Saigon was an addicted city, and we were the drug the corruption of children, the mutilation of young men, the prostitution of women, the humiliation of the old, the division of the family, the division of the country-it had all been done in our name... The French city... had represented the opium stage of the addiction. With the Americans had begun the heroin phase.
More Quotes from James Fenton:
Imitation, if it is not forgery, is a fine thing. It stems from a generous impulse, and a realistic sense of what can and cannot be done.James Fenton
Those who actually set out to see the fall of a city or those who choose to go to a front line, are obviously asking themselves to what extent they are cowards. But the tests they set themselves there is a dead body, can you bear to look at it are nothing in comparison with the tests that are sprung on them. It is not the obvious tests that matter (do you go to pieces in a mortar attack) but the unexpected ones (here is a man on the run, seeking your help can you face him honestly).
James Fenton
The writing of a poem is like a child throwing stones into a mineshaft. You compose first, then you listen for the reverberation.
James Fenton
The lullaby is the spell whereby the mother attempts to transform herself back from an ogre to a saint.
James Fenton
One does not become a guru by accident.
James Fenton
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Based on Topics: Children Quotes, Cities Quotes, Corruption Quotes, Drugs Quotes, Family Quotes, Man Quotes, Name Quotes, Woman Quotes, Youth QuotesBased on Keywords: mutilation, saigon
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