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Joseph Mitchell Quotes

Writer

Joseph Mitchell was an American writer born on July 27, 1908, and died on May 24, 1996. He is renowned for his profound insights into the everyday life of New York City and his unique narrative style.

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All Feels New York Stills Art Baby Bartender Buyers Carriages Cities Coast

Famous Joseph Mitchell Quotes

“That’s one of the damnedest things I ever found out about human emotions and how treacherous they can be - the fact that you can hate a place with all your heart and soul and still be homesick for it. Not to speak of the fact that you can hate a person with all your heart and soul and still long for that person.”

Emotions Homesickness

Book:Joe Gould's Secret

Source: Joe Gould's Secret

“When I get through tearing a lobster apart, or one of those tender West Coast octopuses, I feel like I had a drink from the fountain of youth.”

Feels Youth Drink West Tenderness Coast Fountain West Coast Lobster Octopus Fountain Of Youth

Author:Joseph Mitchell

“I have a great deal of experience in justifying myself to myself.”

Deals

Author:Joseph Mitchell

“Life is a goddam mess...but you wouldn't want to miss it!”

Want Life Is Missing Mess

Author:Joseph Mitchell

“My dad was a cotton buyer and cotton buyers always considered themselves superior to the rest of the world.”

World Dad My Dad Superiors Cotton Buyers

Author:Joseph Mitchell

“I never felt at home. I stuck outIn New York City, especially in Greenwich Village, down among the cranks and the misfits and the one-lungers and the has-beens and the might've beens and the would-bes and the never-wills and the God-knows-whats, I have always felt at home.”

Knows Has Beens Home Might Would Be Felt Cities New York Stuck Village New York City God Knows Misfits Crank Greenwich Greenwich Village

Author:Joseph Mitchell

“The best talk is artless, the talk of people trying to reassure or comfort themselves, women in the sun, grouped around baby carriages, talking about their weeks in the hospital or the way meat has gone up, or men in saloons, talking to combat the loneliness everyone feels.”

People Men Way Feels Trying Talking Sun Gone Week Loneliness Baby Comfort Meat Hospitals Combat Carriages Saloons

Book:My Ears Are Bent

Source: My Ears Are Bent

“All information of a spiritual or personal nature will have to come from our father, who art in heaven, and I think he's in New York right now.”

Thinking Art Spiritual Father Heaven Information New York Right Now Our Father

Book:My Ears Are Bent

Source: My Ears Are Bent

“He had a habit of remarking to bartenders that he didn't see any sense in mixing whiskey with water since the whiskey was already wet.”

Water Habit Wet Whiskey Mixing Bartender

Book:Up in the Old Hotel

Source: Up in the Old Hotel

“Also, I had not yet found out about time; I was still under the illusion that I had plenty of time - time for this, time for that, time for everything, time to waste.”

Stills Found Waste Illusion Plenty

Book:Joe Gould's Secret

Source: Joe Gould's Secret

“...you can hate a place with all your heart and soul and still be homesick for it.”

Heart Stills Soul Hate Heart And Soul Homesick

Book:Joe Gould's Secret

Source: Joe Gould's Secret

About the Author

Born: July 27, 1908
Died: May 24, 1996
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 11

Books & Sources

Joe Gould's SecretRelated source material

My Ears Are BentRelated source material

Up in the Old HotelRelated source material

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