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Quote by C. Robert Cargill

“People gave us a purpose. Something to do all day, every day. At the end, I suppose, you spend a lot of time thinking about that. It's harder to get by when getting by is all there is.”

Book:Sea of Rust

Work

Sea of Rust

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Author

C. Robert Cargill

C. Robert Cargill is an American screenwriter born on September 8, 1975. He is known for his work in films and television, particularly in the science fiction and fantasy genres. more

“The whistling dawn, the sussurration of the leaves, a honking goose, and then a sentimental confab at the Solid Rock Gospel Church with a wounded soul who poured his heart out to Press precisely because he was blind and therefore harmless. Since these individuals had no money, he couldn't give them financial advice, just wholehearted sympathy. As at the commune, a toddler might scramble into his lap, and while he petted the child its mother held a cookie to its mouth and another one to his to bite and chew. A world worth living in and for.”

Helping Others Blindness Simple Life Kindness Of Strangers Getting By Crippled People

Book:In the Country of the Blind

Source: In the Country of the Blind

“I can remember when delusions of grandeur entailed wanting to be a rock star, movie star, a millionaire; to make it as a writer— now it seems that it’s to want to earn a decent living”

America Money Delusions Of Grandeur Getting By The Struggle Life

Book:White Wedding Lies, and Discontent: An American Love Story

Source: White Wedding Lies, and Discontent: An American Love Story

“Any dictatorship takes a psychological toll on its subjects. If you are treated as an untrustworthy person-a potential slacker, drug addict, or thief-you may begin to feel less trust worthy yourself. If you are constantly reminded of your lowly position in the social hierarchy, whether by individual managers or by a plethora of impersonal rules, you begin to accept that unfortunate status. To draw for a moment from an entirely different corner of my life, that part of me still attached to the biological sciences, there is ample evidence that animals-rats and monkeys, for example-that are forced into a subordinate status within their social systems adapt their brain chemistry accordingly, becoming "depressed" in humanlike ways. Their behavior is anxious and withdrawn; the level of serotonin (the neurotransmitter boosted by some antidepressants) declines in their brains. And-what is especially relevant here-they avoid fighting even in self-defense. Humans are, of course, vastly more complicated; even in situations of extreme subordination, we can pump up our self-esteem with thoughts of our families, our religion, our hopes for the future. But as much as any other social animal, and more so than many, we depend for our self-image on the humans immediately around us-to the point of altering our perceptions of the world so as to fit in with theirs. My guess is that the indignities imposed on so many low-wage workers - the drug tests, the constant surveillance, being "reamed out" by managers - are part of what keeps wages low. If you're made to feel unworthy enough, you may come to think that what you're paid is what you are actually worth. It is hard to imagine any other function for workplace authoritarianism. Managers may truly believe that, without their unremitting efforts, all work would quickly grind to a halt. That is not my impression. While I encountered some cynics and plenty of people who had learned to budget their energy, I never met an actual slacker or, for that matter, a drug addict or thief. On the contrary, I was amazed and sometimes saddened by the pride people took in jobs that rewarded them so meagerly, either in wages or in recognition. Often, in fact, these people experienced management as an obstacle to getting the job done as it should be done.”

Journalism Work Ethic Minimum Wage Work Quotes Living Wage Undercover Labor Quotes Getting By Dignity Of Labor

Book:Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Source: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America