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Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker Quotes

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Famous Dorothy Parker Quotes

“There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine. Oh, hard is the struggle, and sparse is The gain of the one at the top, For art is a form of catharsis, And love is a permanent flop, And work is the province of cattle, And rest's for a clam in a shell, So I'm thinking of throwing the battle - Would you kindly direct me to hell?”

ThinkingGivingLittlesArtHardFormWaterLove IsStruggleHellMinesBattleProjectsArt IsHumorousGainsDirectAnd LoveWinePermanentThrowingShellsProvincesCattleCatharsisClams
Book:Collected poems: Not so deep as a well
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“They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.”

IfsThinkingShouldArtGamesNamesNiceAdviceDespiteNosesExpertsAcquaintanceThumbsInseparableDoubtfulDividendsParlorParlor Games
Book:Not So Deep as a Well
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“The nowadays ruling that no word is unprintable has, I think, done nothing whatever for beautiful letters. The boys have gone hog-wild with liberty, yet the short flat terms used over and over, both in dialogue and narrative, add neither vigor nor clarity; the effect is not of shock but of something far more dangerous — tedium.”

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Author:Dorothy Parker
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“I'll think about something else. I'll just sit quietly. If I could sit still. If I could sit still, maybe I could read. Oh, all the books are about people who love each other, truly and sweetly. What do they want to write about that for? Don't they know it isn't true? Don't they know it's a lie, it's a God-damned lie? What do they have to tell about that for, when they know how it hurts?”

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Book:Complete Stories
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