“I did discover that if you're interested in low wages, a bookstore ranks below retail clothing sales, except the hours are worse.”

“It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.”

“A civilization without retail bookstores is unimaginable. Like shrines and other sacred meeting places, bookstores are essential artifacts of human nature. The feel of a book taken from the shelf and held in the hand is a magical experience, linking writer to reader.”

“In regards to the price of commodities, the rise of wages operates as simple interest does, the rise of profit operates like compound interest. Our merchants and masters complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price and lessening the sale of goods. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people.”

“The anarch wages his own wars, even when marching in rank and file”

“Don't you ever see the bright side of things?" Patrick asks as I mope against the bottom of the ladder."Easy to see the bright side when you're getting paid by the hour.""Delilah, I will gladly give you my fill wage plus a month's supply of your iced choco-nut whatever lattes if you trade places and clothes with my right now.""You're not wearing a shirt.""That's the deal, Hannaford," he says.”