Capitalism arose and took off its pajamas. Another day, another dollar. Each man is valued at what he will bring in the marketplace. Meaning has been drained from work and assigned instead to remuneration.

Donald Barthelme

Categorized in : Men Work Dollars

Write about what you're afraid of.

Donald Barthelme

writing

Any genuine work of art generates new work.

Donald Barthelme

new-work genuine art

As Jules Renard said, no matter how much care an author takes to write as few books as possible, there will be people who haven't heard of some of them.

Donald Barthelme

writing book people

Is death that which gives meaning to life? And I said, no, life is that which gives meaning to life.

Donald Barthelme

life-is said giving

I don’t think you can talk about progress in art—movement, but not progress.

Donald Barthelme

progress art thinking

How can you be alienated without first having been connected?

Donald Barthelme

connected firsts

One of the pleasures of art is that it enables the mind to move in unanticipated directions, to make connections that may be in some sense errors but are fruitful nonetheless.

Donald Barthelme

errors art moving

The task is not so much to solve problems as to propose questions.

Donald Barthelme

solve tasks problem

And I sat there getting drunker and drunker and more in love and more in love.

Donald Barthelme

sat

Faint equivalents can sometimes be found ... . Or it can be rendered obliquely-an adolescent's mental image of his or her parents making love, which must be something on the order of crocodiles mating.

Donald Barthelme

making-love parent order

Will you be wanting to contest the divorce?" I asked Mrs. Davis. "I should think not," she said calmly, "although I suppose on of us should, for the fun of the thing. An uncontested divorce always seems to me contrary to the spirit of divorce.

Donald Barthelme

divorce fun thinking

Now it is necessary to court her, and win her, and put on this clean dressing gown, and cut my various nails, and drink something that will kill the millions of germs in my mouth, and say something flattering, and be witty and bonny, and hale and kinky, all just to ease this wrinkle in the groin. It seems a high price.

Donald Barthelme

cutting winning witty

The not-knowing is crucial to art, is what permits art to be made. Without the scanning process engendered by not-knowing, without the possibility of having the mind move in unanticipated directions, there would be no invention.

Donald Barthelme

knowing art moving

Is death that which gives meaning to life?

Donald Barthelme

meaning-life giving

Self-criticism sessions were held, but these produced more criticism than could usefully be absorbed or accomodated.

Donald Barthelme

session criticism self

Succeed! It has been done, and with a stupidity that can astound the most experienced.

Donald Barthelme

succeed stupidity done

"How does one conquer fear, Don B.?"

Donald Barthelme

shoes doe looks

Well chaps first I'd like to say a few vile things more or less at random, not only because it is expected of me but also because I enjoy it.

Donald Barthelme

enjoy chaps firsts

See the moon? It hates us.

Donald Barthelme

hate moon

The death of God left the angels in a strange position. They were overtaken suddenly by a fundamental question. One can attempt to imagine the moment. How did they look at the instant the question invaded them, flooding the angelic consciousness, taking hold with terrifying force? The question was, "What are angels?" New to questioning, unaccustomed to terror, unskilled in aloneness, the angels (we assume) fell into despair.

Donald Barthelme

despair angel fundamentals