Bill Callahan

“I sometimes see a shortcoming in myself, how little patience or understanding I have for many people in the way they act. I am able to see the fragility in some, but I only have so much time to wade through their manipulations and traps and draining behaviour. Some people think I'm heartless in leaving others to suffer their own selves.”

“It crossed my mind that my letters are all about me and not you. I would hope that you pay me the same respect.”

“I wanted to hold you until I heard one voice. I stood without intention of moving and realized we see every punch coming in a boxing movie but in real life we miss a lot of them.”

“Your letter filled the hole in my day like a key.Turn it.”

“No matter how far wrong you've gone you can always turn around”

“Everything I've done today could have been done by a bear. The long seasoned sleep. The lumbering out of bed. Tearing at a hard roll dipped in honey. And then sprawling lazily in the grass when the sun hit.”

“I have never cried in the shower. That's a woman thing I think.”

“I bought a big bag of potatoes and it's growing eyes like crazy. Other foods rot. Potatoes want to see.”

“A drink centers me but I usually make myself wait until at least 9:00 PM for that. Or 8:00 PM. Whichever comes first.”

“At the heel end of the day, I need my glass of wine. Christmas lights for the brain.”

“When faced with everything sometimes the best course of action is nothing.”

“And I hope each morning you wake like a bird in a nest and fly without a thought.”

“When they make the movie of your lifethey're going to have to ask youto do your own stuntsbecause nobody, nobody, nobody, nobodycould pull off the same shit as youand still come out alright”

“All thoughts are prey to some beast”

“I have been mostly dull lately. Like a butter knife. And hoping to find, when called upon, something more in my arsenal than a butter knife. Unless my opponent is actually butter. Then that would be fine. Room temperature butter.”

“Why do I do such things.I hope the answer is that I embrace life with abandon. But I fear the truth is that I'm irresponsible.”

“But I feel overwhelmed with the everyday things that insist on my attention. And under-whelmed.”

“She doesn't use her neck. She only acknowledges things that come at her head on. And she's one of those people that answer your question before you even get through it. And the answer always begins with No, even if it's Yes. Or worse, No no no.”

“I'm not really interested in religion or history or science or mathematics or psychology or politics or geography. I feel I am above them all, except geography. Geography is above me for now.”

“I didn't want to admit I was aware of what she was doing. Which is alright. But you shouldn't let someone seek refuge in you. With is alright.”

“I was trained to turn loneliness into laziness.”

“You are the reason I get out of bed. To tell you that I have gotten out of bed.”

“Robin used to hate to see me eat. I chewed too long for her taste. One day I figured it out. She had put two and two together. All that chewing! It was the food that was keeping me alive!”

“They say marriages work better if you don't know the person too well. Maybe we should stop writing each other posthaste.”

“When I moved, I unearthed the diaries I kept for ten years. I sat and went through them and they were a worthless burden to own. People will say it's tragic I threw them out, but I know it isn't.”

“I look forward to sleeping each night. The air is cool and it often starts to rain around 2:00 A.M., breaking the heat and singing me to sleep. And I drink my tequila as if I'd be letting you down if I didn't.”

“Eid ma clack shawZupoven del baMertepy ven seinurCofally ragdah”