"Onassis was a man who loved to walk, to walk and talk, and he was the kind of man who doesn't go to sleep at night-he talks and talks"
About this Quote
The line about not going to sleep is where the intent sharpens. It’s not literal reportage so much as a portrait of compulsive influence: Onassis as the kind of operator who treats silence as wasted capital. Talking becomes a substitute for rest, maybe even for introspection. The subtext is that his energy is social, transactional, strategic. He doesn’t simply enjoy conversation; he uses it to extend the day, stretch relationships, keep leverage warm.
Context matters: Salinger lived inside the machinery of mid-century celebrity-politics, where moguls mingled with presidents and gossip functioned like an alternate press pool. In that world, walking-and-talking signals access. It suggests closed-door intimacy without the formality of a meeting, the perfect terrain for a man like Onassis, who traded in charm, information, and the quiet power of being indispensable.
Salinger’s phrasing carries a faint edge: awe shading into fatigue. The compliment is real, but it’s also a warning about charisma as a kind of sleepless appetite.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Salinger, Pierre. (2026, January 15). Onassis was a man who loved to walk, to walk and talk, and he was the kind of man who doesn't go to sleep at night-he talks and talks. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/onassis-was-a-man-who-loved-to-walk-to-walk-and-153153/
Chicago Style
Salinger, Pierre. "Onassis was a man who loved to walk, to walk and talk, and he was the kind of man who doesn't go to sleep at night-he talks and talks." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/onassis-was-a-man-who-loved-to-walk-to-walk-and-153153/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Onassis was a man who loved to walk, to walk and talk, and he was the kind of man who doesn't go to sleep at night-he talks and talks." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/onassis-was-a-man-who-loved-to-walk-to-walk-and-153153/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.











