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Quote by James Purdy

“There are no manners left in America at all, because all you're doing is kicking the person next to you so that you can consume more, see more, and get more.”

Quote by James Purdy

Author

James Purdy was an American novelist born on July 17, 1914, and passed away on March 13, 2009. Known for his profound psychological portrayals and his focus on marginalized characters, his works have left a lasting impact on American literature. more

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“Actually, television tells you to take dope. It tells you to destroy the human race really, by first having more consumers and then consuming more poison and then making the whole planet uninhabitable.”

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“I wish people would call poisons poison. I don't mind people smoking marijuana, but they should admit it's a poison, and coffee's a poison, but the Americans lie so.”

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“Margaret Meade is always running around saying that marijuana's just like bread and water! Well, bread and water are poison, and marijuana's a poison. Now, if you like poison, why shouldn't you have it? But don't try to pretend that it's innocuous.”

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“There's really nothing wrong with sentimentality... Nothing I wrote is sentimental.”

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“If you're a writer, you have to be an egomaniac. You have to just believe in yourself, which is hard work.”

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“The world is telling you through The New York Times and The New York Review of Books "You must shut up. You must never appear again. Because you are not relevant to us." So you have to fight their attempt to destroy you, fight to continue feeling.”

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“I don't have any home. Everyone I grew up with, my family, are all dead. So I feel kind of like a ghost. I'm more interested in the past.”

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“There's the world of the newspapers. They believe that what is happening is happening, which is so naïve. Because they're the first to turn on that.”

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“I've never been in fashion. Not at all.”

Author:James Purdy

“I think fame is something that you've achieved in your inner self that becomes known to others outside you. There are really very few famous people in history.”

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Author:James Purdy