Quotes DOASM

• "Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there's nobody to live in it." (15)


  Willy to LindaShows how Willy's sons left him and Linda, and also the fact that it took him a lifetime to pay off his house also shows that his philosophy of 'being well liked' doesn't work very well.
• "Bernard can get the best marks in school, y'understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y'understnad, you are going to be five times ahead of him." (33)


  Willy to Biff and HappyThis shows Willy's values: he thinks that studying hard in school is not nearly as important as being well liked; he thinks that being liked is the key to success.
• "Willly, the jails are full of fearless characters." (51)


  Charley to WillyCharley is trying to tell Willy reasonably why Biff should not be stealing, but Willy is being stubborn.
• "Because I know he's a fake and he doesn't like anybody around who knows!" (58)


  Biff to LindaBiff is referencing the incident he had when he found out that Willy was having an affair. Biff thinks that after that, Willy has despised him because Willy thinks Biff hates him ('spite').
• "You take it too hard. To hell with it. When a deposit bottle is broken, you don't get your nickel back." (44)

  Charley to WillyCharley is trying to explain to Willy that the great expectations and plans that he had for Biff ('making it big' in the city) are not necessarily going to work out, and that he should just let go.
• "And if anything falls off the desk while you're talking to him- like a package or something-don't pick it up." (67)


  Willy to BiffThis shows how Willy truly believes that Biff has a chance in getting a good deal with Oliver, and thinks that acting like a 'big shot' is more likely to lead him to success rather than just being modest and nice (relates yet again to his philosophy of being 'well liked' rather than working hard, etc.).
• "...he died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford, going into Boston- when he died, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at the funeral." (81)


  Willy to HowardWilly believed that as a salesman, he would be well liked and remembered, but nobody actually did. This shows how he thinks of himself of being successful when he was never actually so, and he believes that success will come by having many 'contacts.' Also, he cherishes what others think about him a lot, rather than his own achievments
• "I've often thought of how strange it was that I knew he'd given up his life. What happened in Boston, Willy?" (94)


  Bernard to WillyBernard knows that Biff acted out of character after he came back from Boston, but Willy doesn't want to talk about it because to him, that was the worst event in his life- he always wanted Biff and Happy to like him, but after that, he believed that Biff hated him, and this event comes back to haunt him repeatedly.
• "Willy, nobody's worth nothin' dead." (98)

  Charley to WillyWilly is considering killing himself because he believes that would yield insurance money that would actually be more than he could make for the rest of his life if he stayed alive- Charley tries to stop Willy from considering suicide (whether or not he knows about the insurance money is unclear).
• "The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy." (134)


  Ben to WillyThis encourages Willy to suicide for insurance money, as if he is going into the dark jungle, which is death, in order to recover diamonds, which is the life insurance money. He does this for the family, but mostly for Biff.
• "Sure, he's gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn't he? Coach'll probably congratualte you on your initiative!" (30)


  Willy to Happy and BiffThis is when Willy reasons out the stealing Biff and Happy did- at first he was opposed to the notion of theft, but he reasoned it out in his own head to be OK.
• "...they know me up and down New England...And when I bring you fellas up, there'll be open sesame for all of us, 'cause one thing, boys: I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own." (31)


  Willy to Biff and HappyWilly is preaching to the boys about the philosophy of being well liked and having contacts and how that is the key to success, which is all a dream and is false.
• "Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. 'Willy Loman is here!' That's all they have to know, and I go right through." (33)


  Willy to Biff and HappyYet again Willy is preaching to the boys about the philosophy of being well liked and having contacts and how that is the key to success, which is all a dream and is false.
• "You know, the trouble is, Linda, people don't seem to take to me." (36)


  Willy to LindaIt turns out that Willy isn't as popular and well liked as he makes himself out to be
• "Cause I get so lonely-especially when business is bad and there's nobody to talk to." (38)


  Willy to The WomanWilly expresses his need for company, which comes from being alone on long business trips that are many times unsuccessful. This combined with his mental condition is also why he talked to himself.
• "God Almighty, he'll be great yet. A star like that, magnificent, can never really fade away!" (68)


  Willy to LindaWilly still believes in Biff and that he will do well and be successful because he was so well liked in high school, but he never really worked or studied hard in high school, so he was never really 'magnificent' in the first place.
• "Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it's broken!" (73)


  Willy to LindaBecause of Willy's lack of success in the business, their family is pretty poor and cannot afford to buy good brand name products, and the ones they do buy are built with planned obsolescence in mind.
• "All the cement, the lumber, the reconstruction I put in this house! There ain't a crack to be found in it any more." (74)


  Willy to LindaThis, first of all, shows that they couldn't afford a great house so they had to buy a fixer-upper. This also shows Willy's values as more old school 'working with the tools kind of macho man.
• "Funny, y'know? After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years you end up worth more dead than alive." (98)


  Willy to CharleyWilly believed that he would be like any dream salesman: not having to work too much in his old age, and still being comfortable because of the building of a reputation and contacts. He now knows his fate has turned out quite the opposite, and he also knows that he would be more profitable dead due to the life insurance money his family would receive: he is considering suicide.
• "But the funeral-Ben , that funeral will be massive!...that boy will be thunderstruck, Ben because he never realized-I am known!" (126)


  Willy to BenWilly wants Biff to believe in what Willy has told him about being well liked and having contacts, and dying the 'death of a salesman.' This is ironic because only his family and Charlie actually show up at the funeral. He also wants Biff to think better of him.
• "Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket?" (135)


  Willy to BenWilly is imagining the benefits of his death/suicide: that the family, especially Biff, would have lots more money that he wouldn't be able to provide for them if he was alive.
• "Oh, Ben, I always knew one way or another we were gonna make it, Biff and I!" (135)


  Willy to BenWilly, after the incident where Biff found out about his affair, had always thought Biff hated him ('spite'), but he now found out that Biff still loved him, and additionally, he could now support Biff with insurance money (via suicide).
• "I'll put you right through to the buyers." (39)


  The Woman to WillyThe Woman would help Willy make sales in exchange for stockings; Willy sees her as a reinforcing agent.
• "A man who can't handle tools is not a man. You're disgusting." (44)


  Willy to CharleyThis shows Willy's perception of being a 'man.' He still values the old style toughness and being well liked over working hard and studying to find success.
• "Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich." (48)


  Ben to WillyBen's riches makes Willy thinks that his philosophy is equally rich and golden, but in fact it is not, and it misguides Willy.
• "Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way." (49)

  Ben to BiffBen preaches yet again philosophy that could misguide the boys and Willy: the philosophy of a dog-eat-dog world, where ruthless tactics are acceptable to gain your place.
• "Either he's your father and you pay him respect, or else you're not to come here." (55)

  Linda to BiffLinda cares deeply for Willy, and the last thing she wants is Willy to be further hurt on top of his mental condition by his sons (Biff in this case) and their spite and rudeness/disrespect for their father.
• "This is no time for false pride, Willy. You go to your sons and you tell them that you're tired. You've got two greatboys, haven't you?" (83)

  Howard to Willy? Howard either is wrongly assuming that Willy's sons are successful or is using Willy's warped perception of his and his family's success against him by saying that he would be fine even without work, which Willy would not like to say no to because that would make himself seem more unsuccessful as a parent.
• "We had a fist fight. It lasted at least half an hour. Just the two of us, punching each other down the cellar, and crying right through it." (94)


  Bernard to WillyBernard explains to Willy how odd Biff acted after he came back from Boston, and is asking what happened there, which Willy won't tell (the incident).
• "We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house." (131)


  Biff to WillyBiff is opening up in his realization that they, as a family (both Willy and their sons), were never actually as successful as they made themselves out to be; they gave themselves a wrongful sense of self pride and even created false memories (i.e. Biff being good friends with Oliver, Willy making lots of sales and being successful).
• "Nobody dast blame this man...A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." (138)


  Charley to BiffCharley explains to Biff that it was not Willy's fault that his dreams were so big, because that is a characteristic of the life of a salesman. This is because there are very high expectations for Willy in his profession, and so he simply dreams about achieving these high expectations.
• "Just because he printed University of Virginia on his sneakers doesn't mean they got to graduate him, Willy." (32)


  Bernard to WillyBernard is telling Willy that his philosophy of just being well liked will lead to success is not necessarily right: there is still a need for hard work to be put it (Biff had to complete the course requirements in order to graduate and go to college; he couldn't just be good at football and be well liked)
• "But somethimes, Willy, it's better for a man just to walk away." (95)


  Bernard to Willy?Bernard is suggesting to Willy that he should give up his dreams of being a very successful salesman, and that it has become time for him to retire?
• "...Who liked J.P. Morgan? Was he impressive? In a Turkish bath he'd look like a butcher. But with his pockets on, he was very well liked." (97)


  Charley to WillyCharley tells Willy that being well liked has nothing to do with success; it has to do with hard work and studiousness
• "Don't make any promises. No promises of any kind." (27)

  Willy to BiffThis shows Willy's philosophy of women as being gullible and subordinates of men, which he tells Biff about.
• "Be liked and you will never want." (33)


  Willy to Biff and HappyYet again Willy is preaching to the boys about the philosophy of being well liked and having contacts and how that is the key to success, which is all a dream and is false.
• "Someday I'll have my own business...Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked." (30)

  Willy to Biff and HappyWilly continues to believe that being well liked and having contacts will pay off for him, and that he will be more successful than others who may work hard but are not well liked: he teaches this misguided philosophy to the boys
• "Please tell about Dad. I want my boys to hear. I want them to know the kind of stock they spring from." (48)


  Willy to BenThis is where Ben got his ideas that he told Willy about, who then preaches it to the boys: the idea of being well liked, having contacts, and being a successful salesman due to it: Willy is convinced this is true because Ben is rich, but in fact the things that Ben says, like 'with one gadget, he made more in a week than a man like you could make in a lifetime,' are obviously made up statistics.
• "It'd be the family again. There'd be the old honor, and comradeship..." (64)


  Happy to Biff and WillyHappy refers to the 'better times,' when they were in High School and were very well liked by many. He also perceives these older times as when they were very successful, when they really weren't; it was just a past they made themselves believe existed.
• "It's not what you say, it's how you say it-because personality always wins the day." (65)

  Willy to Biff and HappyWilly is preaching his overpowering belief that being well liked is the key to success