Thomas Cannon > Thomas's Quotes

“The fact is, what I hated in the Church was what I hated in society. Namely, authoritarians. Power freaks. Rigid dogmatists. Those greedy, underloved, undersexed twits who want to run everything. While the rest of us are busy living - busy tasting and testing and hugging and kissing and goofing and growing - they are busy taking over.”
― Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction

“This did not annoy Amanda for it had long been her theory that human beings were invented by water as a device for transporting itself from one place to another.”
― Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction

“Don't trust anybody who'd rather be grammatically correct than have a good time.”
― Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All

“Does koala bear poop smell like cough drops?”
― Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

“One of the hallmarks of our politics now is that we tend to elect those who can campaign over those who can lead;”
― Ethan Canin, America America

“What a lousy earth! He wondered how many people were destitute that same night even in his own prosperous country, how many homes were shanties, how many husbands were drunk and wives socked, and how many children were bullied, abused, or abandoned. How many families hungered for food they could not afford to buy? How many hearts were broken? How many suicides would take place that same night, how many people would go insane? How many cockroaches and landlords would triumph? How many winners were losers, successes failures, and rich men poor men? How many wise guys were stupid? How many happy endings were unhappy endings? How many honest men were liars, brave men cowards, loyal men traitors, how many sainted men were corrupt, how many people in positions of trust had sold their souls to bodyguards, how many had never had souls? How many straight-and-narrow paths were crooked paths? How many best families were worst families and how many good people were bad people? When you added them all up and then subtracted, you might be left with only the children, and perhaps with Albert Einstein and an old violinist or sculptor somewhere.”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“Gold was not sure of many things, but he was definite about one: for every successful person he knew, he could name at least two others of greater ability, better, and higher intelligence who, by comparison, had failed.”
― Joseph Heller, Good as Gold

“Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.”
― Joseph Heller

“The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likable. In three days no one could stand him.”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“In an ideal world the scientist should find a method to prevent the most severe forms of autism but allow the milder forms to survive. After all, the really social people did not invent the first stone spear. It was probably invented by an Aspie who chipped away at rocks while the other people socialized around the campfire. Without autism traits we might still be living in caves.”
― Temple Grandin, Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism

“It is in our lowest moods, when we are least equipped to do so, that we are tempted to try to solve problems or resolve issues with others.”
― Richard Carlson, You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective

“It is our ability to forget our problems, through the process of thought, rather than the passage of time, that frees us from the circumstances of our past.”
― Richard Carlson, You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
― Joseph Campbell

“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place. Primary reality is within; secondary reality without.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

“It's all been worth it. Every fight, all those years of childish experimentation, the occasional heartbreak, the paltry checking account, the used, old trucks. To have lived with another human being, another person, this man, as long as I have and to see him change and grow.”
― Nickolas Butler, Shotgun Lovesongs

“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking, than it is to think yourself into a new way of acting.”
― Millard Fuller

“There are sufficient resources in the world for the needs of everybody, but not enough for the greed of even a significant minority.”
― Millard Fuller

“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“Katie?" called a voice. It was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard. It was my mother.”
― Juliet Rosetti, Night of the Burning Tents

“Acknowledgements I'd like to thank the following writers, historians, and friends: The Oshkosh Area Writers Group encouraged me to pursue this story way back in 2010 and gave me much-needed critical input.”
― Juliet Rosetti, Night of the Burning Tents

“The aim of literature ... is the creation of a strange object covered with fur which breaks your heart.”
― Donald Barthelme, Come Back, Dr. Caligari

“All change is for the worse.”
― Joseph Helller