How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Real religion is the best and truest thing in the world and the only thing that can make a man really happy, or make the world any better." (36.24)
One of Jerry's conflicts is that of working on Sunday: He's offered a job to drive his cab on Sunday, but refuses, even though it means turning down money he really needs. He explains his reasons at great length, but the bottom line is that he believes religion is the best thing in the world. He says it very plainly in this particular quote.
Quote #8
"[…] I don't see that your religious people are any better than the rest."
"If they are not better," put in Jerry, "it is because they are not religious. You might as well say that our country's laws are not good because some people break them." (36.24)
For Jerry Barker, not only is religion the best thing in the world—it turns out that religious people are actually better than everyone else. And by religious, Jerry means the people who actually follow the teachings of Christianity. At least he's honest about his opinions.
Quote #9
"Why, Polly, you are as good as the minister, and so, as I've had my Sunday morning sermon early to-day, you may go and tell Dinah that I'll be ready for her as the clock strikes ten." (37.12)
High praise from Jerry Barker to his wife, here: Her argument for why he should drive his cab to help a friend whose mother is ill is apparently good enough to be a sermon. This chapter illustrates how someone like Jerry can be observant and religious while skipping church. He finds a moral lesson in his wife's lecture, and when he drives to the country later, he spends an afternoon outdoors, appreciating nature in a way that almost feels sacred.