Над пропастью во ржи. Выше стропила, плотники. Симор: Введение. Фрэнни. Зуи. Девять рассказов

А после него началась рождественская пантомима, ее каждый год ставят в Радио-сити на рождество. Вылезли всякие ангелы из ящиков, потом какие-то типы таскали на себе распятия по всей сцене, а потом они хором во все горло пели "Приидите, верующие!" Здорово запущено! Знаю, считается, что все это ужасно религиозно и красиво, но где же тут религия и красота, черт меня дери, когда кучка актеров таскает распятия по сцене? А когда они кончили петь и стали расходиться по своим местам, видно было, что им не терпится уйти к чертям, покурить, передохнуть. В прошлом году я видел это представление с Салли Хейс, и она все восторгалась: ах, какая красота, ах, какие костюмы! А я сказал, что бедного Христа, наверно, стошнило бы, если б он посмотрел на эти маскарадные тряпки.

All morons hate it when you call them a moron.

I don't even like old cars. I'd rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God's sake.

I don't exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.

If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody.

They didn't act like people and they didn't act like actors. It's hard to explain. They acted more like they knew they were celebrities and all. I mean they were good, but they were too good.

Sleep tight, ya morons!

Ask her if she still keeps all her kings in the back row.

Get your dirty stinking moron knees off my chest.

That killed me.

It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road.

I mean most girls are so dumb and all. After you neck them for a while, you can really watch them losing their brains. You take a girl when she really gets passionate, she just hasn't any brains.

That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can.

Sensitive. That killed me. That guy Morrow was about as sensitive as a goddamn toilet seat.

If you do something too good, then, after a while, if you don't watch it, you start showing off. And then your're not as good any more.

The Catcher in the Rye