Joseph Conrad Quotes

He struggled with himself, too. I saw it — I heard it. I saw the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint, no faith, and no fear, yet struggling blindly with itself.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Bilnd Faith Fear Mystery Soul Struggle
Reality, as usual, beats fiction out of sight.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Fiction One Liner Reality
I like what is in the work — the chance to find yourself.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Discover Myself Work
I slipped the book into my pocket. I assure you to leave off reading was like tearing myself away from the shelter of an old and solid friendship.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Books Friendship Leaving Old Pocket Solid
There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Light Moon Mystery Passionate Soul
A word carries far, very far, deals destruction through time as the bullets go flying through space.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Carry Deal Destruction Fly Space Word
To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Aspiration Clear Existence Human Path Temper
The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Alone Belief Evil Man Necessary Quite Source Wickedness
It would take too long to explain the intimate alliance of contradictions in human nature which makes love itself wear at times the desperate shape of betrayal. And perhaps there is no possible explanation.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Betrayal Desperate Explanation Human Love Nature Possible Time
The sea – this truth must be confessed – has no generosity. No display of manly qualities – courage, hardihood, endurance, faithfulness – has ever been known to touch its irresponsible consciousness of power.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Confession Courage Endurance Faith Generation Power Quality Sea Touch Truth
That’s why love is so inseparable from any talk about truth and death, because we know that love is fundamentally a death of an old self that was isolated and the emergence of a new self now entangled with another self, the self that you fall in love with.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Death Fall In Love Fundamental Love Separate Talk Truth
Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Enemy Friendship Greatness Word
Vanity plays lurid tricks with our memory, and the truth of every passion wants some pretence to make it live.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Live Memories Passion Pretend Truth
Nowhere else than upon the sea do the days, weeks, and months fall away quicker into the past. They seem to be left astern as easily as the light air-bubbles in the swirls of the ship’s wake.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Day Easy Fall Quick Sea Wake Up
All a man can betray is his conscience.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Betrayal Conscience Himself Rule
They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force–nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Brutal Force Strength Weakness Yourself
I take it that what all men are really after is some form or perhaps only some formula of peace.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Goal Man Myself Peace
History repeats itself, but the special call of an art which has passed away is never reproduced. It is as utterly gone out of the world as the song of a destroyed wild bird.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Art Bird Destroy History Repeat Reproduction Song Wild World
It is my belief no man ever understands quite his own artful dodges to escape from the grim shadow of self knowledge.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Art Belief Escape Knowledge Man Quite Shadow Understand
But it is like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds. We live in the flicker – may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!
JOSEPH CONRAD

Earth Light Live Old Run
As a general rule, a reputation is built on manner as much as on achievement.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Achievement Build Rule
Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Art Imagination Invention Life Master
Few men realize that their life, the very essence of their character, their capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their belief in the safety of their surroundings.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Audacity Belief Character Essence Expression Life Man Safety Surround
We live as we dream – alone. While the dream disappears, the life continues painfully.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Alone Dreams Life Live Pain
Art is long and life is short, and success is very far off.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Art Life Long Short Success
Your strength is just an accident owed to the weakness of others.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Accident Strength Weakness Yourself
The human heart is vast enough to contain all the world.
JOSEPH CONRAD

Enough Heart Human World

Famous British writers