When Paul thought about his effortless rise in the hierarchy, he sometimes, as now, felt sheepish, like a… — Kurt Vonnegut
When Paul thought about his effortless rise in the hierarchy, he sometimes, as now, felt sheepish, like a charlatan. He could handle his assignments all right, but he didn't have what his father had, what Kroner had, what Shepherd had, what so many had: the sense of spiritual importance in what they were doing; the ability to be moved emotionally, almost like a lover, by the great omnipresent and omniscient spook, the corporate personality. In short, what Paul missed was what made his father aggressive and great: the capacity to really give a damn.
p. 66Source: Wikiquote · CC BY-SA 4.0
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It was an appalling thought, to be so well-integrated into the machinery of society and history as to be able to move in only one plane, and along one line.
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"Why are you quitting?"
"Sick of my job."
"Because what you were doing was morally bad?" suggested the voice.
"Because it wasn't getting anybody anywhere. Because it was getting everybody nowhere."
"Because it was evil?" insisted the voice.
"Because it was pointless."
p. 271

