James Thurber · 32 pages
Rating: (7.4K votes)
“Beautiful things don't ask for attention.”
“Lately, I have been wondering if there is time left for daydreaming in this 21st-century world of constant communication.”
“It’s forty kilometers through hell, sir,” said the sergeant. Mitty finished one last brandy. “After all,” he said softly, “what isn’t?”
“Después de todo ¿dónde no hay infierno?”
“Live life by the abc's...adventure, bravery and creativity.”
“I don’t understand,” said the scientist, “why you lemmings all rush down to the sea and drown yourselves.” “How curious,” said the lemming. “The one thing I don’t understand is why you human beings don’t.”
“We appreciate your coming to us with a copy of your letter to your sister, but it was unnecessary. Your offense was known to us even before the letter's receipt by your sister. Effective as of September 15 the primary responsibility of our isle's new assistant chief postal inspector has been to scan all post for use of illegal letters of the alphabet, then to make nightly reports to the Council. A report has been put on file on your behalf, your official sentence to be forthwith in issuance.”
“For a moment they all looked at Dermot incredulously, as if he'd just announced he was going to birth a kangaroo.”
“For life is what animals can teach us: how the present moment is all, and past and future are illusion.”
“I’ve got a lot of wishes about it, but you know what they say. ‘If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.’”
“I’ve never heard that before in my life, and I’m not sure I even know what it means.”
“It means that you could spit in one hand and wish in the other, and we all know which hand’ll fill up quicker.”
“He reached out and lightly touched her hair. There’s no way, he thought. I’m sunk. And my heart hasn’t beat the same since she walked into town.”
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