When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have a second, I feel superlative. When I have more, there's no holding me.
William FaulknerRead
As long as I live under the capitalistic system I expect to have my life influenced by the demands of moneyed people. But I will be damned if I propose to be at the beck and call of every itinerant scoundrel who has two cents to invest in a postage stamp. This, sir, is my resignation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a rejection of being controlled by the wealthy and their demands in a capitalist society.
William Faulkner's quote reflects a deep frustration with the influence of money in one's life, showcasing a determination to resist being at the mercy of those who wield financial power. He emphasizes that he will not allow himself to be subservient to anyone with even a small amount of wealth, signifying a stand against the expectations and pressures of a capitalistic society.
Themes
CapitalismMoneyInfluenceResignationPower
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in discussions about the ethical implications of capitalism.
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When grown people speak of the innocence of children, they dont really know what they mean. Pressed, they will go a step further and say, Well, ignorance then. The child is neither. There is no crime which a boy of eleven had not envisaged long ago. His only innocence is, he may not be old enough to desire the fruits of it...his ignorance is, he does not know how to commit it...
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He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that any more than for pride or fear....One day I was talking to Cora. She prayed for me because she believed I was blind to sin, wanting me to kneel and pray too, because people to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.
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Ever since then I have believed that God is not only a gentleman and a sport; he is a Kentuckian too.
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