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I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot.

J. D. Salinger

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J. D. Salinger
Age: 91 †
Born: 1919
Born: January 1
Died: 2010
Died: January 27
Author
Novelist
Writer
New York City
New York
Jerome David Salinger
Jerome Salinger
Read
Illiterate
Quite
Literature

More quotes by J. D. Salinger

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Yet a real artist, I've noticed, will survive anything. (Even praise, I happily suspect.)
J. D. Salinger
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You can't stop a teacher when they want to do something. They just do it.
J. D. Salinger
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I'm beginning to feel that no author has the right to tear his characters apart if he doesn't know how, or feel that he knows how (poor sucker) to put them together again. I'm tired—my God, so tired—of leaving them all broken on the page with just 'The End' written underneath.
J. D. Salinger
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Always, always, always referring every goddam thing that happens right back to our lousy little egos.
J. D. Salinger
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I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life.
J. D. Salinger
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You take somebody that cries their goddam eyes out over phoney stuff in the movies, and nine times out of ten they're mean bastards at heart.
J. D. Salinger
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I mean how do you know what you're going to do till you do it? The answer is, you don't. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it's a stupid question.
J. D. Salinger
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Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.
J. D. Salinger
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It was just terrible! And the worst part was, I knew what a bore I was being, I knew how I was depressing people, or even hurting their feelings- but I just couldn't stop! I just could not stop picking!
J. D. Salinger
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Boy, did he depress me! I don't mean he was a bad guy- he wasn't. But you don't have to be bad guy to depress somebody- you can be a good guy and do it.
J. D. Salinger
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In my mind, I'm probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw.
J. D. Salinger
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If you sat around there long enough and heard all the phonies applauding and all, you got to hate everybody in the world, I swear you did.
J. D. Salinger
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Were most of your stars out? Were you busy writing your heart out?
J. D. Salinger
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And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I'd probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up.
J. D. Salinger
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You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm feeling blue, or puzzled , what I do, I just invite a few people to come visit me in the bathroom, and--well, we iron things out together, that's all.
J. D. Salinger
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Happiness is a solid and joy is a liquid.
J. D. Salinger
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People never believe you.
J. D. Salinger
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Bessie: 'Why don't you get married?' Zooey: 'I like riding in trains too much. You never get to sit next to the window anymore when you're married.
J. D. Salinger
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That's something that annoys the hell out of me-I mean if somebody says the coffee's all ready and it isn't.
J. D. Salinger
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Who in the Bible besides Jesus knew--knew--that we're carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we're all too goddam stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look?
J. D. Salinger