sticking their emotions in things that have no emotions.
J. D. SALINGER

Emotion Poet
Nobody who’s really using his ego, his real ego, has any time for any goddam hobbies.
J. D. SALINGER

Attitude Himself Reality
But it wasn’t just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody. People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie never did, and he had very red hair.
J. D. SALINGER

Easy Family Hairs Himself Mad People
I’ll read my books and I’ll drink coffee and I’ll listen to music, and I’ll bolt the door.
J. D. SALINGER

Listen Music Myself Reading
Why’s it so sunny? she repeated. Zooey observed her rather narrowly. I bring the sun wherever I go, buddy, he said.
J. D. SALINGER

Herself Sun
That’s something that annoys the hell out of me-I mean if somebody says the coffee’s all ready and it isn’t.
J. D. SALINGER

Hell Myself
People never notice anything.
J. D. SALINGER

One Liner People
Where do the ducks go in the winter?
J. D. SALINGER

Animal One Liner Winter
I was sixteen then, and I’m seventeen now, and sometimes I act like I’m about thirteen. Sometimes, I act a lot older than I am–I really do. But people never notice it. People never notice anything.
J. D. SALINGER

Age Myself People
You think of the book you’d most like to be reading, and then you sit down and shamelessly write it.
J. D. SALINGER

Book Reading Shame Thinking Writing Yourself
I’m just sick of ego, ego, ego. My own and everybody else’s. I’m sick of everybody that wants to get somewhere, do something distinguished and all, be somebody interesting. It’s disgusting.
J. D. SALINGER

Be Yourself Different Myself Sick
I’m sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect.
J. D. SALINGER

God Myself Respect Sick
I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.
J. D. SALINGER

Courage Myself Sickness
You don’t know how to talk to people you don’t like. Don’t love, really. You can’t live in the world with such strong likes and dislikes.
J. D. SALINGER

Live Love People Strong Talk World Yourself
You can’t stop a teacher when they want to do something. They just do it.
J. D. SALINGER

Teaching Yourself
I could happily lie down and die sometimes.
J. D. SALINGER

Death Happiness Lie Myself
Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? It’s never been anything but your religion.
J. D. SALINGER

Love Myself Religion Smile Writing
And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I’d probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up.
J. D. SALINGER

Laugh Myself Stupidity
All morons hate it when you call them a moron.
J. D. SALINGER

Hate Stupidity
People are always ruining things for you.
J. D. SALINGER

People Ruin Yourself
People are mostly hot to have a discussion when you’re not.
J. D. SALINGER

People Yourself
The true poet has no choice of material. The material plainly chooses him, not he it.
J. D. SALINGER

Choice Material Poet True
There are nice things in the world – and I mean nice things. We’re all such morons to get so sidetracked.
J. D. SALINGER

Beautiful Stupidity World
Sometimes you get tired of riding in taxicabs the same way you get tired riding in elevators. All of a sudden, you have to walk, no matter how far or how high up.
J. D. SALINGER

Walk Yourself

J. D. Salinger Quotes

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