E. M. Forster Quotes

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
There are periods in the most thrilling day during which nothing happens, and though we continue to exclaim, “I do enjoy myself”, or , “I am horrified,” we are insincere.
E. M. FORSTER

Happen Horrified Human Insincere Myself Nothing Period Slumber Thrill
Think before you speak is criticism’s motto; speak before you think, creation’s.
E. M. FORSTER

Before Creation Criticism Motto Sepak Speak Think
One has two duties – to be worried and not to be worried.
E. M. FORSTER

City One Two Worried Worry
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
Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown
E. M. FORSTER

Gate Glorious Railway Terminal Unknown
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
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
It isn’t possible to love and to part.
E. M. FORSTER

Love Part Possible
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
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
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
People have their own deaths as well as their own lives, and even if there is nothing beyond death, we shall differ in our nothingness.
E. M. FORSTER

Beyond Death Differ Live Nothing Nothingness Own People Shall
The other damned saw what was happening and caught hold of it too. She was indignant and cried, “Let go-it’s my onion,” and as soon as she said, “my onion,” the stalk broke and she fell back into the flames.
E. M. FORSTER

Back Caught Cry Dammed Fell Flame Happen Hold Indignant Other Saw
Aziz winked at him slowly and said: “…There are many ways of being a man; mine is to express what is deepest in my heart.
E. M. FORSTER

Aziz Being Express Heart Man Many Mine Slowly Way Wink
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
It was pleasant, too, to fling wide the windows, pinching the fingers in unfamiliar fastenings, to lean out into sunshine with beautiful hills and trees and marble churches opposite, and, close below, Arno, gurgling against the embankment of the road.
E. M. FORSTER

Beautiful Embankment Fastening Hill Opposite Pinch Pleasant Road Tree Unfamiliar Wide
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
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

Actual Conduct Inner Life Moment Motive Pay Scrutiny Self Suddenly Use Year
Books have to be read it is the only way of discovering what they contain.
E. M. FORSTER

Book Contain Discover Only Read Way
One of the evils of money is that it tempts us to look at it rather than at the things that it buys.
E. M. FORSTER

Buy Evil Look Money One Rather Tempt Thing
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
You confuse what’s important with what’s impressive.
E. M. FORSTER

Confuse Important Impressive
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
The kingdom of music is not the kingdom of this world.
E. M. FORSTER

Kingdom Music World
We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand.
E. M. FORSTER

Cast Shadow Something Stand
Inside its cocoon of work or social obligation, the human spirit slumbers for the most part, registering the distinction between pleasure and pain, but not nearly as alert as we pretend.
E. M. FORSTER

Again Happen Nearly Nothing Period Pleasure Pretend Register Thrill

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