Quotes from book
The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is a story by J. D. Salinger, partially published in serial form in 1945–1946 and as a novel in 1951. It was originally intended for adults but is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation, and as a critique on superficiality in society. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major languages. Around one million copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than 65 million books. The novel's protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage rebellion. The novel also deals with complex issues of innocence, identity, belonging, loss, connection, and sex.


Jerome David Salinger photo

“I'd just be the catcher in the rye, and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy.”

The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
Context: Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around — nobody big, I mean — except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff — I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye, and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy.

Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo

“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”

Mr. Spencer
Source: The Catcher in the Rye (1951), Chapter 2

Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger photo

Similar authors

Jerome David Salinger photo
Jerome David Salinger 83
American writer 1919–2010
Frank Herbert photo
Frank Herbert 158
American writer
William Saroyan photo
William Saroyan 190
American writer
Ray Bradbury photo
Ray Bradbury 401
American writer
William Faulkner photo
William Faulkner 214
American writer
Julio Cortázar photo
Julio Cortázar 29
Argentinian writer
David Foster Wallace photo
David Foster Wallace 185
American fiction writer and essayist
Pearl S.  Buck photo
Pearl S. Buck 95
American writer
Charles Bukowski photo
Charles Bukowski 555
American writer
Joseph Campbell photo
Joseph Campbell 140
American mythologist, writer and lecturer