Of Love and Dust Quotes

“I spoke to the Old Man a couple of times, but I’m sure He didn’t hear a word I said. He had quit listening to man a million years ago. Now all He does is play chess by Himself or sit around playing solitary with old cards.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“wanted to be there to say good-bye to him. No matter what a person does, there ought to be somebody on his side at the last moment.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“The heavier the burden, the longer they look at you. And Miss Julie looked at me a long, long time.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“So that’s why he needed me, that’s why he wanted me to go with them. Not that a white man couldn’t ride all over the South with a black woman, but if they were traveling in daytime by themselves, the black woman had to look like she was either going to work or coming from work. It wouldn’t be safe for her to be dressed like Pauline was now or to have that powder smelling on her breast like Pauline did now. No, they wouldn’t say anything to Bonbon; they probably wouldn’t say anything to Pauline in front of Bonbon. But if they caught her by herself they would definitely remind her to never do it again.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“Let me pass, Marcus,” Pauline was saying. “I’m telling you, now.” “What he got on you?” Marcus said. “What’s the matter with you, woman?” “I’m telling you, let me pass,” Pauline said. “What’s the matter with you?” he said. “I been working up there all night like a slave, like a dog—and all on ’count of him. What’s the matter with you?” “I’m telling you,” she said. “Let me pass.” He moved closer. “Don’t you put your hands on me,” she said. “I mean it, don’t you put your hands on me, you killer.” He hit her and knocked her down. She got up. “If I tell him, he’ll kill you for this. He’ll kill you.” “You white man bitch,” he said. He hit her again. She fell again. “Leave that woman ’lone, boy,” Pa Bully hollered at him. “Mr. Grant,” Aunt Ca’line said, warningly. “You hear me out there, boy?” Pa Bully called. Pauline was up again. “You bitch,” Marcus said to her. “You bloody whore.” She was running toward the gate now. “You whore,” he called to her. She was running in the yard now. She ran in the house and locked the door. He stood there a while looking at the house; then he went on.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“So now it had started. Now they were going to give him a taste of what it meant to kill and then let yourself be bonded out of jail. They were going to let him know (not that they cared a hoot for the other boy) that he wasn’t tough as he thought he was.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“Monday, twelve o’clock, Marcus started looking at Bonbon’s wife. He was riding on the tractor with me, and as we went by the house I saw him looking at her on the gallery. I didn’t think too much of it then because I thought he was still hooked on Pauline. But Louise had seen him looking at her, and when we came back down the quarter I saw how she had shifted that chair so she could face the road better. Marcus looked at her again but he didn’t say anything to me about her. Since I didn’t think he was looking at her on purpose, I didn’t say anything either.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“I didn’t want to show it. Because if what he was saying was true, there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. Marshall was too big. If it was just Bonbon who wanted to hurt Marcus, you might be able to prevent that. Bonbon was nothing but a poor white man, and sometimes you could go to the rich white man for help. But where did you go when it was the rich white man? You couldn’t even go to the law, because he was the law. He was police, he was judge, he was jury.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“Why?” I kept on asking myself. “Why? Who is this boy and why?” I knew that white men bonded colored boys out of jail for a few hundred dollars and worked them until they had gotten all their money back two and three times over. But I was trying to figure out why Marshall Hebert would do this when he already had more people than he needed. Now I knew. This little old lady had the finger on him, too.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust

“But the funny thing about all this, Marcus didn’t know Louise had been looking at him for a week already. If he had, I doubt if he would have wanted Louise. Because, you see, he wanted her only for revenge. He wanted to get to her, not her getting to him. He wanted to clown for her, he probably would have stood on his head for her, probably would have walked on his hands for her—until he got into those drawers. Then that would have been the end. If they lynched him after, it wouldn’t have meant a thing. Because, you see, they couldn’t take away what he had got. No, he probably would have laughed at his lynchers.”
― Ernest J. Gaines, Of Love and Dust