Trust Quotes
"Manners, intelligence, and obedience had never been combined as harmoniously as in this sweet-tempered child."
"Solomon Rask was, therefore, a purveyor not only of the finest cigars, cigarillos, and pipe blends but also (and mostly) of excellent conversation and political connections."
"Most men smoked so that they could talk to other men."
"His lonely upbringing did not prepare him for boarding school."
"The only fault some of his early mentors could find after much searching was Benjamin’s reluctance to associate with other children."
"Mourning simply had given the natural dispositions of his character a socially recognizable form."
"He, who owed his fortune to tobacco, did not even smoke."
"He became fascinated by the contortions of money—how it could be made to bend back upon itself to be force-fed its own body."
"The further and deeper his investments extended into society, the more he withdrew into himself."
"Intimacy can be an unbearable burden for those who, first experiencing it after a lifetime of proud self-sufficiency, suddenly realize it makes their world complete."
"It was clear to everyone there that they were extensions of Rask’s will and that it was their duty to satisfy and even anticipate his needs but never approach him with theirs."
"Helen soon came to realize that in addition to being her father’s pupil she had become his object of study."
"Her silence opened up a battleground for her parents’ increasingly acrid arguments."
"Most of us prefer to believe we are the active subjects of our victories but only the passive objects of our defeats."
"Doubt, a feeling that had never visited him before his wedding, increased year after year."
"Every interaction out in the world had always implied some form of compromise."
"The spirits cast themselves into hell by their own free choice."
"The ideal conditions for business were never given. One had to create them."
"Self-interest, if properly directed, need not be divorced from the common good."
"It is through the sum of daring individual actions that this nation has risen above all others."
"It is only in the free interplay of singular wills that greatness comes."
"Despite the organized support of bankers...stocks kept plummeting."
"Her beauty, elegance, and sense of ease gave her an air of gentle authority. Universally admired."
"He was now in a unique position to help ease the contraction of the economy."
"Her belief in my gifts, no doubt magnified by motherly love, was such that she even brought a young scholar down from Cambridge to lecture me."
"Her charm and poise were the outward manifestations of her spirit."
"She was drawn to the arts, and her natural good taste proved to be her best mentor and teacher."
"The inherited status of a piece meant nothing to her. She ignored the opinions of critics and found academic dogmas worthless."
"The warmth she radiated was her most wonderful quality and the single greatest contribution she made to my life."
"The sanatorium and its setting would provide the best possible conditions during this difficult period."
"Money is a fiction; commodities in a purely fantastic form, yes?"
"Giovannitti was a public figure, an effective fighter who organized strikes, spoke eloquently from jail, gave public addresses and wrote books."
"The closer one is to a source of power, the quieter it gets. Authority and money surround themselves with silence."
"In a world where everything is reduced to the flatness of paper, the only thing left to sculpt is one's own destiny."
"Profit and common good are but two sides of the same coin. Our prosperity is proof of our virtue."
"The narrative of life is not in the loud declarations of the day, but in the silent notes of the past."
"In the absence of certainty, the only thing we have is the courage to face the unknown with grace."
"Reality needs to be consistent. How incongruous would it be to find traces of someone in a world where they never existed?"
"Every dollar bill had been printed on paper ripped off a slave’s bill of sale."
"The original, unnamable sin of our world is the theft of land, means of production, and human lives."
"Our choices often define us more than our successes do."
"Both of us, it seems, had to create our tools and systems to tackle jobs for which we received no formal education."
"From the dates on her sheets and some letters it seems clear that the birth of the Albany Symphony Orchestra must have been the direct result of her gifts."
"These documents reveal the exact opposite—Mildred comes off as a thoughtful, disciplined philanthropist."
"Musicians from all over the country thanking her for pianos, violoncellos and violins."
"Her emphasis is now on housing and on loans to businesses."
"The owners of factories, stores and farms write to let her know how much the aid received has done for them and their communities."
"An unknown man wanted information about him. I had been intimidated. Threatened."
"I looked down at the carpet, retracing the maze-like pattern on it with my eyes."
"The sole idea that anyone could sway or penetrate every company trading on the New York Stock Exchange is laughable."
"I lifted the whole nation with me. And instead of thanking me, the press vilified me."
"I could easily create yet another fictional Bevel for my extortionist."
"My actions allowed a multitude of American businesses, manufacturers and corporations to increase their stock issues and capitalize themselves."
"A chance like this would not come twice. I had to swallow my pride, forget the demeaning terms in which Bevel had presented his plan and accept his 'offer.'"
"My father had never been capable of coping with basic daily responsibilities—cleaning up, feeding himself and so forth."
"This is not theft, I tell myself. This is a conversation starting after a decades-long delay."
"There’s nothing more exhausting than a timid guest."
"I know my days are numbered, but not every day is a real number."
"Music started out from noise. After a long journey, it’s going back home."
"Lost offending molar. Don’t think there’ll be time for the hole to close."
"I can’t explain the relief that word gave me. Not all the opium in the world."
"A diarist is a monster: the writing hand and the reading eye are sourced from different bodies."
"The Doppler effect of memory. The pitch of past events shifting as they rush away from us."
"Sleepless after conv. with A. Rereading the above. Too long."
"God is the most uninteresting answer to the most interesting questions."
"When I say I think of all the things I haven’t done, what is the content of those thoughts, really?"
"Nurse rubs eau de cologne between my toes + inside joints. A cool burn."