“Who are we as individuals to judge the masses?--used recently in a debate”

“It is only through fiction and the dimension of the imaginary that we can learn something real about individual experience. Any other approach is bound to be general and abstract.”

“Last WillPrologue:We, Sacco and Vanzetti, sound of body and mind,Devise and bequeath to all we leave behind,The worldly wealth we inherited at our birth,Each one to share alike as we leave this earth.To Wit:To babies we will their mothers’ love,To youngsters we will the sun above.To spooners who wont to tryst the night,We give the moon and stars that shine so bright.To thrill them in their hours of joy,When boy hugs maid and maid hugs boy.To nature’s creatures we allot the spring and summer,To the doe, the bear, the gold-finch and the hummer.To the fishes we ascribe the deep blue sea,The honey we apportion to the bustling bee.To the pessimist—good cheer—his mind to sooth,To the chronic liar we donate the solemn truth.And Lastly:To those who judge solely seeking renown,With blaring trumpets of the fakir and clown;To the prosecutor, persecutor, and other human hounds,Who’d barter another’s honor, recognizing no bounds,To the Governor, the Jury, who another’s life they’d sell—We endow them with the fiery depths of HELL!(Industrial Worker, Aug. 20, 1927)”

“He'll admit to his feelings when he's in his cups."The valet nodded. "That's true, ma'am. If we could get him drunk."Clara stifled a laugh. "I am not certain I would want a man who has to be drunk to admit his love for me.”

“The lives and deaths of characters in stories and poems, however tragic, help us to learn about the world and - if we are brave enough - to change it.”

“Congratulations?" Martin's expression was like boiling milk. "Congratulations? I will not permit my sister to marry such a rogue.""Martin, darling." Juliana said, putting a gentle hand on her husband's arm, "I completely understand your misgivings but I do think we should consider the matter calmly.""Calmly!" Martin spun around. "I am not calm!""I think we all realize that, dearest," Juliana said.”

“You think it's all rather too "New Age" to be taken seriously, eh?''Not at all.''But it's an ancient discipline...''New Age disciplines invariably are,' Beede said, disparagingly, 'but in the modern world they lack context - we just pick them up and then toss them back down again, we consume them. They have no moral claim on us. No moral value. And without that they're rendered meaningless, fatuous, even.”