“The same wakefulness the individual Calvinist was to use to keep watch over his own sins Winthrop and Cotton called for also in the group at large. This humility, this fear, was what kept their delusions of grandeur in check.… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
“She is either male property (Mrs.), wannabe male property (Miss), or man-hating harpy (Ms.).” — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
“We were breathing sooty air. The soot was composed of incinerated glass and steel but also, we knew, incinerated human flesh. When the local TV news announced that rescue workers sorting through the rubble in search of survivors were in need of toothpaste, half my block, having heard that there was finally something we could actually do besides worry and… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share
“After Hymns and tears, they boarded the brig Thaddeus, a vessel so crappy, it made the Mayflower look like the QE2.” — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
“The last line of Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is addressed to the American people and their congressmen. "As they deal with me and my people, kindly, generously, and justly, so may the Great Ruler of all nations deal with the grand and glorious nation of the United States of America." It's clever to imply that if the U.S. swallows… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share
“In the gravedigger scene in act V, Hamlet looks upon an anonymous skull and jokes that even Alexander the Great decomposed into dust that… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
“Another reason I’m intrigued with the hanged of Salem, especially the women, is that a number of them aroused suspicion in the first place… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
Listening to the radio every day for an entire year was a prison sentence. It was the most depressing, annoying, debilitating project I have… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
That's what I like to call him, "the current president." I find it difficult to say or type his name, George W. Bush. I… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it features the beloved plot of carnage in service of democracy, but I prefer American history. And if I had to pick my pet domestic bloodbaths, nothing beats Salem or Gettysburg. I’m a sucker for Puritan New… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share
While I gave up God a long time ago, I never shook the habit of wanting to believe in something. So I replaced my… — Sarah Vowell Copy Share Image
