Oil!: A Novel
1927
Published in 1927, 'Oil!' by Upton Sinclair is a political fiction novel that examines the oil industry in Southern California through the experiences of J. Arnold Ross and his son, Bunny. The narrative explores themes of power, wealth, and ethical dilemmas amid the backdrop of oil scandals during the Harding administration. Sinclair's work highlights class warfare, bribery, and the socio-political dynamics of the era, featuring a diverse cast that includes oil magnates, public officials, and social activists.
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“Dad, as a good American, believed his newspapers.””
— Upton Sinclair
“It appeared as if the whole world was one elaborate system, opposed to justice and kindness, and set to making cruelty and pain.””
— Upton Sinclair
“So the laws of good driving forbade you to go off the magic ribbon except in extreme emergencies. You were ethically entitled to several inches of margin at the right-hand edge; and the man approaching you was entitled to an equal number of inches; which left a remainder of inches between the two projectiles as they shot by. It sounds risky as one tells it, but the heavens are run on the basis of similar calculations, and while collisions do happen, they leave time enough in between for universes to be formed, and successful careers conducted by men of affairs.””
— Upton Sinclair
“We have an arrangement with our bank; the bank does not sell soup, and we do not cash checks.””
— Upton Sinclair
“Don't complain about our coffee; someday you may be old and weak yourself.””
— Upton Sinclair
“You mustn’t fool yourself with the idea that you could hire experts to attend to things; for how could you know that a man was an expert, unless you knew as much as he did? Some day your foreman might drop dead, or some other fellow would buy him away from you, and then where would you be? Be your own expert, said Dad!””
— Upton Sinclair
“Their frail human nature was subjected to a strain greater than it was made for; the fires of greed had been lighted in their hearts, and fanned to a white heat that melted every principle and every law.””
— Upton Sinclair
“The wobblies had a song about it in their jungles: “We go to work to get the cash to buy the food to get the strength to go to work to get the cash to buy the food to get the strength to go to work”
— Upton Sinclair
“Such was the result of an oil king’s resolve to manufacture culture wholesale, by executive order!””
— Upton Sinclair
