Philip Roth

"People were standing up everywhere shouting, "This is me! This is me!" Every time you looked at them they stood up and told you who they were, and the truth of it was that they had no more idea who or what they were than he had. They believed their flashing signs, too. They ought to be standing up and shouting, "This isn't me! This isn't me!" They would if they had any decency. "This isn't me!" Then you might know how to proceed through the flashing bullshit of this world."

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Source: Philip Roth (1993). “Operation Shylock: A Confession”

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Philip Roth

Philip Roth

Novelist

Philip Roth was a prominent American novelist known for his incisive exploration of identity and conflict, particularly in works like 'Portnoy's Complaint.'

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"I cannot and do not live in the world of discretion, not as a writer, anyway. I would prefer to, I assure you - it would make life easier. But discretion is, unfortunately, not for novelists."

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