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Quote by Donald Barthelme

“Is it permitted to differ with Kierkegaard? Not only permitted but necessary. If you love him.”

Author

Donald Barthelme was an American author born on April 7, 1931, and passed away on July 23, 1989. Known for his unique literary style and experimental writing, Barthelme is considered one of the representatives of postmodernist literature. more

“Naked girls with the heads of Marx and Malraux prone and helpless in the glare of the headlights, tried to give them a little joie de vivre but maybe it didn't take, their constant bickering and smallness, it's like a stroke of lightning, the world reminds you of its power, tracheotomies right and left, I am spinning, my pretty child, don't scratch, pick up your feet, the long nights, spent most of my time listening, this is a test of the system, this is only a test.”

Source: Sixty stories

“The center will not hold if it has been spot-welded by an operator whose deepest concern is not with the weld but with his lottery ticket.”

Ifs Has Beens Concern Spots Tickets Lottery Operators Lottery Ticket

Book:Sixty stories

Source: Sixty stories

“Will you be wanting to contest the divorce?" I asked Mrs. Davis. "I should think not," she said calmly, "although I suppose on of us should, for the fun of the thing. An uncontested divorce always seems to me contrary to the spirit of divorce.”

Thinking Should Said Seems Spirit Fun Divorce Contrary Contests

Book:Sixty stories

Source: Sixty stories

“People always like to hear that they're under stress, makes them feel better. You can imagine what they'd feel if they were told they weren't under stress.”

People Ifs Feels Imagine Stress Feel Better Under Stress

Author:Donald Barthelme

“"I smell fennel," Launcelot said. "That reminds me, I should tell you I have discovered a specific for maims. You take salt, good-quality river mud, and bee urine, and slather it on the maim and hold it there for two days. Works like a charm. Gathering the bee urine is a bit of a bore."”

Should Said Two Bits Quality Rivers Smell Charm Salt Bees Bores Mud Gathering Two Days Good Quality

Author:Donald Barthelme

“"How does one conquer fear, Don B.?" "One takes a frog and sews it to one's shoe," he said. "The left or the right?" Don B. gave me a pitying look. "Well, you'd look mighty funny going down the street with only one frog sewed to your shoes, wouldn't you?" he said. "One frog on each shoe."”

Wells Looks Doe Said Left Streets Shoes Conquer Frogs Conquering Fear

Author:Donald Barthelme

“Who among us is not thinking about divorce, except for a few tiny-minded stick-in-the-muds who don't count?”

Thinking Sticks Divorce Tiny Mud

Book:The teachings of Don B.: satires, parodies, fables, illustrated stories, and plays of Donald Barthelme

Source: The teachings of Don B.: satires, parodies, fables, illustrated stories, and plays of Donald Barthelme

“Now it is necessary to court her, and win her, and put on this clean dressing gown, and cut my various nails, and drink something that will kill the millions of germs in my mouth, and say something flattering, and be witty and bonny, and hale and kinky, all just to ease this wrinkle in the groin. It seems a high price.”

Seems Winning Millions Cutting Drink Mouths Court Clean Witty Various Ease Nails Dressings Wrinkles Flattering Germs Gowns Kinky Hale High Prices

Author:Donald Barthelme

“Instant gratification is not as good as that gratification which comes dripping slow, over the sere seasons.”

Seasons Instant Gratification Dripping Instant Gratification

Author:Donald Barthelme

“As Jules Renard said, no matter how much care an author takes to write as few books as possible, there will be people who haven't heard of some of them.”

People Writing Said Book Matter Care Heard Havens

Book:Flying to America: 45 More Stories

Source: Flying to America: 45 More Stories

Quote by Donald Barthelme

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