14 Quotes by Laurence Shames

Consumption kept the workers working, which kept the paychecks coming, which kept the people spending, which kept the investors investing, which meant there was more to consume. The system, properly understood, was independent of values and needed no philosophy to prop it up. It was a perfect circle, complete in itself - and empty in the middle.

In Joey's neighborhood the blocks were short and there were stop signs on every corner. It was hard to get going more than fifteen miles an hour, and on those lazy streets Joey's refurbished 1973 El Dorado convertible got about eight blocks to the gallon.

You have reached the home and workplace of Roberto Natchez. I do not often take calls. I make no promise to return them. I have much to do. You may leave a message if you wish.

Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they’re really not. They’re companions – the hero and the sidekick.

Why are we inspired by another person’s courage? Maybe because it gives us the sweet and genuine surprise of discovering some trace, at least, of the same courage in ourselves.

I listen to the Beatles all the time – in my car, at the gym. The Beatles are still part of my life. And because of that, John Lennon – in life and in death – remains part of my life.

When it became clear that Lennon was not going to speak with me, it really became a how-I-didn’t-get-the-story story. It was a caper.

I loved seeing my name in print, I loved seeing my words in print. I felt really privileged to be in the kind of company I was in at Esquire, but I didn’t think it was going to launch a career as a top-notch journalist. It’s just not what I wanted.

I never intended to be a journalist. Frankly, I don’t think I ever was a journalist. I backed into it.