Jews From The United States

"And then she said one or two unprintable things."

"Although short lived, Blood of Abraham offered a self-consciously Jewish alternative in rap that emerged from and addressed the greater hip-hop scene. Benyad and Mazik operated and performed entirely outside the Jewish communal realm, incorporating their own diverse Jewish experiences and backgrounds into tracks exploring more expansive rap discourses."

"Velvet Glove, that you love, obey, and trust, then an Iron Fist comes along and then you're crushed into reality. Why's it you felt deceived? That they got you – spiritually, mentally, and physically."

"Watch your back, be careful don't be careless. In this day and age your paranoia is awareness."

"If you want to understand things, you focus and you see the strings attached to everything, behind the scenes are meanings that begin to tell a story hotter than a purgatory hell. Can't you tell when someone's telling you the truth? Don't you realize the dangers when you're lying to the youth You seem to be quite lost right in the sauce. But tell me why is Exxon and Nabisco throwing up a double-cross? The power to decipher a disguisе is for the wise. The Shеll logo is nothing but a sunrise. It's all perception and the way you look at things. You see flowers, I see bees. You look at books and I see trees."

"You can't tell me who to hang with, or kick my raps with, or even make my snaps with, 'cause I'm full-grown and I got a full-grown mind, so mother-fuck sticking with my own kind!"

"By the way, the God you pray to is a black Jew, is a black Jew."

"Stabbed by the steeple, scalped by the chapel, the choir's got my tongue, and the preacher's got my Adam's apple."

"Keep your eye on the dollar Falling from my tree Subconscious, subliminal, idolatry"

"It's amazing when you stop and think about the times we're living in. The government should hand out free shampoo with their conditioning. They're callin all the master plans to hook their lines and sinkers. They captured all the fools and now they're lookin for the thinkers."

"But tell me: what you're gonna do, when you don't have your crew? You're lookin' in the mirror, but yourself you never knew. I don't really care if you're a Gentile or a Jew. When you come to me, you better speak upon the true."

"Focus on the bird in the park that can't fly. Focus on the truth, never focus on the lie. Look at all the shit in your town and ask why. Focus on the camera hanging from the sky. From beginning to the end, by myself and all alone. Well in my head is the place I call my home. By the time you figure out what the hell is going on. Little bit too late, you're extinct like mastodon."

"Brian Cross: Let's talk about the name, Blood of Abraham, what does it mean? Benyad: Blood of Abraham, very simple. Father of many nations. We believe that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, all see Abraham as a prophet, from him stems Ishmael, which became Islam. Jesus traces lineage to Abraham. Abraham also being the first Jew so therefore everybody has got a little blood of Abraham in them unless they're atheist or somethin'. So Blood of Abraham is a universal name."

"Walk, walk tall (Walk, walk tall) Bring in the day Open up your Eyedollartree."

"I have to deal with the fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day."

"The third thing they believe about the Marines is that our Corps is downright good for the manhood of our country; that the Marines are masters of a form of unfailing alchemy which converts unoriented youths into proud, self-reliant stable citizens—citizens into whose hands the nation’s affairs may safely be entrusted."

"First, they believe that when trouble comes to our country there will be Marines—somewhere—who, through hard work, have made and kept themselves ready to do something useful about it, and do it at once."

"Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there."

"Second, they believe that when the Marines go to war they invariably turn in a performance that is dramatically and decisively successful—not most of the time, but always."

"On the isle of Pago Pago, land of palm trees, rice and sago, Where the Chinaman and Dago dwell with natives dusky hued, Lived a dissolute and shady, bold adventuress named Sadie, Sadie Thompson was the lady, and the life she lived was lewd."

"Let us veil the tragic sequel, for a pious man but weak will Find, alas, that he's unequal to a lady's potent charms. So his long suppressed libido, sharp as steel of famed Toledo, Spurning prayers and hymns and credo, found surcease in Sadie's arms."

"In Spain, where the courtly Castilian hidalgo twangs lightly each night his romantic guitar, Where the castanets clink on the gay piazetta, and strains of fandangoes are heard from afar, There lived, I am told, a bold hussy named Carmen, a pampered young vamp full of devil and guile. Cigarette and cigar men were smitten with Carmen; from near and from far men were caught with her smile."

"One time, in Alexandria, in wicked Alexandria, Where nights were wild with revelry and life was but a game, There lived, so the report is, an adventuress and courtesan, The pride of Alexandria, and Thais was her name."

"The monk says, "That's a joke on me, for that there dame to croak on me. I hadn't oughter passed her up the time I had the chance.""

"If a man builds a better mousetrap than his neighbor, the world will not only beat a path to his door, it will make newsreels of him and his wife in beach pajamas, it will discuss his diet and his health, it will publish heart-throb stories of his love life, it will publicize him, analyze him, photograph him, and make his life thoroughly miserable by feeding to the palpitant public intimate details of things that are none of its damned business."

"Sure enough, as Colonel Hsu stepped into his office, she gave him a big thumbs-up with a double pump. She was a politician. If she was leading with charm, bad news was coming."

"She thought about praying, but learned long ago there’d be no answer."

"Years ago, during her first visit, Nola came here to do good, to set things right. But like any decision you look back on through the lens of time, what you marvel at most is how naïve you were."

"He felt…good, which should’ve been a sign. If life taught Zig anything, it’s that the universe saves its best punches for when you least expect it."

"“You’re telling me you can hack into an FBI agent’s phone?” “Only when they’re dumb enough to use their personal one instead of a secure line. Swear to Steve Jobs, whoever invented working from home should get a big wet kiss on the mouth.”"

"I hate watching cable news; it makes you dumber."

"Years ago, his stepdad had told him that anyone who drives a BMW has a small penis."

"As Huck’s about to learn, the worst prisons are the ones we create for ourselves."

"Jack Spink was fond of drink, His wife preferred to eat; For eats is eats and wets is wets And never the twain shall meet."

"“I love that you’re one of the kindest people on the planet, Ziggy, but I’ve seen teenagers in horror movies who’re less predictable…car washes that were less predictable…” “I get the point, Waggs.” “Ferris wheels that were less predictable!”"

"Even when you’re ready for it, nothing sneaks up on you like grief."

"302 phone number. Delaware. Truthfully, I didn’t think they allowed anyone to live in Delaware anymore."

"In every life, whatever you do, you either destroy or create."

"There are only four different magic tricks: You make something appear. You make something disappear. You make two things change place. Or you change one thing into something else. Everything in magic is a variation on those four."

"I know why you’re here, Mr. Zigarowski. Your commitment to repetition makes it nauseatingly obvious."

"“How old are you, Mr. Zigarowski? Late forties?” “Fifty-two.” “Mhmm. You got lucky with that head of hair. Lady Time picks her lovers with care.”"

"You say you’re a mortician? You should know better than anyone. Just because you’re not dead doesn’t mean you’re alive."

"But here's our friend José, who seizes her bridle. A wild homicidal glint gleams in his eye. He's mad and disgusted and cries out, "You've busted the heart that once trusted you. Wed me, or die!" Though Carmen is frightened at how this scene might end, I'm forced to admit she is game to the last. She says to him "Banish the notion and vanish! Vamos! which is Spanish for "run away fast." A scream and a struggle! She reels and she staggers, for Don José's dagger's plunged deep in her breast. No more will she flirt in her old way, that's certain. So ring down the curtain, poor Carmen's at rest."

"This book fills a much-needed gap."

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book. I'll waste no time reading it."

"My first contact with a Medal of Honor recipient didn't take place until 1957, long after I'd returned to civilian life and resumed my career in broadcast journalism. By that time, I was doing a weekly interview show on ABC, and one night the object of my scrutiny was a U.S. Army veteran who'd been getting a lot of controversial attention- as well as the Medal of Honor- for his heroic exploits during World War II. His square name was Charles Kelly, but to those familiar with his story, he was mainly known by his colorful nickname- "Commando" Kelly. (In our interview that night, I called him Chuck.) In introducing Kelly to our viewers, I marveled at his various feats of valor, especially at the Battle of Salerno, where, single-handed, he'd killed 40 German soldiers in a span of 20 minutes. But the controversy about Kelly dealt with his failure to flourish in civilian life. During the postwar years he had tried his hand at a number of jobs and business ventures, and nothing had panned out very well. There were reports that his booze problems had ben at the root of his problems, and we talked about that. And as I would later discover, Kelly was not the only Medal of Honor recupient who had the melancholy experience of going from war hero to washout."

"General George Patton once said that he would have given his immortal soul for the medal, and at least two occupants of the White House- Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson- told recipients they would rather have the medal than be president. Incidentally, when the presentation ceremonies are held at the White House, it is customary for the President- the commander in chief of our Armed Forces- to salute the recipient, who then returns the salute. That tradition extends throughout the chain of command: When a recipient is wearing the Medal of Honor, he is generally the one to be saluted first, regardless of how low his rank may be."

"While Lester Young might have had a warm tone, Stan Getz's was even more relaxed and wispy, especially on the jazz-bossa nova albums he did with Brazilian pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim and singer and guitarist Joao Gilberto, including the 1963 album Getz/Gilberto, which included "The Girl From Ipanema." Sure, Getz's tone was perfectly suited for bossa nova, but the tenor player could also work his around bop tunes. His playing is especially gorgeous and fluid on Focus, which included string arrangements by arranger Eddie Sauter."

"A kiss on the hand may be quite Continental, But diamonds are a girl's best friend."

"Men grow cold as girls grow old And we all lose our dreams in the end, But square-cut or pear-shaped, These rocks don't lose their shape: Diamonds are a girl's best friend."