For Catholics before Vatican II, the land of the free was pre-eminently the land of Sister Says-except, of course, for Sister, for whom it was the land of Father Says. Wilfrid Sheed More Quotes by Wilfrid Sheed More Quotes From Wilfrid Sheed If the French were really intelligent, they'd speak English. Wilfrid Sheed sarcasmintelligentsarcastic It is a fallacy to think that carping is the strongest form of criticism: the important work begins after the artist's mistakes have been pointed out, and the reviewer can't put it off indefinitely with sneers, although some neophytes might be tempted to try: "When in doubt, stick out your tongue" is a safe rule that never cost one any readers. But there's nothing strong about it, and it has nothing to do with the real business of criticism, which is to do justice to the best work of one's time, so that nothing gets lost. Wilfrid Sheed strongrealmistake I myself have not met a self‐confessed liberal since the late fifties (and even then it was a tacky thing to admit, like coming from the middle class or the Middle West, those two gloomy seedbeds of talent), yet hardly a day passes that I don't read another attack on the “typical liberal” — as it might be announcing a pest of dinosaurs or a plague of unicorns. Wilfrid Sheed selfclasstwo The only reason I didn't kill myself after I read the reviews of my first book was because we have two rivers in New York and I couldn't decide which one to jumo into. Wilfrid Sheed new-yorkwritingbook The worse we treat people in this country, the more delicately we talk about them. Wilfrid Sheed treatscountrypeople Mr Michener, as timeless as a stack of 'National Geographics,' is the ultimate Summer Writer. Just as one goes back to the cottage in Maine, so one goes back to one's Michener. Wilfrid Sheed cottagessummerjustice Baseball fans are pedants, there is no other kind. Wilfrid Sheed pedantsfansbaseball I rail against writers who talk about the loneliness of it all — what do they want, a crowd looking over their typewriters? Or those who talk about having to stare at a blank page — do they want someone to write on it? Wilfrid Sheed typewriterslonelinesswriting Saloons provide moments of genuine ecstasy - but only if your soul is at peace and the rest of your life bears contemplating. Otherwise, they are palaces of misery. Wilfrid Sheed rest-of-your-lifepalacessoul Unnecessary customs live a brutally short life in America. Wilfrid Sheed short-lifeunnecessaryamerica Of course, history is only a muddle of facts and a fuddle of professors, and anyone who thinks it is one clear voice saying "Arise, sir Knight" deserves a life sentence in Camelot. Wilfrid Sheed knightsvoicethinking As things now stand, the office is a slightly meaner battleground than the home. Male bosses seem to dominate their women underlings as they would never dominate their wives. Wilfrid Sheed wifeofficehome Whether or not Big Brother is watching us, we certainly have to watch him, which may be even worse. Wilfrid Sheed brothermaywatches Mankind has always made too much of its saints and heroes, and how the latter handle the fuss might be called their final test. Wilfrid Sheed finalssainthero The American male doesn't mature until he has exhausted all other possibilities. Wilfrid Sheed glowingmalesmaturity People talk about talent as though it were some neutral substance that can be applied to anything. But talent is narrow and only functions with a very few subjects, which it is up to the writer to find. Wilfrid Sheed talentsubstancepeople For now, I'm supposing that all movements are equal, which they're not, except in this respect: that none of them gives a damn about artists beyond their immediate utility. Good movements will use a writer just as ruthlessly as bad ones; since they all fancy they have better things to do than worry about one man's artistic survival. Wilfrid Sheed artistsupposing-thatmen You noodle around with tempo and sound until you get the perfect fit for that particular song, and then, so long as you can sustain it, God is on your side and everything comes easily and even the waiters smile. Wilfrid Sheed your-sidesonglong Books about suicide make lousy gifts. Wilfrid Sheed suicidebook The town is as full as ever of 'characters,' all created by each other. Wilfrid Sheed townscharacter
