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I think it’s realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: ‘I despair. The world’s no good.’ That’s a perverse idealist. It’s practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. That’s very realistic.

Studs Terkel

If there is knowledge, it lies in the fusion of the book and the street.
STUDS TERKEL

Book Fusion Knowledge Lying
People are hungry for stories. It’s part of our very being.
STUDS TERKEL

Hungry People Stories
I said, “Suppose communists come out against cancer, do we have to automatically come out for cancer?'” I can’t take back that I’m against the poll tax, that I’m against lynching, that I’m for peace.
STUDS TERKEL

Cancer Communist Lynching
I find labels “liberal” and “conservative” of little meaning. Our language has become perverted along with the thoughts of many of us.
STUDS TERKEL

Labels Littles Perspective
I want to praise activists through the years. I praise those of the past as well, to have them honored.
STUDS TERKEL

Hero Past Year
Work is a search for daily meaning as well as for daily bread.
STUDS TERKEL

Bread Daily Bread Well
Marvin Miller, I suspect, is the most effective union organizer since John L. Lewis.
STUDS TERKEL

Baseball Marvin Union
More and more we are into communications; and less and less into communication.
STUDS TERKEL

Communication Less More World
Most of us, like the assembly line worker, have jobs that are too small for our spirit. Jobs are not big enough for people.
STUDS TERKEL

Job Lines People
One of the definitive works on gay life. Through this collective testimony we may come to understand what it is to be ‘the other’; in short, the other part of ourselves.
STUDS TERKEL

Gay May Testimony
There are nascent stirrings in the neighborhood and in the field, articulated by non-celebrated people who bespeak the dreams of their fellows. It may be catching. Unfortunately, it is not covered on the six o’clock news.
STUDS TERKEL

Dream News People
I suppose if I have an epitaph it would be: “Curiosity Did Not Kill This Cat.” I don’t see retiring in the sense that we view it – I don’t see how I could. Dying at the microphone or at the typewriter would not be bad.
STUDS TERKEL

Cat Curiosity Dying
I think it’s realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: ‘I despair. The world’s no good.’ That’s a perverse idealist. It’s practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. That’s very realistic.
STUDS TERKEL

Despair Think World
You know, ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’? It’s the same with powerlessness. Absolute powerlessness corrupts absolutely. Einstein said everything had changed since the atom was split, except the way we think. We have to think anew.
STUDS TERKEL

Atoms Splits Thinking
People are hungry for stories. It’s part of our very being. Storytelling is a form of history, of immortality too. It goes from one generation to another. -Studs Terkel
STUDS TERKEL

Generations People Stories
So how are things going along? Pretty good. Going to be good tomorrow? Hope so.
STUDS TERKEL

Be Good Tomorrow

I think it’s realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: ‘I despair. The world’s no good.’ That’s a perverse idealist. It’s practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. That’s very realistic.

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I think it’s realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: ‘I despair. The world’s no good.’ That’s a perverse idealist. It’s practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. That’s very realistic.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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