Clockers asks--almost in passing, and there's a lot more to it than this--a pretty interesting question: if you choose to work for the minimum wage when everyone around you is pocketing thousands from drug deals, then what does that do to you, to your head and to your heart? {Hornby's thoughts after reading Clockers by Richard Price}
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
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In "The Polysyllabic Spree," Nick Hornby reflects on Richard Price's novel "Clockers," posing a thought-provoking question about the choices individuals make regarding their work. He considers the impact on a person's mental and emotional state when they opt for a minimum wage job, while others in their environment are earning significantly more from illicit activities, such as drug dealing. This juxtaposition creates a complex dynamic that affects one's sense of self-worth and identity.

Hornby emphasizes that this dilemma transcends simple economic choices, delving deeper into the psychological and moral implications of such decisions. It brings to light the struggles of individuals caught between societal pressures and their own aspirations. The comparison between lawful work and the allure of quick money raises questions about resilience and the values that guide personal choices in challenging circumstances.

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The Polysyllabic Spree
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Other quotes in The Polysyllabic Spree

{from his random observations after reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens}In the Old Curiosity Shop I discovered that in the character of Dick Swiveller, Dickens provided P.G. Wodehouse with pretty much the whole of his oeuvre. In David Copperfield, David's bosses Spenlow and Jorkins are what must be the earliest fictional representations of good cop/bad cop.
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
{from his random observations after reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens}In the Old Curiosity Shop I discovered that in the character of Dick Swiveller, Dickens provided P.G. Wodehouse with pretty much the whole of his oeuvre. In David Copperfield, David's bosses Spenlow and Jorkins are what must be the earliest fictional representations of good cop/bad cop.
It is or is it not an injustice that world leaders make their way not thanks to their ability to solve global problems, but to fall asleep on command? Most of the respectable people are struggling to sleep at night, and apparently it is precisely for this reason that the world is such a mess.
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
It is or is it not an injustice that world leaders make their way not thanks to their ability to solve global problems, but to fall asleep on command? Most of the respectable people are struggling to sleep at night, and apparently it is precisely for this reason that the world is such a mess.
The books, let's face it, are better than anything else. If we organized a cultural fantaboxe championship, deploying the books against the best in the ring that any other art form has to offer, on the distance of fifteen filming ... well, the books would win practically always.
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
The books, let's face it, are better than anything else. If we organized a cultural fantaboxe championship, deploying the books against the best in the ring that any other art form has to offer, on the distance of fifteen filming ... well, the books would win practically always.
But while I found them a house in the "non -non -non -fiction of art and literature" section {I personally find that at home the storage system Trivial Pursuit works better than the Dewey}, suddenly I had a small epiphany: all the books we possess , beds and no, are the fullest expression we have available to our personality.
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
But while I found them a house in the "non -non -non -fiction of art and literature" section {I personally find that at home the storage system Trivial Pursuit works better than the Dewey}, suddenly I had a small epiphany: all the books we possess , beds and no, are the fullest expression we have available to our personality.
We never forget that some books are badly written; But we should remind us that sometimes they are also badly read.
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
We never forget that some books are badly written; But we should remind us that sometimes they are also badly read.
1} do without writing to me that I spend too many money for books that I will never read largely. I already know this. Because however I intend to read them ... more or less. My intentions are good. In any case, the money is mine. And then I bet you do like me too.
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
1} do without writing to me that I spend too many money for books that I will never read largely. I already know this. Because however I intend to read them ... more or less. My intentions are good. In any case, the money is mine. And then I bet you do like me too.
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Other quotes in drugs

O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! - Cassio {Act II, Scene iii}
William Shakespeare Othello
O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! - Cassio {Act II, Scene iii}
Dope.They sell that shit to schoolkids.It's worse than that.How's that?Schoolkids buy it.
Cormac McCarthy No Country for Old Men
Dope.They sell that shit to schoolkids.It's worse than that.How's that?Schoolkids buy it.
Clockers asks--almost in passing, and there's a lot more to it than this--a pretty interesting question: if you choose to work for the minimum wage when everyone around you is pocketing thousands from drug deals, then what does that do to you, to your head and to your heart? {Hornby's thoughts after reading Clockers by Richard Price}
Nick Hornby The Polysyllabic Spree
Clockers asks--almost in passing, and there's a lot more to it than this--a pretty interesting question: if you choose to work for the minimum wage when everyone around you is pocketing thousands from drug deals, then what does that do to you, to your head and to your heart? {Hornby's thoughts after reading Clockers by Richard Price}
Junk sickness is the reverse side of junk kick. The kick of junk is that you have to have it. Junkies run on junktime and junkmetabolism. They are subject to junk climate. They are warmed and chilled by junk. The kick of junk is living under junk conditions. You cannot escape from junk sickness anymore than you can escape from junk kick after a shot.
William S. Burroughs Junky
Junk sickness is the reverse side of junk kick. The kick of junk is that you have to have it. Junkies run on junktime and junkmetabolism. They are subject to junk climate. They are warmed and chilled by junk. The kick of junk is living under junk conditions. You cannot escape from junk sickness anymore than you can escape from junk kick after a shot.
I don't spot junk neighbourhoods by the way they look, but by the feel, somewhat the same process by which a dowser locates hidden water. I am walking along and suddenly the junk in my cells moves and twitches like the dowsers wand: 'Junk here!
William S. Burroughs Junky
I don't spot junk neighbourhoods by the way they look, but by the feel, somewhat the same process by which a dowser locates hidden water. I am walking along and suddenly the junk in my cells moves and twitches like the dowsers wand: 'Junk here!
You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.
William S. Burroughs Junky
You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.
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