Quotes by J.D. Salinger

She wasnt doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together.

Im the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. Its awful. If Im on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where Im going, Im liable to say Im going to the opera. Its terrible.

The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobodyd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and theyre pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket. Nobodys be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that youd be so much older or anything. It wouldnt be that, exactly. Youd just be different, thats all. Youd have an overcoat this time. Or the kid that was your partner in line the last time had got scarlet fever and youd have a new partner. Or youd have a substitute taking the class, instead of Miss Aigletinger. Or youd heard your mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom. Or youd just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them. I mean youd be different in some way—I cant explain what I mean. And even if I could, Im not sure Id feel like it.

Its everybody, I mean. Everything everybody does is so — I dont know — not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. But just so tiny and meaningless and — sad-making. And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, youre conforming just as much only in a different way.

I think that one of these days, he said, youre going to have to find out where you want to go. And then youve got to start going there. But immediately. You cant afford to lose a minute. Not you.

Keep me up till five because all your stars are out, and for no other reason…Oh dare to do it Buddy! Trust your heart. You’re a deserving craftsman. It would never betray you. Good night. I’m feeling very much over-excited now, and a little dramatic, but I think I’d give almost anything on earth to see you writing a something, an anything, a poem, a tree, that was really and truly after your own heart.

when youre not looking, somebodyll sneak up and write Fuck you right under your nose.

If you had a million years to do it in, you couldnt rub out even half the Fuck you signs in the world. Its impossible.

In my mind, Im probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw.

You asked me how to get out of the finite dimensions when I feel like it. I certainly dont use logic when I do it. Logics the first thing you have to get rid of.

I’m just sick of ego, ego, ego. My own and everybody else’s. I’m sick of everybody that wants to get somewhere, do something distinguished and all, be somebody interesting. It’s disgusting.

Its partly true, too, but it isnt all true. People always think somethings all true.

All these angels start coming out of the boxes and everywhere, guys carrying crucifixes and stuff all over the place, and the whole bunch of them - thousands of them - singing “Come All Ye Faithful” like mad. Big deal. It’s supposed to be religious as hell, I know, and very pretty and all, but I can’t see anything religious or pretty, for God’s sake, about a bunch of actors carrying crucifixes all over the stage. When they all finished and started going out the boxes again, you could tell they could hardly wait to get a cigarette of something. I saw it with old Sally Hayes the year before, and she kept saying how beautiful it was, the costumes and all. I said old jesus probably would’ve puked if he could see it.

I don’t think it would have all got me quite so down if just once in a while—just once in a while—there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesnt, its just a disgusting waste of time! But there never is! You never even hear any hints dropped on a campus that wisdom is supposed to be the goal of knowledge. You hardly ever even hear the word wisdom mentioned!

Im not trying to tell you, he said that only educated men are able to contribute something valuable to the world. Its not so.But I do say that educated and scholarly men, if theyre brilliant and creative to begin with--which, unfortunately, is rarely the case--tend to leave infinitely more valuable records behind them than men do who are MEREly brilliant and creative.

And I cant be running back and fourth forever between grief and high delight.

Im a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.

I dont know what good it is to know so much and be smart as whips and all if it doesnt make you happy.

I like to be somewhere at least where you can see a few girls around once in a while, even if theyre only scratching their arms or blowing their noses or even just giggling or something.

Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobodys around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And Im standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if theyre running and they dont look where theyre going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. Thats all I do all day. Id just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know its crazy, but thats the only thing Id really like to be.