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Except for half a dozen in each town the citizens are proud of that achievement of ignorance which is so easy to come by.

Sinclair Lewis

Most of us who work — or want to work — will always have trouble or discontent. So we must learn to be calm, and train all our faculties, and make others happy.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Discontent Facilities Happy Learn Make Most Other Tarin Trouble Work
I must say I’m not very fond of oratory that’s so full of energy it hasn’t any room for facts.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Energy Fact Fond Full Must Oratory Room Very
Good Lord, I don’t know what ‘rights’ a man has! And I don’t know the solution of boredom. If I did, I’d be the one philosopher that had the cure for living. But I do know that about ten times as many people find their lives dull, and unnecessarily dull.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Boredom Dull Good Know Live Lord Many People Philosopher Right Solution Unnecessarily
The Maker of the universe with stars a hundred thousand light-years apart was interested, furious, and very personal about it if a small boy played baseball on Sunday afternoon.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Apart Furious Hundred Interest Light Maker Personal Star Thousand Universe Year
Illuminating and making glad again the dark clouds of life. It is the morning and the evening star, that in glad refulgence, there on the awed horizon, call Nature’s hearts to an uplifted rejoicing in God’s marvelous firmament!
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Cloud Evening Firmannent Glad God Illuminate Make Marvelous Morning Refulgence Uplift
You’re so earnest about morality that I hate to think how essentially immoral you must be underneath.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Earn Essential Immortal Morality Must Think Underneath
It might be the doing of Satan, in whom Aaron anxiously believed with all of his being except, perhaps, his mind.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Aaraom Anxious Being Believe Do Except might Mind Perhaps Satan
When audiences come to see us authors lecture, it is largely in the hope that we’ll be funnier to look at than to read.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Audience Author Come Funnier Hope Largely Lecture Raed See
Think of how many are arrested for selling fake stock, for seducing 14-year-old girls in orphanages under their care, for arson, for murder.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Aron Arrest Case Country Fourteen Girl Many Murderer Orphanage People Seduce Sell Stock Thin Year
God has never done much but creep around and try to catch us disobeying it.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Around Catch Creep Disobey Done God Much never Try
In protest, I declined election to the National Institute of Arts and Letters some years ago, and now I must decline the Pulitzer Prize.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Ago Art Decline Election Institute Letter National Price Protest Some Year
Since dictating the Bible, and hiring a perfect race of ministers to explain it,
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Bible Dicate Explain Hire Minister Perfect Race Since
I have for myself no conceivable complaint to make, and yet for American literature in general, and its standing in a country where industrialism and finance and science flourish and the only arts that are vital and respected are architecture and the film, I have a considerable complaint.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Complaint Conceivable Country General Have Industrialism Literature Make Myself Stand Yet
I think perhaps we want a more conscious life. We’re tired of drudging and sleeping and dying.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Conscious Die Drudging Life More Perhaps Sleep Think Tired
The trouble with this country is that there are too many people going about saying, “The trouble with this country is….”
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Country Many People Say Trouble
Think how much better it is to criticize conventional customs if you yourself live up to them, scrupulously.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Better Criticize Custom Love Much Think Yourself
Unhappy women are given to protecting their sensitiveness by cynical gossip, by whining, by high-church and new-thought religions, or by a fog of vagueness.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Critical Given Gossip Protect Sensitiveness Unhappy Women
As ever admit it; and I do believe that if we busted out and admitted it sometimes, instead of being nice and patient and loyal for sixty years, and then nice and patient and dead for the rest of eternity, why, maybe, possibly, we might make life more fun.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Admit Believe Bust Dearth Eternity Fun Life Loyal More Nice Possible Sometimes
He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Detest Fear Just Love Much People Person
We’d get sick on too many cookies, but ever so much sicker on no cookies at all.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

All Cookies Ever May Sick Sicker Too
Our American professors like their literature clear and cold and pure and very dead.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Clear Cold Country Dead Literature Professor Pure Very
His name was George F. Babbitt, and . . . he was nimble in the calling of selling houses for more than people could afford to pay.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Afford Call Country House More Name Nimble Pay People Person Sell
There are so many people in the world who are eager to do for you things that you do not wish done, provided only that you will do for them things that you don’t wish to do.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Do Done Eager Many People Provide So Them Thing Will World
Sure of itself, it bullies other civilizations, as a traveling salesman in a brown derby conquers the wisdom of China and tacks advertisements of cigarettes over arches for centuries dedicated to the sayings of Confucius.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Century Civilization Country Dedicate Impossible Inspiration Itself Salesman Suire Traveling Wisdom
One quarter are afraid to speak, and one quarter are killed and you die with them. But the blessed final quarter keep you alive.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Afraid Alive Bless Die Kill Leep One Quater Speak
Upon this theology he rarely pondered. The kernel of his practical religion was that it was respectable, and beneficial to one’s business, to be seen going to services; that the church kept the Worst Elements from being still worse.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Church Element Ponder Rarely Respectable Service Theology Theory Upon Worst
There are two insults which no human being will endure: The assertion that he hasn’t a sense of humor, and the doubly impertinent assertion that he has never known trouble.
SINCLAIR LEWIS

Assertion Being Endure Human Humor Imperlinent Insult Sense

Except for half a dozen in each town the citizens are proud of that achievement of ignorance which is so easy to come by.

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Except for half a dozen in each town the citizens are proud of that achievement of ignorance which is so easy to come by.

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