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There are moments when the inner life actually ‘pays,’ when years of self-scrutiny, conducted for no ulterior motive, are suddenly of practical use.

E. M. Forster

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
We move between two darknesses.
E. M. FORSTER

Between Darknesses Move Two
It’s not what people do to you, but what they mean, that hurts.
E. M. FORSTER

Hurt Mean People
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. FORSTER

Better Interest Our People Prsonmapssion
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
Nonsense and beauty have close connections.
E. M. FORSTER

Beauty Close Connection Nonsense
I believe in teaching people to be individuals, and to understand other individuals.
E. M. FORSTER

Believe Individual People Teach Understand
Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable they are unreal. It was for the journey into solitude that the human soul was created.
E. M. FORSTER

Human Impossible Ral Relation Uncomfortable Unreal
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
You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you.
E. M. FORSTER

Ignore Middle never Out Pull Transmute
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
It isn’t possible to love and part. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know by experience that the poets are right: love is eternal.
E. M. FORSTER

Art Ignore Love Muddle never Oull Out Possible Transmute
One always tends to overpraise a long book, because one has got through it.
E. M. FORSTER

Always Book Got Long One Overpraise Tend Though
A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
E. M. FORSTER

Else Hang Information Itself Nothing Poem Point Something Together True
She had been so wicked that in all her life she had done only one good deed-given an onion to a beggar. So she went to hell. As she lay in torment she saw the onion, lowered down from heaven by an angel. She caught hold of it. He began to pull her up.
E. M. FORSTER

Been Beggar Dep Done Given Good Hell Lofe Onion Went Wick
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

There are moments when the inner life actually ‘pays,’ when years of self-scrutiny, conducted for no ulterior motive, are suddenly of practical use.

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There are moments when the inner life actually ‘pays,’ when years of self-scrutiny, conducted for no ulterior motive, are suddenly of practical use.

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Popular Authors

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