"Whenever you come near the human race, there's layers and layers of nonsense"

This is from Our Town by Thornton Wilder (the title is from that too):

"STAGE MANAGER: ...You see, we want to know how all this began--this wedding, this plan to spend a lifetime together. I'm awfully interested in how big things like that begin.
You know how it is: you're twenty-one or twenty-two and you make some decisions, then whisssh! you're seventy; you've been a lawyer for fifty years, and that white-haired lady at your side has eaten over fifty thousand meals with you.
How do such things being?
George and Emily are going to show you now the conversation they had when they first know that . . . that . . . as the saying goes . . . they were meant for one another.
But before they do it I want you to try and remember what it was like to have been very young. And particularly the days when you were first in love; when you were like a person sleepwalking, and you didn't quite see the street you were in, and didn't quite hear everything that was said to you.
You're just a little bit crazy. Will you remember that, please?
Now they'll be coming out of high school at three o'clock. George has just been elected President of the Junior Class, and as it's June, that means he'll be President of the Senior Class all next year. And Emily's just been elected Secretary and Treasurer.
I don't have to tell you how important that is.
...
GEORGE, also carrying books catches up with her.
GEORGE: Can I carry your books home for you, Emily?
EMILY: Coolly. Why . . . uh . . . Thank you. it isn't far. She gives them to him.
GEORGE: Excuse me a minute, Emily.---Say, Bob, if I'm a little late, start practice anyway. And give Herb some long high ones.
EMILY: Good-by, Lizzy.
GEORGE: Good-by Lizzy.---I'm awfully glad you were elected, too Emily.
EMILY: Thank you. They have been standing on Main Street, almost against the back wall. They take the first steps toward the audience when GEORGE stops and says
GEORGE: Emily, why are you mad at me?
EMILY: I'm not made at you.
GEORGE: You've been treating me so funny lately.
EMILY: Well, since you ask me, I might as well say it right now, George,--- She catches sight of a teacher passing. Good-by, Miss Corcoran.
GEORGE: Good-by, Miss Corcoran.---Wha--what is it?
EMILY: Not scoldingly; finding it difficult to say. I don't like the whole change that's come over you in the last year. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but I've got to---tell the truth and shame the devil.
GEORGE: A change?--Wha--what do you mean?
EMILY: Well, up to a year ago I used to like you a lot. And I used to watch you as you did everything . . . because we'd been friends so long . . . and then you began spending all your time at base-ball . . . and you never stopped to speak to anybody any more. Not even to your own family you didn't . . .and, George, its a fact, you've got awful conceited and stuck-up, and all the girls say so. They may not say so to your face, but that's what they say about you behind your back, and it hurts me to hear them say it, but I'e got to agree with them a little. I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings . . . but I can't be sorry I said it.
GEORGE: I . . . I'm glad you said it, Emily. I never thought that such a thing was happening to me. I guess it's hard for a fella not to have faults creep into his character. They take a step or two in silence, then stand still in misery.
EMILY: I always expect a man to be perfect and I think he should be.
GEORGE: Oh . . . I don't think its possible to be perfect, Emily.
EMILY: Well, my father is, and as far as I can see your father is. There's no reason on earth why you shouldn't be, too.
GEORGE: Well, I feel it's the other way round. That men aren't naturally good; but girls are.
EMILY: Well, you might well know right now that I'm not perfect. It's not as easy for a girl to be perfect as a man, because we girls are more--more--nervous.--Now I'm sorry I said all that about you. I don't know what made me say it.
GEORGE: Emily,---
EMILY: Now I can see it's not the truth at all. And I suddenly feel that it isn't important, anyway.
GEORGE: Emily . . . would you like an ice-cream soda, or something before you go home?
EMILY: Well, thank you . . . I would.
They advance toward the audience and make an abrupt right turn, opening the door of Morgan's drugstore. Under strong emotion, EMILY keeps her face down. GEORGE speaks to some passers-by.
GEORGE: Hello, Stew,--how are you?--Good afternoon, Mrs. Slocum.
The STAGE MANAGER, wearing spectacles and assuming the role of Mr. Morgan, enters abruptly from the right and stands between the audience and the counter of his soda fountain.
STAGE MANAGER: Hello, George. Hello, Emily.--What'll you have?--Why, Emily Webb,--what have you been crying about?
GEORGE: He gropes for an explanation. She . . . she just got an awful scare, Mr. Morgan. She almost got run over by that hardware-store wagon. Everybody says that Tom Huckins drives like a crazy man.
STAGE MANAGER: Drawing a drink of water Well, now! You take a drink of water, Emily. You look all shook up. I tell you, you've got to look both ways before you cross Main Street these days. Gets worse every year.--What'll you have?
EMILY: I'll have a strawberry phosphate, thank you, Mr. Morgan.
GEORGE: No, no, Emily. Have a ice-cream soda with me. Two strawberry ice-cream sodas, Mr. Morgan.
STAGE MANAGER: Working the faucets. Two strawberry ice-cream sodas, yes sir. Yes, sir. There are a hundred and twenty0five horses in Grover's Corners this minute I'm talking to you. State Inspector was in here yesterday. And now they're brining in these auto-mo-biles, the best thing to do is just stay home. Why, I can remember when a dog could go to sleep all day in the middle of Main street and nothing come along to disturb him.
He sets the imaginary glasses before them.
There they are. Enjoy 'em.
He sees a customer, right.
Yes, Mrs. Ellis. What can I do for you?
He goes out right.
EMILY: They're so expensive.
GEORGE: No, no,--don't you think about that. We're celebrating our election. And then do you know what else I'm celebrating?
EMILY: N-no.
GEORGE: I'm celebrating because I've got a friend who tells me all the things that ought to be told me.
EMILY: George, please don't think of that. I don't know why I said it. It's not true. You're--
GEORGE: No, Emily, stick to it. I'm glad you spoke to me like you did. But you'll see: I'm going to change so quick--you bet I'm going to change. And Emily, I want to ask you a favor.
EMILY: What?
GEORGE: Emily, if I got away to State Agriculture College next year, will you write me a letter once in a while?
EMILY: I certainly will. I certainly will, George . . .
Pause. They start sipping the sodas through the straws.
It certainly seems like being away three years you'd get out of touch with things. Maybe letters from Grover's Corners wouldn't be so interesting after a while. Grover's Corners isn't a very important place when you think of all--New Hampshire; but I think it's a very nice town.
GEORGE: The day wouldn't come when I wouldn't want to know everything that's happening here. I know that's true, Emily.
EMILY: Well, I'll try to make my letters interesting.
Pause.
GEORGE: Y'know Emily, whenever I meet a farm I ask him if he thinks it's important to go to Agriculture School to be a good farmer.
EMILY: Why George--
GEORGE: Yeah, and some of them say that it's even a waste of time. You can get all of things, anyway, out of the pamphlets the government sends out. And Uncle Luke's getting old,--he's about ready for me to start in taking over his farm tomorrow, if I could.
EMILY: My!
GEORGE: And, like you say, being gone all that time . . . in other places and meeting other people . . . Gosh, if anything like that can happen I don't want to go away. I guess new people aren't any better than old ones. I'll bet they almost never are. Emily . . . I feel that you're as good a friend as I've got. I don't need to go and meet the people in other towns.
EMILY: But, George, maybe it's very important for you to go and learn all that about--cattle judging and soils and those things . . . Of course, I don't know.
GEORGE: After a pause, very seriously
Emily I'm going to make up my mind right now. I won't go. I'll tell Pa about it tonight.
EMILY: Why, George, I don't see why you have to decide right now. It's a whole year away.
GEORGE: Emily, I' glad you spoke to me about that . . . that fault in my character. What you said was right; but there was one thing wrong in it, and that was when you said that for a year I wasn't noticing people, and . . . you, for instance. Why, you say you were watching me when I did everything . . . I was doing the same about you all the time. Why, sure,-- I always thought about you as one of the chief people I thought about. I always made sure where you were sitting on the bleachers, and who you were with, and for three days now I've been trying to walk home with you; but something's always got in the way. Yesterday I was standing over against the wall waiting for you, and you walked home with Miss Corcoran.
EMILY: George! . . . Life's awful funny! How could I have known that? Why, I thought--
GEORGE: Listen, Emily, I'm going to tell you why I'm not going to Agriculture School. I think that once you've found a person that you've very fond of . . . I mean a person who's fond of you, too, and likes you enough to be interested in your character . . . Well, I think that's just as important as college is, and even more so. That's what I think.
EMILY: I think it's awfully important, too.
GEORGE: Emily.
EMILY: Y-yes, George.
GEORGE: Emily, if I do improve and make a big chance . . . would you be . . . I mean: could you be . . .
EMILY: I . . . I am now; I always have been.
GEORGE: Pause. So I guess this is an important talk we've been having.
EMILY: Yes . . . yes.
GEORGE: Takes a deep breath and straightens his back.
Wait just a minute and I'll walk you home.
With mounting alarm he digs into his pocket for the money. The STAGE MANAGER enters, right. GEORGE, deeply embarrassed, but direct, says to him:
Mr. Morgan, I'll have to go home and get the money to pay your for this. It'll only take me a moment.
STAGE MANAGER: Pretending to be affronted. What's that? George Gibbs, do you mean to tell me--!
GEORGE: Yes, but I had my reasons, Mr. Morgan. -- Look, here's my gold watch to keep until I come back with the money.
STAGE MANAGER: That's all right. Keep your watch. I'll trust you.
GEORGE: I'll be back in five minutes.
STAGE MANAGER: I'll trust you ten years, George,--not a day over.--Got all over your shock, Emily?
EMILY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Morgan. It was nothing.
GEORGE: Taking up the books from the counter. I'm ready."

So that is twelve pages (out of a total of 83) from that play that I typed up there. That is my favorite scene from the whole play. It is just fabulous. I wanted to keep it on my blog. So I took forever to type it up. It's 7:55 now.

And just a few more quotes before I'm done with Our Town:
"EMILY: Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?--every, every minute?
STAGE MANAGER: No."
"SIMON STIMSON: Yes, now you know. Now you know! That's what it was to be alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and down trampling on the feelings of those . . . of those about you. To spend and waste tme as though you had a million years. To be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another. Now you know--that's the happy existence you wanted to go back to. Ignorance and blindness.
MRS. GIBBS: Simon Stimson, that ain't the whole truth and you know it."

Now it's 7:58.