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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

One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
E. M. FORSTER

Fond Life Make Mess Must One People Trust
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 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
Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is a pity that Man cannot be at the same time impressive and truthful.
E. M. FORSTER

Equipped Impressive Inconsistency Pity Proud Same
When I think of what life is, and how seldom love is answered by love; it is one of the moments for which the world was made.
E. M. FORSTER

Answer Life Love Made Moment Seldom Think Which World
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
It’s not what people do to you, but what they mean, that hurts.
E. M. FORSTER

Hurt Mean People
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch, which ought to be applied as sparingly as possible. I dislike the stuff. I do not believe in it, for its own sake, at all… My lawgivers are Erasmus and Montaigne, not Moses and St Paul.
E. M. FORSTER

Apply Faith Mental Mind Ought Possible Process Sort Starch Stiffening Straight
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
Let yourself go. Pull out from the depths those thoughts that you do not understand, and spread them out in the sunlight and know the meaning of them.
E. M. FORSTER

Depth Let Meaning Pull Sunlight Thought Understand Yourself
You confuse what’s important with what’s impressive.
E. M. FORSTER

Confuse Important Impressive
Sometimes I think too much fuss is made about marriage. Century after century of carnal embracement and we’re still no nearer to understanding one another.
E. M. FORSTER

Carnal Century Embracement Fudss Made Marriage Nearer Sometimes Think Understanding
I can only do what’s easy. I can only entice and be enticed. I can’t, and won’t, attempt difficult relations. If I marry it will either be a man who’s strong enough to boss me or whom I’m strong enough to boss.
E. M. FORSTER

Attempt Can Difficult Easy Entice Only Relation
The sort of poetry I seek only resides in objects Man can’t touch – like England ‘s grass network of lanes 100 years ago, but today he can destroy them and only Lord Farrer keeps him from doing it.
E. M. FORSTER

Ago Country Destroy Grass Hundred Lane Man Network Object Poetry Reason Seek Sort Them Today Touch Year
The people I respect most behave as if they were immortal and as if society was eternal.
E. M. FORSTER

Behave Eternal Immortal Most People Respect Society
Give, do not lend; after death who will thank you?
E. M. FORSTER

After Death Give Tend Thank You

Love is a great force in private life; it is indeed the greatest of all things; but love in public affairs does not work.

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Love is a great force in private life; it is indeed the greatest of all things; but love in public affairs does not work.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More E. M. Forster Quotes