Studs Terkel Quotes

A collection of quotes by Studs Terkel.

Studs Terkel (born Louis Terkel on May 16, 1912) was an American author, historian, and radio personality. He was known for his wide-ranging interviews and oral histories that captured the stories and experiences of everyday people. Terkel's unique ability to delve into the lives of ordinary individuals provided a fascinating and authentic perspective on American life and culture.

Born and raised in New York City, Terkel began his career as a lawyer but soon realized his passion for writing and storytelling. He worked for a variety of organizations, including the Federal Writers' Project during the Great Depression, where he conducted interviews that would later inspire his groundbreaking works.

Terkel's most famous books, including "Working" (1974), "The Good War" (1984), and "Hard Times" (1970), showcased the oral histories of individuals from different walks of life, exploring their joys, struggles, and personal triumphs. His interviews and writings shed light on the social, political, and economic issues that shaped American society throughout the 20th century.

Throughout his career, Terkel also hosted a popular radio show, "The Studs Terkel Program," where he continued to engage with his audience through interviews and discussions. He was widely respected for his ability to connect with people from all backgrounds and to empathize with their experiences.

Studs Terkel's contributions to the field of oral history and his commitment to capturing the stories of ordinary individuals made him a beloved figure in American literature and journalism. He passed away on October 31, 2008, leaving behind a rich legacy of preserving the voices of the American people.

With optimism, you look upon the sunny side of things. Peopl

With optimism, you look upon the sunny side of things. People say, 'Studs, you're an optimist.' I never said I was an optimist. I have hope because what's the alternative to hope? Despair? If you have despair, you might as well put your head in the oven.

I was born in the year the Titanic sank. The Titanic went do

I was born in the year the Titanic sank. The Titanic went down, and I came up. That tells you a little about the fairness of life.

Life

I want a language that speaks the truth.

I want a language that speaks the truth.

Truth Language

I always love to quote Albert Einstein because nobody dares

I always love to quote Albert Einstein because nobody dares contradict him.

Love

I want, of course, peace, grace, and beauty. How do you do t

I want, of course, peace, grace, and beauty. How do you do that? You work for it.

Beauty Work Peace Grace

We use the word 'hope' perhaps more often than any other wor

We use the word 'hope' perhaps more often than any other word in the vocabulary: 'I hope it's a nice day.' 'Hopefully, you're doing well.' 'So how are things going along? Pretty good. Going to be good tomorrow? Hope so.'

Hope

Nonetheless, do I have respect for people who believe in the

Nonetheless, do I have respect for people who believe in the hereafter? Of course I do. I might add, perhaps even a touch of envy too, because of the solace.

Respect

I'm not up on the Internet, but I hear that is a democratic

I'm not up on the Internet, but I hear that is a democratic possibility. People can connect with each other. I think people are ready for something, but there is no leadership to offer it to them. People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are part of a world.'

Leadership

Something was still there, that something that distinguishes

Something was still there, that something that distinguishes an artist from a performer: the revealing of self. Here I be. Not for long, but here I be. In sensing her mortality, we sensed our own.

Jazz

Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits.

Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits.

Prophecy

Religion obviously played a role in this book and the previo

Religion obviously played a role in this book and the previous book, too.

Religion

People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are ready for single-payer

People are ready to say, 'Yes, we are ready for single-payer health insurance.' We are the only industrialized country in the world that does not have national health insurance. We are the richest in wealth and the poorest in health of all the industrial nations.

Health

I think it's realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse i

I think it's realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: 'I despair. The world's no good.' That's a perverse idealist. It's practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. That's very realistic.

Hope

If solace is any sort of succor to someone, that is sufficie

If solace is any sort of succor to someone, that is sufficient. I believe in the faith of people, whatever faith they may have.

Faith

People are hungry for stories. It

People are hungry for stories. It

Storytelling

Having been blacklisted from working in television during th

Having been blacklisted from working in television during the McCarthy era, I know the harm of government using private corporations to intrude into the lives of innocent Americans. When government uses the telephone companies to create massive databases of all our phone calls it has gone too far.note: May 22, 2006, Terkel, along with other plaintiffs, filed a suit in federal district court against AT&T to stop them from giving customer phone records to the National Security Agency without a court order.

Privacy

I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.

I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.

Hope

I've always felt, in all my books, that there's a deep decen

I've always felt, in all my books, that there's a deep decency in the American people and a native intelligence - providing they have the facts, providing they have the information.

Intelligence

That's why I wrote this book: to show how these people can i

That's why I wrote this book: to show how these people can imbue us with hope. I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. It's like a tonic.

Health