Phoniness Quotes

“And yes, Holden would keep those kids from falling off the cliff, but WHO WOULDN'T? Does she think I would just fold my arms or give them a pat on the back before they sailed headfirst to the ground? We are all catchers, and it's sad that she doesn't see it. Instead she sees the PHONINESS, she deplores the world even after I point out that I am in it.”
― David Levithan, The Realm of Possibility

“What's the point of doing something good if nobody's watching?”
― Nicole Kidman

“Rapacity plus taste is a formidable combination, since it so often passes for intelligence. One pities the artist in a world of such predators, all of whom are deeply engaged in the arts too.”
― Gilbert Sorrentino, Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things

“If your actions are dictated by who might be watching, they’ll never be genuine—and neither will you.”
― Vincent H. O'Neil, The Unused Path: Skills for living an authentic life

“The trouble with me is, I always have to read that stuff by myself. If an actor acts it out, I hardly listen. I keep worrying about whether he's going to do something phony every minute.”
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

“He was suddenly overcome with hatred for his own face, for its flat, hard tightness, the narrow lips, the pale, cold eyes, the deadness. Overkill, he thought. That’s what was showing on his face. Overkill. Shambles. You try hard, too hard, to get rid of that juvenile romantic in you and what happens then? You succeed, that’s what happens. And it shows forever on your face. It turns to stone.”
― Romain Gary, The Gasp