Tortilla Flat

The belly of every black and evil thing is as white as snow.

A whole lifetime of shovelling could accomplish practically nothing – taking dirt from one place and putting it in another.

When you have 400lbs of beans in the house, you need to have no fear to starvation. Beans are a roof over your stomach.

Crime altruistically committed – what is more gratifying?

In the summer, when the hands of a clock point to 7, it is a nice time to get up, but in winter the same time is of no value whatsoever. How much better is the sun! When he clears the pine tops and clings to the front porch, be it summer or winter, that is the sensible time to get up. That is a time when one’s hands do not quiver nor one’s belly quake with emptiness.

When the sun struck the window in the morning, and, failing to get in, turned the dust to silver and shone on the iridescence of the bluebottle flies, then the friends awakened and stretched and looked about for their shoes.

Love and fighting and a little wine – then you are always young and always happy

Crept into the house as silently as the moving shadow of a limb under a street light

Better that this symbol of holy friendship, this good house of parties and fights, of love and comfort, should die as Danny die, in one last glorious hopeless assault on the gods