The Making of Americans, Being a History of a Family's Progress

by Gertrude Stein

  If he reels it and he knows it and he tells it and he thinks it and he says it, clearly tells it why then perhaps it is something and perhaps it is not anything. Some are certain that clear thinking and clear telling and certain feeling and complete emotion are something some one can be doing. Some are certain that sometime they will be having complete emotion and certain feeling and clear thinking and eloquent expression. Some are certain that they are having clear thinking and complete emotion and adequate expression and absolute conviction. Some are certain that they have been having clear thinking and complete emotion and complete conviction and adequate expression. Some are certainly very clearly thinking, some certainly have then complete conviction. Some are certainly having complete emotion and are clearly thinking and are having adequate expression and perhaps are really having then absolute conviction. Some are certainly having sometime complete emotion and adequate expression. Some are perhaps having sometime complete emotion and clear thinking and adequate expression. Some are perhaps having clear thinking and adequate expression and some emotion, very much emotion and pretty nearly absolute conviction. Some are certainly having clear thinking and adequate expression and considerable emotion. Some are certainly not having completely clear thinking and complete emotion and adequate expression and absolute conviction.

  Some one is certain that some other one is doing clear thinking, is having adequate expression, is having almost complete conviction, is certainly not having complete emotion. That one is certain that the other one is one having pretty nearly complete emotion, not at all any clear thinking, not at all absolute conviction, might easily be having adequate expression.

  Which is then the important one, certainly one of the two of them. One of the two of them is certainly in a way the important one. One of the two of them is certainly in a way not the important one.

  David Hersland was certain that really one of them was the more important one. David Hersland was one certainly in a way not having complete emotion, certainly in a way doing clear thinking, certainly in a way having adequate expression, certainly having very nearly absolute conviction. He had absolute conviction. He had clear thinking, he had adequate expression, he felt inside him complete emotion.

  Some are working hard to be ones telling some one something. Some are working and are telling some one something. Some are not working hard to tell some one something. Some are not working hard and they are then telling some one something.

  To some spirituality and idealism have no meaning excepting as meaning completest intensification of any experiencing, any conception of transcending experience has to some not any meaning. To some anything to have meaning must be existing, to some anything to have meaning must be being, having been going to be experienced as something existing by some one. Many who are carefully and completely thinking have it to leave out something they have been, they will be, they are, they can be experiencing and this is a very natural thinking as very many who have it to be ones clearly and completely reasonably thinking have it to have it that they are thinking to be solving a problem and naturally then they are not thinking into them everything they can be experiencing. Some are quite certain that any one very clearly thinking are not ever completely experiencing, some are quite certain that any one clearly thinking is leaving out very much that should be being remembered by that one. Some certainly have a conception that everything should be intelligible to some one, certainly some of such of them are to some others, listening to them, not convincing. Some have it to be experiencing that they are experiencing more than experiencing and this is to very many completely convincing and it is to some completely convincing in some, and it is altogether convincing to some and to some it is convincing when these having it in them to have such experiencing of something that is not experiencing explain their experience, to some it is not then convincing. To some, some having experiencing of something which is more than any experiencing are convincing when they are explaining this thing. To some it would be a very pleasant thing if not any one having such experiencing ever got mixed up between what was, what is, what will be to that one and how it comes to be, how it came to be, how it will come to be, in short the explanation, the description, the condition what as experience to them was without any condition.

  As I am saying some are working in being ones being thinking, some are not working in being ones being thinking. Some are certainly thinking and working in being one being thinking and certainly coming to an ending in their thinking and doing it the thinking as a complete thing and certainly carefully doing that thing and certainly clearly telling the thinking they have been doing. Some certainly then have not been putting in everything that any one could be experiencing that is connected with the thing about which they have been thinking, some will not put in some experiencing, some cannot put in some experiencing, some are certain that they have put in all that experiencing, some put in almost all experiencing that has anything to do with that thing when they are thinking about that thing.

  Certainly to be completely experiencing, to be clearly thinking, to have real conviction, to have enthusiasm, to keep on going in doing thinking and having experiencing is a very enjoyable thing. Certainly very many are very clearly thinking that is quite a number are certainly quite thinking quite clearly. David Hersland was such a one. He certainly had enthusiasm, he certainly could have some experiencing, he certainly was needing for his own satisfaction to put in everything any one could be experiencing in thinking about anything. He certainly was one completely wanting to do this thing. He was one in a way doing this thing. He was one in a way never coming to be completely doing this thing, he was one having almost absolute conviction, he was one having real enthusiasm. He was one not being certain that experiencing being intensified was spirituality and idealism. He was not certain that one could not be experiencing something that was a different thing. He almost came to be certain that one could not be experiencing something more complete than any experiencing, he came to be almost certain that one can be experiencing something that is more than experiencing. He came to be certainly quite certain that not anyone could explain such a thing, he came to be almost certain that perhaps he could sometime explain such a thing.

  Some certainly and certainly they were not expecting to be doing that thing come sometime to be explaining what they were certain certainly was not existing. This is quite common. Some certainly come to be quite certain that something is existing that they were completely certain was not ever existing. David Hersland was in a way not at all such a one.

  Many are very logical in being ones being thinking. Some demonstrate something in being ones being thinking. Many are very logical in being ones being thinking. Some keep on demonstrating something. Many are very logical in being ones being thinking, some of these are demonstrating something, some of these are beginning demonstrating something, some of these are not really demonstrating anything, some of these are occasionally demonstrating something. It is like this, many who are logical ones are while they are being logical are always experiencing being one being living, some while they are being logical ones are being ones experiencing a great deal of being ones being living, some while they are being logical are experiencing very little of being ones being living, some while they are being logical have at times the conviction of being ones experiencing being living, some are certain that being logical ones makes of them ones being ones experiencing being living and this is perhaps true of them. The way each one is experiencing the amount each one is experiencing living is then a thing that some one is knowing, that some one is not knowing, that some are not knowing of themselves inside them, that some are knowing of themselves inside them, about which some have conviction, about which some do not have conviction, about which some have conviction and they certainly are not knowing what they are certain they are knowing, about which some have conviction and they certainly are knowing what they are knowing, about which some are not knowing that they are having a conviction, about whi
ch some are having a conviction and are not certain of that thing, about which some are quite certain they have not any conviction, about which some are certainly not knowing everything, about which some are knowing more than others are knowing, about which some are knowing very much, about which some are knowing hardly anything.

  So then experiencing being one being living is a thing about which some are knowing very much in themselves, in other ones. Experiencing being one being living is something some have very much in them. Experiencing being one being living is something many are certainly having some. Experiencing being one being living is certainly something every one is having some. Certainly some are having more than others are having of being one experiencing being one being living.

  Surely some one is meaning something by what that one is saying. It would be a nuisance for some not to be certain of this thing. Some one is meaning something when that one is saying something. Certainly in each one there is a connection between what that one is saying and that one is meaning, certainly in some way there must be some connection. Each one has their own way inside them of meaning something, each one has their own way of having connection between what that one is meaning and what that one is thinking, between what that one is meaning and what that one is saying, about what that one is meaning and what that one is feeling, about what that one is meaning and what that one is certain is conviction in that one.

  It would be a nuisance for some not to be certain of this thing that each one has some connection in them between what they are meaning what they are saying what they are feeling, what they are thinking, what they are certain about in being one being living.

  Certainly some are pretty certain that there is not enough connection to make it interesting, in very many, between what they are meaning, they are thinking, they are feeling, they are saying, they are certain in something existing.

  I mean, I mean and that is not what I mean, I mean that not any one is saying what they are meaning, I mean that I am feeling something, I mean that I mean something and I mean that not any one is thinking, is feeling, is saying, is certain of that thing, I mean that not any one can be saying, thinking, feeling, not any one can be certain of that thing, I mean I am not certain of that thing, I am not ever saying, thinking, feeling, being certain of this thing, I mean, I mean, I know what I mean.

  And certainly some one is right in saying such a thing, such a one some of such of them certainly are right in saying such a thing. Some of such of them have it that the moment of sensibility, emotion and expression and origin is all in a state of completion and then it is a finished thing and certainly then that one was meaning something and he was saying I mean, I mean, and it was all finished and then there was another something and this one certainly very often said I mean. That one said that very often in being one being living.

  Surely in some way there is some connection between what each one is meaning and saying and feeling and thinking and being certain of in living. Surely it would be a very great nuisance to ones being ones being living if there were not some connection in each one between meaning and feeling and saying and thinking and being certain in each one.

  Some are quite certain that there is very little connection certainly not enough to make it interesting between what every one is meaning and what every one is thinking and what every one is saying and what every one is feeling and of what every one is certain. David Hersland, yes he might be one of such of them.

  Some are quite certain that there is enough connection to make it completely interesting between what every one is meaning and what every one is thinking and what every one is feeling and of what every one is certain. David Hersland was certainly one of such of them.

  Some are certainly knowing what they are meaning, some are certainly not knowing what they are meaning. Certainly every one in a way is meaning something, certainly every one in a way is saying, is thinking, is feeling, is quite certain of something.

  Which way some one is meaning anything, which way some one is meaning everything, how some one is meaning what that one is saying, meaning, feeling, thinking and being certain, what that one is doing, feeling, thinking and of what that one is certain, how that one is going on meaning something, meaning anything, meaning everything, which way that one is going on meaning what that one is saying, feeling, thinking, doing, what connection there is in that one between living in that one and being in that one, how that one is liking is not liking what that one means to any one knowing that one, how that one is liking is not liking what that one is not meaning to some one, to any one, how anything coming into that one comes out of that one, how some things coming into that one hardly are coming out of that one, how much the things coming out of that one are different from the things going into that one, how quickly and how slowly, how completely, how gradually, how intermittently, how noisily, how silently, how happily, how drearily, how difficulty, how gaily, how complicatedly, how simply, how joyously, how boisterously, how despondingly, how fragmentarily, how delicately, how roughly, how excitedly, how energetically, how persistently, how repeatedly, how repeatingly, how dryly, how startlingly, how funnily, how certainly, how hesitatingly, anything is coming out of that one, what is being in each one and how anything comes into that one and comes out of that one makes of each one one meaning something and feeling, telling, thinking, being certain and being living.

  Certainly the way of experiencing anything and expressing that thing is the being being in each one. Certainly there are groups of men and women as to ways of experiencing things in being ones being living, certainly there are groups of them who in a way have the same ways of experiencing in them and these have each of them ways of experiencing something. Each one of them are meaning something to themselves inside them, to any other one, in being ones being living and having their own way of being ones experiencing anything, of being ones expressing anything.

  Some are not knowing what kind they are of ones experiencing, of ones expressing, very many are not knowing what kind they are of ones experiencing, of ones expressing. In a way David Hersland did know very well what kind he was of ones experiencing, of ones expressing, in a way he never came to be completely certain that he was not perhaps another kind of a one experiencing, another kind of a one expressing.

  Some have almost a way of saying what they are meaning. Some have a way of thinking, a way of feeling in them and a way of needing to be meaning something in them and they have for very much of their living almost a way of saying what they are meaning and for part of their living they have a way of saying what they are meaning. Some have a way of feeling something and almost a way of thinking something and they have all their living a way of saying what they are meaning. Some have all their living a way of saying what they are meaning. Some have a way of saying what they are meaning dimly. Some have a way of saying what they are meaning dreamily. Some have a way of saying what they are meaning doubtingly. Some have in their living a way of saying what they are meaning and then they have not a way of saying what they are meaning, they have not then any way for them of saying what they are meaning. Some certainly are slowly coming to a way of saying what they are meaning. Some certainly any time in their being one being living are ones having a way, having ways of saying what they are meaning.

  Some certainly are ones feeling completely feeling something, are ones thinking very well about everything, are ones certainly to themselves sometime going to be needing to be ones saying what they are meaning and some of such of them are saying what they are not meaning while they are not saying what they are meaning and some then are not saying anything when they are not saying what they are meaning. Some of such of them are certain that sometime they will be ones saying something saying what they are meaning. Some of such of them are almost certain that they will not ever be saying anything, saying what they are meaning. Some of such of them are sometime saying something, saying what they are meaning, some of such of them are not sometime saying something, saying what they ar
e meaning. David Hersland was not at all one of any such a kind of them.

  Some are quite certain that they are knowing what each one saying anything is meaning by what they are saying. David Hersland was in a way one of such of them. Some are quite certain that each one is meaning something when they are saying anything. In a way David Hersland was almost such a one. Some are certain that each one is one wanting to be meaning something by what that one is saying. David Hersland was not such a one, he was somewhat such a one sometimes in his living. Some are certain that each one is one not wanting to be meaning something by what that one is saying. David Hersland was hardly ever at all really such a one. Some are certain that each one is one liking it to be one meaning something by what they are saying when they are saying anything, David Hersland was pretty nearly one of such of them.

  Some are believing that mostly every one is meaning the same thing in being one being living. David Hersland could have been one being such a one, David Hersland was not one being such a one. Just the Way each one is experiencing what they are experiencing, how much they are experiencing in the way they are experiencing, how much of the time in being one being living they are experiencing much, they are experiencing little, how strongly they are experiencing what they are experiencing in the way they are experiencing and what way and how much they are thinking, what connection there is in them each one between experiencing and thinking, what result it has all in them as meaning and how and when and what way they are telling what they are meaning, that is a thing certainly in each one interesting to some, that is a thing in every one interesting to some, that was a thing certainly completely interesting to Hersland, a thing he needed to have completely interesting to him, a thing about which he was completely thinking and in a way he was one wanting to be needing to be one completely certain that there was not complete interest in him in any such complete realisation, in a way he was one needing to be completely certain that he was complete in needing the realisation of experiencing and thinking and meaning and telling in all men and women, in a way he was one wanting to be needing to be certain to be interested in not being certain that any such realisation would be complete living for him. He was one sometimes in being one being living feeling one way of wanting to be needing to be a complete one and sometimes in being living feeling another way of wanting to be needing completeness in being living, he was one sometimes wanting to be needing not completeness in being one being living. He was one certainly very much an interested one in experiencing, in thinking, in meaning, in telling being in men and in women.