Quotes from Sherwood Anderson

There was something, a driving destructive thing in life, in all relationships between people.

Ownership that gave curious rights, dominances—fathers over children, men and women over lands, houses, factories in cities, fields.

Possessions mean power, the right to say, 'Do this' or 'Do that.' If you struggle long and hard for a thing it becomes infinitely sweet to you.

A wind began to blow and he shivered. With all his strength he tried to hold and to understand the mood that had come upon him. In that high place in the darkness the two oddly sensitive human atoms held each other tightly and waited. In the mind of each was the same thought. "I have come to this lonely place and here is this other," was the substance of the thing felt.

It take time to understand things that happen in life. Life unfolds slowly in the mind.

Doctor Parcival began to plead with George Willard. "You must pay attention to me," he urged. "If something happens perhaps you will be able to write the book that I may never get written. The idea is very simple, so simple that if you are not careful you will forget it. It is this - that everyone in the world is Christ and they are all crucified. That's what I want to say. Don't you forget that. Whatever happens, don't you date let yourself forget.

An American town worked terribly at the task of amusing itself.

Such men as we are cannot fool with delicate stuff. Some men are meant to command and other must obey. There is a kind of death. Sometimes you much die before you can possess and command.

Be careful. Don't get too close to the truth when talking with the rich,' I was whispering to myself.

The problem is never to find and know a little the people whose stories are interesting. There are too many stories. The great difficulty is to tell the stories.

El amor es como un viento que agita la hierba debajo de los árboles en una noche oscura (…). No debe usted tratar de convertirlo en algo definido.

Ansía con todo su corazón acercarse a algún otro ser humano, tocar a alguien con las manos, que alguien le toque. Si prefiere que ese otro sea una mujer, es porque piensa que una mujer será amable y le comprenderá. Busca, ante todo, comprensión

I have come to this lonely place, and here is this other.

To be civilized, really, is to be aware of the others, their hopes, their gladnesses, their illusions about life

You can't always be too fussy about what you say to a young boy. Really, sometimes, you should take him into your confidence, into your life, make him a part of your life.

If George Willard were here, he'd have something to say," thought Seth. "George belongs to this town. He'd shout at Turk and Turk would shout at him. They'd both be secretly pleased by what they had said. It's different with me. I don't belong. I'll not make a fuss about it, but I'm going to get out of here.

the desire to say words overcame him and he said words without meaning, rolling them over on his tongue and saying them because they were brave words, full of meaning. "death," he muttered, "night, the sea, fear, loveliness.

If things went well they went well for Jesse and never for his dependents. Like a thousand other strong men who have come into the world here in America in these later times, Jesse was but half strong. He could master others but he could not master himself.

And so these people gathered and smoked cigarettes and talked and Enoch Robinson, the boy from the farm near Winesburg, was there. He stayed in a corner and for the most part said nothing.

the desire to say words overcame him and he said words without meaning, rolling them over on his tongue and saying them because they were brave words, full of meaning. 'death,' he muttered, 'night, the sea, fear, loveliness.

Man or boy, woman or girl, they had for a moment taken hold of the thing that makes the mature life of men and women in the modern world possible.

I am becoming old and queer.

Dare to be strong and courageous. That is the road. Venture anything.

I am a lover and have not found my thing to love.