on loneliness

i thought what i'd do was, i'd pretend i was one of those deaf-mutes. that way i wouldn't have to have any stupid goddam useless conversations with anybody. if anybody wanted to tell me something, they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. they'd get bored as hell doing that after a while, and then i'd been through with having conversations for the rest of my life.

j.d. salinger, the catcher in the rye