“"A newspaper man has got to know when to keep his mouth and his mind shut. You might end up dead."
"Isn't that the usual fate of men, Harry?"”

—  R. A. Lafferty, book Fourth Mansions

Source: Fourth Mansions (1969), Ch. 8

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R. A. Lafferty photo
R. A. Lafferty109
American writer 1914–2002

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For my friend said that he opened his intellect as the sun opens the fans of a palm tree, opening for opening's sake, opening infinitely for ever. But I said that I opened my intellect as I opened my mouth, in order to shut it again on something solid. I was doing it at the moment. And as I truly pointed out, it would look uncommonly silly if I went on opening my mouth infinitely, for ever and ever.
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