365 Quotes by J. D. Salinger

As nearly as possible in the spirit of Matthew Salinger, age one, urging a luncheon companion to accept a cool lima bean, I urge my editor, mentor and (heaven help him) closest friend, William Shawn, genius domus of The New Yorker, lover of the long shot, protector of the unprolific, defender of the hopelessly flamboyant, most unreasonably modest of born great artist-editors to accept this pretty skimpy-looking book.

Nobody who's really using his ego, his real ego, has any time for any goddam hobbies

I'm aware that many of my friends will be saddened and shocked, or shock-saddened, over some of the chapters in 'The Catcher In the Rye.' Some of my best friends are children. In fact, all my best friends are children. It's almost unbearable for me to realize that my book will be kept on a shelf out of their reach.

I just never felt so fantastically rocky in my entire life.

I held hands with her all the time...that doesn't sound like much, I realize, but she was terrific to hold hands with. Most girls if you hold hands with them, their goddam hand dies on you, or else they think they have to keep moving their hand all the time, as if they were afraid they'd bore you or something.

There are nice things in the world - and I mean nice things. We're all such morons to get so sidetracked.

Give me an honest con man any day.

Real ugly girls have it tough. I feel so sorry for them sometimes.

If I were God, I certainly wouldn't want people to love me sentimentally. It's too unreliable.