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Don’t be mysterious; there isn’t the time.

E. M. Forster

School was the unhappiest time of my life and the worst trick it ever played on me was to pretend that it was the world in miniature. For it hindered me from discovering how lovely and delightful and kind the world can be, and how much of it is intelligible.
E. M. FORSTER

Life Miniature Play Pretend School Time Trick Unhappiest World Worst
One grows accustomed to being praised, or being blamed, or being advised, but it is unusual to be understood.
E. M. FORSTER

Accustomed Advice Being Blame Grow One Praise Understand Unusual
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
E. M. FORSTER

Go Must Plan Wait Will
To make us feel small in the right way is a function of art; men can only make us feel small in the wrong way.
E. M. FORSTER

Feel Function Make Mean Right Small Way Wrong
Only a writer who has the sense of evil can make goodness readable.
E. M. FORSTER

Evil Makem Goodness Readable Sense Writer
Most of life is so dull that there is nothing to be said about it, and the books and talks that would describe it as interesting are obliged to exaggerate, in the hope of justifying their own existence.
E. M. FORSTER

Book Describe Dull Exaggerate Interesting Life Most Nothing Obliged Talk
Give, do not lend; after death who will thank you?
E. M. FORSTER

After Death Give Tend Thank You
It was pleasant to wake up in Florence, to open the eyes upon a bright bare room, with a floor of red tiles which look clean though they are not; with a painted ceiling whereon pink griffins and blue amorini sport in a forest of yellow violins and bassoons.
E. M. FORSTER

Barem Toom Bright Clean Country Floor Paint People Person Pleasant Tile Wake
We move between two darknesses.
E. M. FORSTER

Between Darknesses Move Two
Though life is very glorious, it is difficult.
E. M. FORSTER

Difficult Glorious Life Very
Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown
E. M. FORSTER

Gate Glorious Railway Terminal Unknown
The armour of falsehood is subtly wrought out of darkness, and hides a man not only from others, but from his own soul.
E. M. FORSTER

Armour Darkness Falsehood Hide Man Only Other Soul Subtly Wrought
Life never gives us what we want at the moment that we consider appropriate.
E. M. FORSTER

Appropriate Consider Give Life Movement never Us Want
Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.
E. M. FORSTER

Feed Long Nothing Run Shape Some Spoon Teach
She stopped and leant her elbows against the parapet of the embankment. He did likewise. There is at times a magic in identity of position; it is one of the things that have suggested to us eternal comradeship.
E. M. FORSTER

Against Elbow Embankment Identity Learn Likewise Magic Parapet Position Stop Times
The four characteristics of humanism are curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste, and belief in the human race.
E. M. FORSTER

Belief Characteristics Curiosity Food Good Human Humanism Mind Race Taste
At night, when the curtains are drawn and the fire flickers, my books attain a collective dignity.
E. M. FORSTER

Attain Book Collective Curtain Dignity Drawn Ficker Fire Night
I have no mystic faith in the people. I have in the individual.
E. M. FORSTER

Faith Individual Mystic People
The king died and then the queen died is a story. The king died, and then queen died of grief is a plot.
E. M. FORSTER

Died Grief Kind Plot Queen Story
Love is a great force in private life; it is indeed the greatest of all things; but love in public affairs does not work.
E. M. FORSTER

Affair Force Great Greatest Indeed Love Private Public Thing Work
But Humanity, in its desire for comfort, had over-reached itself. It had exploited the riches of nature too far. Quietly and complacently, it was sinking into decadence, and progress had come to mean the progress of the Machine.
E. M. FORSTER

Comfort Desire Humanity Itself Over Reach
I cannot help thinking that there is something to admire in everyone, even if you do not approve of them.
E. M. FORSTER

Admire Approve Everyone Help Something Them Think
There is an aristocracy of the sensitive. They represent the true human tradition of permanent victory over cruelty and chaos.
E. M. FORSTER

Aristocracy Chaos Cruelty Human Permanent Represent Sensitive Tradition True Ver Victory
We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won’t do harm – yes, choose a place where you won’t do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.
E. M. FORSTER

Cast Follow Good Move Place Save Shadow Something Stand Thing
So I shan’t ever marry, for there aren’t such men. And Heaven help any one whom I do marry, for I shall certainly run away from him before you can say ‘Jack Robinson.
E. M. FORSTER

Away Certainty Country Men People Person Run Shall
My temple stands not upon Mount Moriah but in the Elysian Field where even the immoral are admitted. My motto is ‘Lord, I disbelieve – help thou my unbelief.
E. M. FORSTER

Admit Country Disbelieve Motto People Person Stand Temple Unbelief
The main facts in human life are five: birth, food, sleep, love and death.
E. M. FORSTER

Death Fact Fivem Birth Food Human Life Main Sleep

Don’t be mysterious; there isn’t the time.

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Don’t be mysterious; there isn’t the time.

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