Hubert Selby Jr. quotes

For weeks Tyrone thought he was going to die any minute, and there were also times when he was afraid he wasnt going to die. (Hubert Selby Jr.)
All the energy of their frustration and fear going into their laughter. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
thats why you cant be worried about the world. theyll just do you in anyway. you can't depend on them because sooner or later theyll turn on you or just disapear and leave you there alone. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't be able to stand looking at it. But it's when we're willing to come face to face with that demon that we face the angel. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
But you cant shut everyone out. I mean you have to have someone to love... someone to hold on to... someone. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
There's a sorrow and pain in everyone's life, but every now and then there's a ray of light that melts the loneliness in your heart and brings comfort like hot soup and a soft bed. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
But to believe that getting stuff is the purpose and aim of life is madness. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
I guess it could be said that the inspiration for 'Requiem for a Dream' is watching the American dream not only destroy so many lives in the U.S., but infect the rest of the world with its obsession with getting more, ignoring the deadly effect that has on the planet. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
I have rituals for cleaning out resentments, disappointments, heartbreak, depression and for work. One of the things I do is go over old stuff if I have been unable to write for a while. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
However they may have felt when they left they were now committed, they had passed the point of no return. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
... and the night was comfortably warm as the soft filtered light continued to push the darkness into the shadows as they held each other and kissed and pushed each others darkness into the corner, believing in each others light, each others dream. (Hubert Selby Jr.)
One of the things I have become aware of through the years is how much I love the people I write about. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
I've always felt alienated. I realized that I've been terrified my entire life. So I can identify that fear which drives so many of the people that I write about. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
The voice so filled with nostalgia that you could almost see the memories floating through the blue smoke, memories not only of music and joy and youth, but perhaps, of dreams. They listened to the music, each hearing it in his own way, feeling relaxed and a part of the music, a part of each other, and almost a part of the world. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
I knew the alphabet. Maybe I could be a writer. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
My writing is inspired by just about everything, yet I am unaware of so much of the process. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
Obviously, I believe that to pursue the American Dream is not only futile but self-destructive because ultimately it destroys everything and everyone involved with it. By definition it must, because it nurtures everything except those things that are important: integrity, ethics, truth, our very heart and soul. Why? The reason is simple: because Life/life is giving, not getting. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
There is nothing worse than a cultural barbarian with pretensions. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
Eventually we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, everything we have done, and have not done. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
I suspect there will never be a requiem for a dream, simply because it will destroy us before we have the opportunity to mourn it's passing. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
Life was not longer something to endure, but to live. (Hubert Selby Jr.)
He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that was far beyond his power to control or even at this point in time comprehend. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
Sometimes it seems to stand still. Like you're in a bag and you can't get out and somebody's always telling you that it will get better with time and time just seems to stand still and laugh at you and your pain. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
Everything about it was wrong. Thats why it worked so good. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.
... I started to die 36 hours before I was born, so dying was a way of life for me. View quote
Hubert Selby Jr.