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Quote by Norman Mailer

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The Naked and the Dead

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Author

Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, and essayist renowned for his daring and innovative writing. His works frequently examined the human condition, focusing on the roles of power and violence in society. Mailer's most celebrated novel, 'The Naked and the Dead', was published in 1948 and is regarded as a classic of American literature. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel 'The Armies of the Night' in 1968. Mailer's writing style was marked by its vivid descriptions and his readiness to address controversial subjects. more

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“Dear, Missus, Mister - I beg you never to give thoughts to war, in no way, not to work for it, not by writing nor by reading about it nor by looking at the pictures nor on the television about it. Not in any way ever, at all. Not by being a soldier, sailor, airman, work in factory or above all at atom bombs. Above all at atom bombs. No obligation for this, dear fellow creature. Signed Your Fellow Creature.' 'P.S.,' said Gerald slowly, without turning from the window, 'If we all do this, we shall succeed.”

“The world," said Pavone, "will swing to the left. The whole world except America. The world will swing, not because people read Karl Marx, or because agitators will come out of Russia, but because, after the war is over, that will be the only way they can turn. Everything else will have been tried, everything else will have failed. And I am afraid that American will be isolated, hated, backward, we will all be living there like old maids in a lonely house in the woods, locking the doors, looking under the beds, with a fortune in the mattress, not being able to sleep, because every time the wind blows and a floor creaks, we will think the murderers are breaking in to kill us and take our treasure...”

“Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”