I’m sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect.

The line is spoken by Holden Caulfield in J. D. Salinger’s novel *The Catcher in the Rye* (1951), during one of his late-adolescent tirades against the “phoniness” he perceives in the adult world. In the days after being expelled from Pencey Prep, Holden wanders New York City, alternately seeking companionship and recoiling from it. His complaint about being “sick of just liking people” reflects a recurring pattern in the novel: he craves genuine moral authority and authenticity, yet feels repeatedly disappointed by the people he meets and by his own inability to connect without suspicion or contempt.

Holden distinguishes between superficial affection (“liking”) and a deeper, ethically grounded esteem (“respect”). The outburst registers both idealism and despair: he wants to believe in integrity, adulthood, and stable values, but his experiences—filtered through grief, anxiety, and alienation—make respect feel unattainable. The phrasing also exposes his vulnerability: the desire for someone worthy of respect is a desire for guidance, safety, and a model of adulthood that doesn’t betray innocence. In the novel’s moral landscape, the quote underscores Holden’s central conflict: he condemns others to protect himself from disappointment, even as he longs for sincere connection.