Walking around Quote by Joseph Heller
““I did it to protect my good reputation in case anyone ever caught me walking around with crab apples in my cheeks. With rubber balls in my hands I could deny there were crab apples in my cheeks. Everytime someone asked me why I was walking around with crab apples in my cheeks, I'd just open my hands and show them it was rubber balls I was walking around with, not crab apples, and that they were in my hands, not my cheeks. It was a good story, but I never knew if it got across or not, since its pretty hard to make people understand you when your talking to them with two crab apples in your cheeks.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, 1961
He uses absurd imagery to illustrate how people fabricate elaborate excuses to protect their reputation when caught in a lie.
In simple terms: People make crazy excuses to save face.
Key Takeaway
Avoid deceptive rationalizations.
Themes
reputation
deception
absurdity
Mood
irry
reflective
Type
satirical
anecdotal
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- public speaking
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
self‑preservation
social psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we create elaborate stories to hide simple truths?
- How can honesty simplify interactions?
A Different Perspective
The story may be too convoluted to convey the intended lesson.
![“When I was a kid," Orr replied, "I used to walk around all day with crab apples in my cheeks. One in each cheek." ... A minute passed. "Why?" [Yossarian] found himself forced to ask finally. Orr tittered triumphantly. "Because they're better than horse chestnuts... When I couldn't get crab…” quote by Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc7/joseph-heller-601_humor-orr-yossarian_when-i-was-a-kid-orr-replied-i-used-to-w_1366352.jpg)
