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1 " Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. "
― Harvey Pekar
2 " My parents' work ethic amazed me. How could they put in such long hours, day after day?Part of the reason was to keep the family going - to keep me going. I realized that, although we had different values derived from different cultures and wouldn't agree on certain issues, they were good people, incredible people, and I loved and respected them. "
― Harvey Pekar , The Quitter
3 " Nationalism and ethnic pride, in the long run, delay human development, and the misery they cause must be recognized. If enough people saw that , maybe we wouldn't have so many wars. "
― Harvey Pekar , Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me
4 " What kind of a day was it? A day like all others, that alters and illuminates our times. And you were there. "
5 " There was a survey done a few years ago that affected me greatly. it was discovered that intelligent people either estimate their intelligence accurately or slightly underestimate themselves, but stupid people overestimate their intelligence and by huge margins. (And these were things like straight up math tests, not controversial IQ tests.) "
― Harvey Pekar , American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar
6 " I kept my poker face on and listened to him with an air of interest and respect (I thought of what it says in one of Rand's novels, how the winner can afford to be generous). "
7 " I called up my grandparents who I hadn't spoken to for over three years. I called my mother, who I had recently told to stop calling lest I contact the police. I sat with them all and it was normal and fun and good. I'm even ready - maybe - to speak to my father. Superman doesn't get upset at the people who shoot bullets at him. I get why, now. "
8 " I don't understand how an adult can write those last two sentences and not want to kill themselves for being so despicable. "
9 " Although a security guard is ostensibly there to provide security, his actual role is to give the illusion of safety to suburban women. If someone wants to do something dangerous, a security guard is helpless to stop them. Most older security guards understand this. If you're a yuppie in a suit, you will never get stopped. If you're a bike messenger, they're on you in a heartbeat. Go stand in an office building lobby and watch if you don't believe me. "
10 " I'm as big as snob as they come, but money is a terrible barometer of a person's worth. The standard I used is what a person is choosing to do with his life. So for me a struggling musician (someone dedicated to their craft, not some slacker) is much better than some lame investment banker. And the fact that she lied seemed like she was ashamed. She dismissed my anger as if I were overreacting. "
11 " You do not pursue potential conflict unless you hold power over your foe. "
12 " He wasn't a man, but a tape recorder, repeating catch phrases and old slogans without any thought to the concepts behind them, a dog stuck in the training of his youth and faithfully executing his tasks long after his master had moved on. "
13 " I actually took them all on quite handily, although I learned when I came to study the issue that I was completely wrong. I also came to believe that the war on drugs is one of the last vestiges of institutionalized racism in our society. "
14 " I looked at her when she was saying this and I realized that there is absolutely nothing you can say to a person who would feel comfortable suggesting something like that, let alone a direct accusation. "
15 " Praise from people I respect can get me through times of no money better than money can get me through times of no praise. "
― Harvey Pekar , Best Of American Splendor
16 " And no business can possibly equate happy workers (community) with profit (effectiveness). Happy workers are much more productive workers and hence contribute to profit, but no organization is formed for the idea of pleasing its employees. "
17 " It makes you feel good to know that there's other people afflicted like you. "
18 " Comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures. "
19 " I think comics have far more potential than a lot of people realize. "
20 " I wanted to write literature that pushed people into their lives rather than helping people escape from them. "
