Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel

Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for “The Good War”, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.

Read more about Studs Terkel:  Early Life, Career, Later Life, Selected Works

Famous quotes by studs terkel:

    “... you can have a couple of seconds to rest in. I mean seconds. You have about two seconds to wait while the blanker is on the felt drawing the moisture out. You can stand and relax those two seconds—three seconds at most. You wish you didn’t have to work in a factory. When it’s all you know what to do, that’s what you do.”
    —Grace Clements, U.S. factory worker. As quoted in Working, book 5, by Studs Terkel (1973)

    “I can’t be servile. I give service. There is a difference.”
    —Dolores Dante, U.S. waitress. As quoted in Working, book 5, by Studs Terkel (1973)

    “Work is an essential part of being alive. Your work is your identity. It tells you who you are. It’s gotten so abstract. People don’t work for the sake of working. They’re working for a car, a new house, or a vacation. It’s not the work itself that’s important to them. There’s such a joy in doing work well.”
    —Kay Stepkin, U.S. baker. As quoted in Working, book 8, by Studs Terkel (1973)

    “... the wife of an executive would be a better wife had she been a secretary first. As a secretary, you learn to adjust to the boss’s moods. Many marriages would be happier if the wife would do that.”
    —Anne Bogan, U.S. executive secretary. As quoted in Working, book 1, by Studs Terkel (1973)

    “I feel free as a bird. I’m in a unique position because I’m the boss. I buy what I like. I initiate things. I can experiment with all kinds of things I think the kids might be interested in. Nobody interferes. For me, it’s no chore to go to work. Most people never get to do this at any time in their lives.”
    —Sarah Houghton, U.S. librarian. As quoted in Working, book 9, by Studs Terkel (1973)