Crude thoughts and fierce forces are my state. I do not know who I am. Nor what I was. I cannot hear a sound. Pain is near that will be like no pain felt before.
Norman MailerRead
At bottom, I mean profoundly at bottom, the FBI has nothing to do with Communism, it has nothing to do with catching criminals, it has nothing to do with the Mafia, the syndicate, it has nothing to do with trust-busting, it has nothing to do with interstate commerce, it has nothing to do with anything but serving as a church for the mediocre. A high church for the true mediocre.
Interpretation
The quote criticizes the FBI, suggesting it primarily serves to uphold mediocrity rather than fulfill its stated purposes.
In this quote, Norman Mailer denotes the FBI as an institution that, rather than fulfilling its intended roles such as combating crime or supporting democratic principles, has devolved into a sanctuary for mediocrity. By comparing the FBI to a 'church for the mediocre,' Mailer implies that it has become a place where mediocrity is celebrated and perpetuated, detracting from its responsibility to pursue justice and uphold the law.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the effectiveness of government agencies.
Crude thoughts and fierce forces are my state. I do not know who I am. Nor what I was. I cannot hear a sound. Pain is near that will be like no pain felt before.
I no longer gave a sick dog's drop for the wisdom, the reliability and the authority of the public's literary mind, those creeps and old ladies of vested reviewing.
There's nothing glorious about being a professional. . . . Professionalism probably comes down to being able to work on a bad day.
The natural role of twentieth-century man is anxiety.
Over-certified adjectives are the mark of most best-seller writing
Alimony is the curse of the writing class.
When God wants to drive a person insane, he grants that person's every wish.
It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.
After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'
What we call National-Socialism is the poisonous perversion of ideas which have a long history in German intellectual life.
During my three years in Vietnam, I certainly heard plenty of last words by dying American footsoldiers. Not one of them, however, had illusions that he had somehow accomplished something worthwhile in the process of making the Supreme Sacrifice.
WE ARE DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY - I mean our country itself, our land. This is a terrible thing to know, but it is not a reason for despair unless we decide to continue the destruction. If we decide to continue the destruction, that will not be because we have no other choice. This destruction is not necessary. It is not inevitable, except that by our submissiveness we make it so.
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