Home / Quotes / Quote by Sinclair Lewis

Quote by Sinclair Lewis

“So much in a revolution is nothing but waiting.”

Author

American novelist known for his profound depiction of middle-class life in the United States. His notable works include 'Babbitt' and 'Main Street'. more

“I am convinced that everything that is worth while in the world has been accomplished by the free, inquiring, critical spirit, and that the preservation of this spirit is more important than any social system whatsoever. But the men of ritual and the men of barbarism are capable of shutting up the men of science and silencing them forever.”

Men World Has Beens Important Spirit Social Forever He Man Capable Critical Convinced Accomplished Ritual Preservation Barbarism Social Systems Inquiring Silencing Critical Spirit

Book:It Can't Happen Here

Source: It Can't Happen Here

“Under a tyranny, most friends are a liability. One quarter of them turn "reasonable" and become your enemies, one quarter are afraid to speak, and one quarter are killed and you die with them. But the blessed final quarter keep you alive.”

Dies Turns Speak Friendship Enemy Alive Becoming Blessed Killing Finals Tyranny Novelists Reasonable Quarters Liability

Book:It Can't Happen Here

Source: It Can't Happen Here

“Indians, of course, have no "theology," and indeed no word for the system of credulity in which the white priests arrange for God, who must be entirely bewildered by it, a series of excuses for his failures.”

Courses White Series Excuse Theology Priests Credulity Bewildered

Author:Sinclair Lewis

“Fortune has dealt with me rather too well. I have known little struggle, not much poverty, many generosities. Now and then I have, for my books or myself, been somewhat warmly denounced -- there was one good pastor in California who upon reading my Elmer Gantry desired to lead a mob and lynch me, while another holy man in the state of Maine wondered if there was no respectable and righteous way of putting me in jail.”

Ifs Men Way Wells Littles Book States Reading Known Poverty Struggle Holy Fortune Generosity California Jail Righteous Now And Then Pastor Respectable Maine Holy Man

Book:Why Sinclair Lewis got the Nobel prize

Source: Why Sinclair Lewis got the Nobel prize

“Life is hard and astonishingly complicated.... No one great reform will make it easy. Most of us who work -- or want to work -- will always have trouble or discontent. So we must learn to be calm, and train all our faculties, and make others happy.”

Want Hard Life Is Easy Trouble Train Calm Complicated Reform Faculty Discontent Life Is Hard Make Others Happy

Book:The Job: An American Novel

Source: The Job: An American Novel

“When you think that most of us are doomed by divine grace to roast in hell, to say nothing of mortgages and hail and bad crops and extravagant womenfolks, 'tain't any laughing matter!”

Thinking Matter Laughing Hell Grace Divine Doomed Crops Mortgage Hail Extravagant Divine Grace

Author:Sinclair Lewis

“The one thing that can be more disconcerting than intelligent hatred is demanding love.”

One Thing Hatred Intelligent

Book:Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott

Source: Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott

“A village in a country which is taking pains to become altogether standardized and pure, which aspires to succeed Victorian England as the chief mediocrity of the world, is no longer merely provincial, no longer downy and restful in its leaf-shadowed ignorance. It is a force seeking to conquer the earth. Sure of itself, it bullies other civilizations, as a traveling salesman in a brown derby conquers the wisdom of China and tacks advertisements of cigarettes over arches for centuries dedicated to the sayings of Confucius.”

“I was brought up to believe that the Christian God wasn't a scared and compromising public servant, but the creator of the whole merciless truth, and I reckon that training spoiled me - I actually took my teachers seriously!”

Believe Whole Christian Teacher Training Scared Creator Compromise Servant Spoiled Public Servants Christian God

Author:Sinclair Lewis

“Unhappy women are given to protecting their sensitiveness by cynical gossip, by whining, by high-church and new-thought religions, or by a fog of vagueness.”

Given Church Unhappy Gossip Cynical Fog New Thought Whining Vagueness Happy Woman

Book:Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott

Source: Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott

Quote by Sinclair Lewis

Author

You May Also Like