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I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature. I produce my own view in the belief that it may be something like the truth.

William Golding

I do like people to read the books twice, because I write my novels about ideas which concern me deeply and I think are important, and therefore I want people to take them seriously. And to read it twice of course is taking it seriously.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Book Concern Deeply Idea Important Like Novel People Raed Therefore Think Twice
I don’t think they [contemporary writers] read me either. I mean, if we’re concerned genuinely with writing, I think we probably get on with our work.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Concern Contemporary Either Genuinely Mean Read Think Write
What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?
WILLIAM GOLDING

Animal Human Savage
Every novel is a biography. Well, then, this is a novel [The Paper Men] which is a biography that is pretending to be an autobiography. That’s what you could say about it.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Appear Biography Emn Every Novel Pretend Well
In India the odd thing is that English is this almost artificial language floating on the surface of a place with about fifty other languages. The same is true of Nigeria but even more so.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Almost Artificial Country English Fifty Float Language Odd Other Place Surface Thing
Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!
WILLIAM GOLDING

Bash Cut Him Kill Pig Throat
He who rides the sea of the Nile must have sails woven of patience.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Nile Ride Sall Sea Wovenm Patience
The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Dream Fear Hurt More Thing
You have the older generation like Iris Murdoch and Angus Wilson who are not as old as Graham Greene, but still are coming on. I dare say anyone who knew the scene better than I know it could fill it in with a very satisfactory supply of novels.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Come Country Generation Holder Like One People Still
How would I myself live in this proposed society? How long would it be before I went stark staring mad?
WILLIAM GOLDING

Before Long Mad Myself Proposed Society Stark Start
I hope my books make statements about our general condition.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Book Condition General Hope Make Statement
Sleep is when all the unsorted stuff comes flying out as from a dustbin upset in a high wind.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Come Dustbin Fly High Sleep Stuff Unsort Upet Wind
If faces were different when lit from above or below — what was a face? What was anything?
WILLIAM GOLDING

Above Anything Below Face Facem Different When
He lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them. Frowning, he tried again.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Again Express Follow Himself Lack Lost Maze Render Thought Vague Word
I’m scared of him,” said Piggy, “and that’s why I know him. If you’re scared of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he’s all right really, an’ then when you see him again; it’s like asthma an’ you can’t breathe.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Hate Known Piggy Scare Someone Think
We have a disharmony in our natures. We cannot live together without injuring each other.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Disharmony Each Injury Nature Other Together

I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature. I produce my own view in the belief that it may be something like the truth.

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I believe man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature. I produce my own view in the belief that it may be something like the truth.

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Popular Authors

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