Xanadu, need your help (Read 643 times)

Do you know the Quentin Cassidy quote in which he muses about the beauty and cleanness of running against a clock, you know, the one in which the clock equalizes everybody. I think it is when he is trying to explain running to his girlfriend.

Ooooooohhhh, my nosy gene has just been sparked and I want to know 'why' too now. No amount of googling on my behalf has found the quote. i did find this one... "It is simply that we can all be good boys and wear our letter sweaters around and get our little degrees and find some nice girl to settle, you know, down with...Or we can blaze! Become legends in our own time, strike fear in the heart of mediocre talent everywhere! We can scald dogs, put records out of reach! Make the stands gasp as we blow into an unearthly kick from three hundred yards out! We can become God's own messengers delivering the dreaded scrolls! We can race black Satan himself till he wheezes fiery cinders down the back straightaway....They'll speak our names in hushed tones, 'those guys are animals' they'll say! We can lay it on the line, bust a gut, show them a clean pair of heels. We can sprint the turn on a spring breeze and feel the winter leave our feet! We can, by God, let our demons loose and just wail on!" Which I liked, but I couldn't find the clock one! Jeff, I was also sad enough to take the bait and google for your latest philosopher the other day. The game was 'enticing' to me...but I couldn't find him anyhow and so I seem to be winning the prize for 'least likely to google the correct answer'. No career in research in my future then. Claire xxx

I feel honored to have my aid requested, but alas, I cannot find said quote because my edition is currently loaned out to a runner-friend. I've loaned it out many times over the past several years because the book is nearly impossible to find. It was rated #9 on the 10 most requested out-of-print books. "Cult-classic" is a phrase always attached to it. I think the cheapest you can find it is $45 for a used paperback on the Amazon marketplace, with copies going up to, I shit you not, $150 each, just give it a look. Jeff, your girlfriend was probably using you just to get the book for some $$. I saw a NEW copy sell on ebay for $140 just this month. When I get it back (hopefully soon) I'll look it up because I think I know which quote you're talking about.

Jeff, your girlfriend was probably using you just to get the book for some $$. .

That's EX-girlfriend. Actually it was in high school long long ago. I've gotten over her (I'm married now), but still miss that book. Claire--this philosopher is William James. Thanks for showing interest! I'll be changing soon...