For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin—real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.
—Alfred D. Souza
A promise made is a debt unpaid.
—Robert W. Service
I don’t owe people anything, and I don’t have to talk to them any more than I feel I need to.
—Ned Vizzini in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Capitalism is an art form, an Apollonian fabrication to rival nature. It is hypocritical for feminists and intellectuals to enjoy the pleasures and conveniences of capitalism while sneering at it.… Everyone born into capitalism has incurred a debt to it. Give Caesar his due.
—Camille Paglia
A true lover always feels in debt to the one he loves.
—Ralph W. Sockman
The debt of gratitude we owe our mother and father goes forward, not backward. What we owe our parents is the bill presented to us by our children.
—Nancy Friday
The first rule of holes: when you're in one, stop digging.
—Molly Ivins
A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.
—Alexander Hamilton
I like my players to be married and in debt. That's the way you motivate them.
—Ernie Banks