Paul Fussell Quotes

Paul Fussell — American Historian born on March 22, 1924,

Paul Fussell, Jr. was an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings cover a variety of topics, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentary on America's class system. Fussell served in the 103rd Infantry Division during World War II and was wounded in fighting in France. Returning to the US, Fussell wrote extensively and held several faculty positions, most prominently at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his writings about World War I and II, which explore what he felt was the gap between the romantic myth and reality of war; he made a "career out of refusing to disguise it or elevate it"... (wikipedia)

I find nothing more depressing than optimism.

Americans are the only people in the world known to me whose status anxiety prompts them to advertise their college and university affiliations in the rear window of their automobiles.

The worst thing about war was the sitting around and wondering what you were doing morally.

The more violent the body contact of the sports you watch, the lower the class.