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 LEWISMost 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.
More Sinclair Lewis Quotes
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Is it possible that nobody has ever known that there never has been a completely civilized man, and won’t be for another thousand years?
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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.
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A sensational event was changing from the brown suit to the gray the contents of his pockets. He was earnest about these objects. They were of eternal importance, like baseball or the Republican Party.
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Thus Carol hit upon the tragedy of old age, which is not that it is less vigorous than youth, but that it is not needed by youth.
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Life is hard and astonishingly complicated…. No one great reform will make it easy.
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Every compulsion is put upon writers to become safe, polite, obedient, and sterile.
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And that the pastor’s sermons, however dull they might seem at the time of taking, yet had a voodooistic power which ‘did a fellow good– kept him in touch with Higher Things.
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Under a tyranny, most friends are a liability. One quarter of them turn “reasonable” and become your enemies.
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I have faith in Faith, I have reverence for all true Reverence.
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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.
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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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Whatever the misery, he could not regain contentment with a world which, once doubted, became absurd.
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I love America, but I don’t like it.
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The cocktail filled him with a whirling exhilaration behind which he was aware of devastating desires-to rush places in fast motors, to kiss girls, to sing, to be witty. … He perceived that he had gifts of profligacy which had been neglected. -chapter 8
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Pugnacity is a form of courage, but a very bad form.
SINCLAIR LEWIS