274 Quotes by William Saroyan

I want time in which to walk quietly over the earth, among uncrazed men. I want time in which to build a house, inhabit it, create a past with meaning. I want time in which to seek and find love. I want time. I want to be unhurried, uncaught. I want time in which to sleep and waken, in which to dream the truth of my being on earth. Time.

The simple fact was that if the song wasn’t about me, I couldn’t see how it could possibly be about anybody else, including the one I knew it was supposed to be about, and good luck to him, too.

Remember that every man is a variation of yourself.

What do you mean, what’s the matter with him? Nothing’s the matter with him, everything’s the matter with him, the same as it is with everybody else. He’s just fine. He gets overwhelmed now and then, and he doesn’t know how to say what he feels or means, so he cries and runs off a little, trying to find out where to go, for God’s sake. Where can you go?

I am interested in madness. I believe it is the biggest thing in the human race, and the most constant. How do you take away from a man his madness without also taking away his identity? Are we sure it is desirable for a man’s spirit not to be at war with itself, or that it is better to be serene and ready to go to dinner than to be excited and unwilling to stop for a cup of coffee, even?

There’s a pretty woman for ever lucky man in the world: every man in the world is a lucky man if he only knew it, so why waste time?

Cowards are nice, they’re interesting, they’re gentle, they wouldn’t think of shooting down people in a parade from a tower. They want to live, so they can see their kids. They’re very brave.

When Ulysses saw his brother, a wonderful thing happened to his face. All the terror left his eyes, because now he was hom.

I know you will remember this – that nothing good ever ends. If it did, there would be no people in the world – no life at all, anywhere. And the world is full of people and full of wonderful life.