Chris Columbus was a phony: remembering the late great writers Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger through a myriad of quotes

“I’m worried that students will take their obedient place in society and look to become successful cogs in the wheel — let the wheel spin them around as it wants without taking a look at what they’re doing. I’m concerned that students not become passive acceptors of the official doctrine that’s handed down to them from the White House, the media, textbooks, teachers and preachers.” — Zinn

“It’s funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they’ll do practically anything you want them to.” — Salinger

“One certain effect of war is to diminish freedom of expression.” — Zinn

“I’m a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.” — Salinger

“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” — Zinn

“Phooey, I say, on all white-shoe college boys who edit their campus literary magazines. Give me an honest con man any day.” — Salinger

“I suggest that if you know history, then you might not be so easily fooled by the government when it tells you you must go to war for this or that reason — that history is a protective armor against being misled.” — Zinn

“An artist’s only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else’s.” — Salinger

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” — Zinn

“Boy, when you’re dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you’re dead? Nobody.” — Salinger