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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

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
Marx, Darwin and Freud are the three most crashing bores of the Western World. Simplistic popularization of their ideas has thrust our world into a mental straitjacket from which we can only escape by the most anarchic violence.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Bore Country Crash Most People Person Western World
But forgiveness must not only be given but received also.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Forgiveness Given Must Receive
Language fits over experience like a straight-jacket.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Experience Fit Kjacket Language Like Over Straight
He doesn’t mind if he dies… indeed, he would like to die; but yet he fears to fall. He would welcome a long sleep; but not at the price of falling to it.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Die Fall Fear Indeed Long Mind Price Sleep Welcome
However you disguise novels, they are always biographies.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Always Biography Disguise Novel
Together, joined in effort by the burden, they staggered up the last steep of the mountain. Together, they chanted One! Two! Three! and crashed the log on to the great pile. Then they stepped back, laughing with triumphant pleasure.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Burden Chant Effort Join Last Mountain Sleep Staggered Together Two
A crowd of grade-three thinkers, all shouting the same thing, all warming their hands at the fire of their own prejudices, will not thank you for pointing out the contradictions in their beliefs. Man is a gregarious animal, and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way on the side of a hill.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Crow Grade Hand Prejudice Same Shout Thing Thinker Warning
Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Beast Maybe Only Us
Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?
WILLIAM GOLDING

Beast Close Fancy Kill Knew Part Something Think
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
Even if you got rid of paper, you would still have story-tellers. In fact, you had the story-tellers before you had the paper.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Before Even Fact Got Paper Still Story Teller Would
Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!
WILLIAM GOLDING

Baby Cry Right Save Something Useless
What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?
WILLIAM GOLDING

Animal Human Savage
No human endeavour can ever be wholly good… it must always have a cost.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Coat Endeavour God Human Must Wholly
We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything.
WILLIAM GOLDING

Best English Everything Obey Rule Savage Them

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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