Good As Gold Quotes

“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

“We have no ideas, and they're pretty firm.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“Gold had discovered, since starting to exercise strenuously several years before, that he was able to make love with greater vitality, stamina, and self-control than formerly, and with much less pleasure.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“All were successful,and felt like failures.
Gold no longer pretended to understand the nature of success.Instead,he pretended not to. He knew the components that were necessary:
None,
or maybe one:
Dumb luck”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“Once when Gold was visiting in Florida,his father drew him across the street just to meet some friends and introduced him by saying,"This is my son's brother.The one that never amounted to much.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“You will hurt your foot.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“...it is often impossible to tell the difference between the ravages of deep love and cheap whiskey on the vital organs...”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“Gold never doubted that racial discrimination was atrocious, unjust, and despicably cruel and degrading. But he knew in his heart that he much preferred it the old way, when he was safer. Things were much better for him when they had been much worse.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“His novel, a work he had wrestled with, on and off, for almost three years, he had finally abandoned after one page. The novel was derivative of a poem Gold had written seven years before that was itself derived from a brilliant exegesis by a young Englishman of the works of Samuel Beckett that Gold wished he'd written himself.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“Gold's father was five feet two and subject to unexpected attacks of wisdom. 'Make money!' he might shout suddenly, apropos of nothing, and his stepmother would add liturgically, 'You should all listen to your father.'   ”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“   'What are you making?' he'd asked her one time out of curiosity that could no longer be borne in silence.
   'You'll see,' she replied mysteriously.
   He consulted his father. 'Pa, what's she making?'
   'Mind your own business.'
   'I was only asking.'
   'Don't ask personal questions.'
   'Rose, what's she knitting?' he asked his sister.
   'Wool,' Belle answered.
   'Belle, I know that. But what's she doing with it?'
   'Knitting,' said Esther.   ”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“Normally it was not until the latter half of a course that Gold lost interest in his subject matter and starting disliking his students. This term it was happening at the outset.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“Certainly,nothing proceeded according to desire.In the long run, failure was the only thing that worked predictably. All else was accidental. Good intentions had miscarried, and bad ones had not improved.”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“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 of greater ability,better character, and higher intelligence who, by comparison, had failed”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold

“All were successful,and felt like failures.
Gold no longer pretended to understand the nature of success.Instead,he pretended not to. He knew the components that were necessary:
None,or maybe one:
Dumb luck”
― Joseph Heller, Good As Gold