The man in the factory who has had to batter his way up through life in order to exist; the woman in the household, fending for her husband, her children; wary of deceit and false-dealing and bullying in the course of her busy day, know (and knew) instinctively that the bully must be met with instant repulse or he multiplies his own violence. A placated bully is a hand-fed bully. A Chamberlain, creeping home under the protection of his umbrella, tricked and ridiculed by the enemy, mouthing the peace-in-our-time fallacy, can cause the destruction of our world; and nearly did. One thing I’ve learned in life; you cannot placate the power-mad. You must — to paraphrase an old saying — take the bully by the horns. Early.
Edna Ferber (1886-1968) American author and playwright
A Kind of Magic: An Autobiography (1963)
(Source)
Quotations by:
Ferber, Edna
If American politics are too dirty for women to take part in, there’s something wrong with American politics.
Edna Ferber (1886-1968) American author and playwright
Cimarron, ch. 23 [Sabra] (1930)
(Source)
The book is set in the late 19th Century.
Don’t you believe ’em when they say that what you don’t know won’t hurt you. Biggest lie ever was. See it all and go your own way and nothing’ll hurt you. If what you see ain’t pretty, what’s the odds! See it anyway. Then next time you don’t have to look.
Edna Ferber (1886-1968) American author and playwright
Show Boat, ch. 13 (1926)
(Source)
Captain Andy Hawkes to his daughter, Magnolia.