Arnold Bennett Quotes

A collection of quotes by Arnold Bennett.

Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) was an English writer renowned for his novels, plays, and essays. He was born in Hanley, Staffordshire, in the heart of the English Potteries, and his childhood experiences in this industrial region played a significant role in shaping his literary works.

Bennett began his career as a solicitor's clerk in London but soon turned to writing full-time. His breakthrough came with the publication of his novel "Anna of the Five Towns" in 1902, which showcased his ability to capture the lives and struggles of the working class.

Throughout his prolific career, Bennett wrote numerous novels, including "The Old Wives' Tale" (1908), "Clayhanger" (1910), and "Riceyman Steps" (1923). These works often explored themes of social change, class, and personal development, presenting a realistic and detailed portrayal of the everyday lives of his characters.

Besides his fiction, Bennett was also a noted playwright and essayist. He penned successful plays such as "Milestones" (1912) and "The Great Adventure" (1913), and his literary criticism and cultural observations garnered him a reputation as a discerning commentator on society.

Arnold Bennett's writings are characterized by his insightful prose, attention to detail, and nuanced exploration of human nature. His deep connection to his Staffordshire roots and his ability to dignify the lives of ordinary people have cemented his place as a significant figure in English literature.

We shall never have more time. We have, and always had, all

We shall never have more time. We have, and always had, all the time there is. No object is served in waiting until next week or even until tomorrow. Keep going... Concentrate on something useful.

You wake up in the morning, and lo! your purse is magically

You wake up in the morning, and lo! your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of the magic tissue of the universe of your life. No one can take it from you. No one receives either more or less than you receive. Waste your infinitely precious commodity as much as you will, and the supply will never be withheld from you. Moreover, you cannot draw on the future. Impossible to get into debt. You can only waste the passing movements. You cannot waste tomorrow. It is kept for you.

Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at

Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.

Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as

Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.

Beware of undertaking too much at the start. Be content with

Beware of undertaking too much at the start. Be content with quite a little. Allow for accidents. Allow for human nature, especially your own.

The traveler, however virginal and enthusiastic, does not en

The traveler, however virginal and enthusiastic, does not enjoy an unbroken ecstasy. He has periods of gloom, periods when he asks himself the object of all these exertions, and puts the question whether or not he is really experiencing pleasure. At such times he suspects that he is not seeing the right things, that the characteristic, the right aspects of these strange scenes are escaping him. He looks forward dully to the days of his holiday yet to pass, and wonders how he will dispose of them. He is disgusted because his money is not more, his command of the language so slight, and his capacity for enjoyment so limited.

The people who live in the past must yield to the people who

The people who live in the past must yield to the people who live in the future. Otherwise the world would begin to turn the other way round.

Because her instinct has told her, or because she has been r

Because her instinct has told her, or because she has been reliably informed, the faded virgin knows that the supreme joys are not for her; she knows by a process of the intellect; but she can feel her deprivation no more than the young mother can feel the hardship of the virgin's lot.

Mother is far too clever to understand anything she does not

Mother is far too clever to understand anything she does not like.

Essential characteristic of the really great novelist: a Chr

Essential characteristic of the really great novelist: a Christ-like, all-embracing compassion.

Authors & Writing

Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable

Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable and amusing than much money without ingenuity.

You wake up in the morning, and your purse is magically fill

You wake up in the morning, and your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of un-manufactured tissue of the universe of your life! It is yours. It is the most precious of possessions. No one can take it from you. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.

Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmf

Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.

There can be no doubt that the average man blames much more

There can be no doubt that the average man blames much more than he praises. His instinct is to blame. If he is satisfied he says nothing; if he is not, he most illogically kicks up a row.

We need a sense of the value of time -- that is, of the best

We need a sense of the value of time -- that is, of the best way to divide one's time into one's various activities.

A first-rate Organizer is never in a hurry. He is never late

A first-rate Organizer is never in a hurry. He is never late. He always keeps up his sleeve a margin for the unexpected.

It is within the experience of everyone that when pleasure a

It is within the experience of everyone that when pleasure and pain reach a certain intensity they are indistinguishable.

Journalists say a thing that they know isn't true, in the ho

Journalists say a thing that they know isn't true, in the hope that if they keep on saying it long enough it will be true.

To the artist is sometimes granted a sudden, transient insig

To the artist is sometimes granted a sudden, transient insight which serves in this matter for experience. A flash, and where previously the brain held a dead fact, the soul grasps a living truth! At moments we are all artists.

It is well, when one is judging a friend, to remember that h

It is well, when one is judging a friend, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior impartiality.

Judgment Judging