J. D. Salinger Quotes

When the weather's nice, my parents go out quite frequently and stick a bunch of flowers on old Allie's grave. I went with them a couple of times, but I cut it out. In the first place, I don't enjoy seeing him in that crazy cemetery. Surrounded by dead guys and tombstones and all. It wasn't too bad when the sun was out, but twice — twice — we were there when it started to rain. It was awful. It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all over the place. All the visitors that were visiting the cemetery started running like hell over to their cars. That's what nearly drove me crazy. All the visitors could get in their cars and turn on their radios and all and then go someplace nice for dinner — everybody except Allie. I couldn't stand it. I know it's only his body and all that's in the cemetery, and his soul's in Heaven and all that crap, but I couldn't stand it anyway. I just wished he wasn't there.

«مَتی، تو الآن دخترِ کوچیکی هستی. اما هیچ‌کی دختربچه و پسربچه نمی‌مونه - مثلِ خودِ من. یه‌هو دختربچه‌ها ماتیک می‌زنن و پسربچه‌ها ریش می‌تراشن و سیگار می‌کشن. پس خیلی گذراست؛ روزگارِ بچگی رو می‌گم. امروز ده سالته، تو برف می‌دویی می‌آی منو ببینی، و حاضری با من تو خیابون اسپرینگ سُر بخوری؛ فردا بیست‌ساله می‌شی و پسرا می‌آن تو اتاق نشیمن منتظر می‌شن تا حاضر شی و با هم برین بیرون. یه‌هو می‌بینی باید به دربونا انعام بدی، فکرِ گرونی و ارزونیِ لباسات باشی و با دوستات واسه ناهار قرار بذاری و همه‌ش فکر کنی چرا یه مردِ درست و حسابی واسه‌ت پیدا نمی‌شه. همیشه همین‌جور بوده. ولی مَتی حرفِ من -اگه حرفی داشته باشم- اینه که سعی کن مطابقِ تواناییا و آرزوهات زندگی کنی. اگه به مردم قولی می‌دی کاری کن بفهمن از تهِ دل داری قول می‌دی. اگه تو کالج با یه دخترِ خنگ هم‌اتاق شدی، سعی کن کاری کنی بیشتر بفهمه. اگه بیرونِ سینما واسّادی و یه پیرزن میاد بهت آدامس بفروشه، اگه یه دلاری داری همه‌شو بهش بده -ولی فقط یه طوری این‌کارو بکن که بهش برنخوره. درستش اینه، بچه‌جون. خیلی چیزا می‌تونم بهت بگم بگم مَت، ولی نمی‌دونم حرفام درسته یا نه. تو خیلی کوچولویی، ولی حرفمو می‌فهمی. بزرگ که بشی دخترِ باهوشی می‌شی. اگه دختر باهوش و باحالی نشی می‌خوام اصلا بزرگ نشی. تو باید عالی باشی، مَت.

You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm feeling blue, or puzzled, what I do, I just invite a few people to come visit me in the bathroom, and — well, we iron things out together, that's all.

I remember wanting to do something about that enormous-faced wristwatch she was wearing — perhaps suggest that she try wearing it around her waist.

"I think that one of these days," he said, "you're going to have to find out where you want to go. And then you've got to start going there. But immediately. You can't afford to lose a minute. Not you."

یه چیزی که خیلی روم تاثیر گذاشت این خانومه بود که بغلم نشسته بود و همه ش گریه می کرد.هر چی فیلمه مزخرف تر می شد بیشتر گریه می کرد.
آدم فکر می کرد چون آدم مهربونیه داره گریه می کنه ولی از این خبرا نبود. من بغلش نشسته بودم و خوب می دونم.یه بچه همراش بود که طفلک خیلی خسته شده بود و می خواست بره دستشویی ولی خانومه هی بهش می گفت آروم بگیره و مواظب رفتارش باشه.اندازه ی یک گرگ مهربون بود.بعضی ها این طوری ان. واسه یه فیلمِ چرت و پرت اشک می ریزن ولی تو بیش ترِ موارد حرومزاده های پستی ان!

The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has — I'm not kidding.

I have scars on my hands from touching certain people.

You can't exist in this world with such strong likes and dislikes.

That's the whole trouble. When you're feeling very depressed, you can't even think.

What happened was, I got the idea in my head-and I could not get it out ㅡ that college was just one more dopey, inane place in the world dedicated to piling up treasure on earth and everything. I mean treasure is treasure, for heaven's sake. What's the difference whether the treasure is money, or property, or even culture, or even just plain knowledge? It all seemed like exactly the same thing to me, if you take off the wrapping ㅡ and it still does! Sometimes I think that knowledge ㅡ when it's knowledge for knowledge's sake, anyway ㅡ is the worst of all. The least excusable, certainly. [...] I don't think it would have all got me quite so down if just once in a while ㅡ just once in a while ㅡ there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn't, it's 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! Do you want to hear something funny? Do you want to hear something really funny? In almost four years of college ㅡ and this is the absolute truth ㅡ in almost four years of college, the only time I can remember ever even hearing the expression 'wise man' being used was in my freshman year, in Political Science! And you know how it was used? It was used in reference to some nice old poopy elder statesman who'd made a fortune in the stock market and then gone to Washington to be an adviser to President Roosevelt. Honestly, now! Four years of college, almost! I'm not saying that happens to everybody, but I just get so upset when I think about it I could die.

I can be quite sarcastic when I'm in the mood.

My brother Allie had this left-handed fielder's mitt. he was left handed. The thing that was descriptive about it though, was that he had poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere. In green ink. He wrote them on it so that he'd have something to read when he was in the field and nobody was up to bat. He's dead now.

I'm just interested in finding out what the hell goes. I mean do you have to be a goddam bohemian type, or dead, for Chrissake, to be a real poet? What do you want — some bastard with wavy hair?

"Did you ever get fed up?" I said. "I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to go lousy unless you did something? I mean do you like school and all that stuff?"
"It's a terrific bore."
"I mean do you hate it? I know it's a terrific bore, but do you hate it, is what I mean."
"Well, I don't exactly hate it. You always have to — "
"Well, I hate it. Boy, do I hate it," I said. "But it isn't just that. It's everything. I hate living in New York and all. Taxicabs, and Madison Avenue buses, with the drivers and all always yelling at you to get out at the rear door, and being introduced to phony guys that call the Lunts angels, and going up and down in elevators when you just want to go outside, and guys fitting your pants all the time at Brooks, and people always — "
"Don't shout, please," old Sally said. Which was very funny, because I wasn't even shouting.
"Take cars," I said. I said it in this very quiet voice. "Take most people, they're crazy about cars. They worry if they get a little scratch on them, and they're always talking about how many miles they get to a gallon, and if they get a brand-new car already they start thinking about trading it in for one that's even newer. I don't even like old cars. I mean they don't even interest me. I'd rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God's sake. A horse you can at least — "
"I don't know what you're even talking about," old Sally said. "You jump from one — "
"You know something?" I said. You're probably the only reason I'm in New York right now, or anywhere. If you weren't around, I'd probably be someplace way the hell off. In the woods or some goddam place. You're the only reason I'm around, practically."
"You're sweet," she said. But you could tell she wanted me to change the damn subject.
"You ought to go to a boys' school sometime. Try it sometime," I said. "It's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be sm