William Golding Quotes

A collection of quotes by William Golding.

Sir William Gerald Golding (1911-1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet, recognized as one of the foremost writers of the 20th century. He was born on September 19, 1911, in Cornwall, England. Golding studied at Marlborough Grammar School and later pursued a degree in English literature at Brasenose College, Oxford University.

During World War II, Golding served in the Royal Navy, experiencing firsthand the horrors of war, which profoundly influenced his writing. After the war, he worked as a teacher before devoting himself full-time to writing. In 1954, Golding published his debut novel, "Lord of the Flies," which quickly brought him critical acclaim and commercial success. The novel, exploring the innate darkness and destructiveness of human nature, remains his most famous and enduring work.

Golding's writing often delved into the darker aspects of human behavior and the fragility of civilization. With a distinctive, compelling style, he authored numerous novels, including "Pincher Martin" (1956), "The Spire" (1964), "Rites of Passage" (1980), and "The Paper Men" (1984). His works frequently explored themes of power, morality, and the individual's struggle against societal constraints.

Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983, receiving recognition for his exceptional storytelling and profound insights into the human condition. His remarkable literary career spanned several decades, cementing his status as an influential figure in contemporary literature. Sir William Golding passed away on June 19, 1993, leaving behind a rich literary legacy that continues to captivate readers worldwide.

The greatest ideas are the simplest.

The greatest ideas are the simplest.

William Golding

Simplicity Inspirational

There's a kinship among men who have sat by a dying fire and

There's a kinship among men who have sat by a dying fire and measured the worth of their life by it.

William Golding

Life Fire Contemplation

I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men;

I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men; they are far superior and always have been.

William Golding

Think Always Been

It was at a particular moment in the history of my own rages

It was at a particular moment in the history of my own rages that I saw the Western world conditioned by the images of Marx, Darwin and Freud; and Marx, Darwin and Freud are the three most crashing bores of the Western world. The simplistic popularization of their ideas has thrust our world into a mental straitjacket from which we can only escape by the most anarchic violence.

William Golding

Anarchy

He who rides the sea of the Nile must have sails woven of pa

He who rides the sea of the Nile must have sails woven of patience.

William Golding

Patience

The writer probably knows what he meant when he wrote a book

The writer probably knows what he meant when he wrote a book, but he should immediately forget what he meant when he's written it.

William Golding

Authors & Writing

Utopias are presented for our inspection as a critique of th

Utopias are presented for our inspection as a critique of the human state. If they are to be treated as anything but trivial exercises of the imagination. I suggest there is a simple test we can apply. We must forget the whole paraphernalia of social description, demonstration, expostulation, approbation, condemnation. We have to say to ourselves, How would I myself live in this proposed society? How long would it be before I went stark staring mad?

William Golding

Paradise Utopia

Among the virtues and vices that make up the British charact

Among the virtues and vices that make up the British character, we have one vice, at least, that Americans ought to view with sympathy. For they appear to be the only people who share it with us. I mean our worship of the antique. I do not refer to beauty or even historical association. I refer to age, to a quantity of years.

William Golding

Age

Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say t

Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.

William Golding

Cycling

Childhood is a disease -- a sickness that you grow out of.

Childhood is a disease -- a sickness that you grow out of.

William Golding

Youth