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Quote by Patrick Süskind

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a novel by Patrick Suskind, first published in 1985. The story follows the protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a man born with an extraordinary sense of smell. Grenouille's obsession with creating the perfect scent leads him on a path of murder and madness. Set in the tumultuous era of the French Revolution, the novel combines historical detail with a fantastical narrative, offering a haunting and thought-provoking exploration of obsession and the human condition. more

Author

Patrick Süskind

Patrick Süskind is a renowned German writer, born on March 26, 1949. He is best known for his novel 'Perfume', which has been adapted into a successful film, further enhancing his international fame. more

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“From his youth on , he had been accustomed to people's passing him and taking no notice of him whatever , not out contempt -as hehad once believed - But because they were quite unaware of his existence. There was no space surrounding him, no waves broke from him into the atmosphere, as with other people; he had no shadow, so to speak, to cast across another's face. Only if he ran right into someone in a crowd or in a street-corner collision would there be a brief moment of discernment; and th person en countered would bounce off and stare at him for a few seconds as if gazing at a creature that ought not even exist, a creature that, although undeniably there, in some way or other was not present- and would take to his heels and have forgotten him, Grenouille, a moment later .......”

“Why? So you can still qualify for assistance? Your family is gaming the system?" "No." Diana had always hated when people said this about her family. The bosses who made her dad list a payroll company as his employer, they gamed the system. The assholes who convinced her parents to take out both a second mortgage and a HELOC in 2006 gamed the system. The employers who would never give Edith enough hours for benefits gamed the system. But ask a lot of people, and they'd tell you it's people like her grandma who game the system. They'd tell you that an old woman who's worked hard every day of her life and still struggles to get by is a malignant vacuum for their personal tax dollars, and a blight on their lives as free Americans. "We're just trying to live.”

“You think of killing him on the spot but discard that thought and leave, down into the urine-stinking elevator, they have you crucified too, America at work, where they rip out your intestines and your brain and your will and your spirit. They suck you dry, then throw you away. The capitalist system. The work ethic. The profit motive. The memory of your father’s words, “work hard and you’ll be appreciated.” of course, only if you make much more for them than they pay you.”