97 Quotes by Nelson Algren

Jane Addams too knew that Chicago’s blood was hustler’s blood. Knowing that Chicago, like John the Baptist and Bathhouse John, like Billy Sunday and Big Bill, forever keeps two faces, one for winners and one for losers, one for hustlers and one for squares.

Well, I may get drunk,” the Widow admitted, “but I don’t stagger. Sometimes I fall down. But I don’t stagger.

As certain ruthlessness and a sense of alienation from society is as essential to creative writing as it is to armed robbery.

Actually, they fought to fill the emptiness of their lives as they filled their empty glasses. They fought – not because the liquor was in them, but because it did not fill them enough.

Heroin got the drive awright-but there’s not a tingle to a ton-you got to get M to get the tingle-tingle.

I couldn’t buy the lice off a sick cat,” the cabbie answered from the very depths of self-deprecation.

It’s the place built out of Man’s ceaseless failure to overcome himself. Out of Man’s endless war against himself we build our successes as well as our failures. Making it the city of all cities most like Man himself – loneliest creation of all this very old poor earth.

The Irish ‘n Polacks always get along- didn’t ya ever notice? Irish ‘n Polacks live on p’tatoes ‘n got it in for Hitler, that’s why they get along so good; all over the world. Never heard of no war between Poland ’n Ireland, did you? No sir, that’s cause we’re all Cath’lics.

He’s just a pore lonesome wife-left fellar.