The Great Gatsby Tom Buchanan Quotes

Tom Buchanan

Quote 1

He nodded sagely. "And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time." (7.251-252)

It's totally okay for Tom to have his little affairs, because he really loves Daisy. Yeah, we're so sure that excuse works for her.

Tom Buchanan

Quote 2

"Self-control!" Repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out […] Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white." (7.229)

Um, okay, Tom. (1) Pot, meet kettle. (2) We see just how important wealth isn't. All the money in the world can't make Gatsby "worth" Daisy.

P.S. This is dated and totally racist. In case you didn't catch that.

"I found out what your 'drug-stores' were." He turned to us and spoke rapidly. "He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That's one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong."

"What about it?" said Gatsby politely. "I guess your friend Walter Chase wasn't too proud to come in on it." (7.284-85)

When he's caught lying, Gatsby doesn't care. As he sees it, everyone is engaged in some kind of deception, including Tom's friends. But Tom has different standards—double standards.