Graham Greene Quotes

A collection of quotes by Graham Greene.

Graham Greene (1904-1991) was a renowned British novelist, playwright, and journalist. Born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, he developed a deep passion for writing at a young age. Greene attended Oxford University, where he edited the student magazine Cherwell and gained a reputation as a talented writer. His early works were political in nature, reflecting his own experiences and observations of the world.

Greene's literary career flourished throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He authored several notable novels, including "Brighton Rock" (1938), "The Power and the Glory" (1940), and "The Heart of the Matter" (1948), which established him as a major force in the literary world. Known for his distinct blend of suspense, moral ambiguity, and exploration of human complexities, Greene's writing often delved into themes of Catholicism, espionage, and political turmoil.

Beyond his achievements as a novelist, Greene was also an accomplished playwright and screenwriter. Some of his notable works include "The Third Man" (1949), which he adapted into a successful film screenplay.

Graham Greene's literary contributions earned him numerous accolades, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Order of Merit, and the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential British authors of the 20th century, with his works continuing to captivate readers worldwide.

In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare,

In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace - and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

Failure too is a form of death.

Failure too is a form of death.

Of two hearts one is always warm and one is always cold: the

Of two hearts one is always warm and one is always cold: the cold heart is more precious than diamonds: the warm heart has no value and is thrown away.

Life Love Value Hearts

I refused to believe that love could take any other form tha

I refused to believe that love could take any other form than mine: I measured love by the extent of my jealousy, and by that standard of course she could not love me at all.

Have you seen a room from which faith has gone?...Like a mar

Have you seen a room from which faith has gone?...Like a marriage from which love has gone...And patience, patience everywhere like a fog.

Love Marriage Faith

Except for the sound of the rain, on the road, on the roofs,

Except for the sound of the rain, on the road, on the roofs, on the umbrella, there was absolute silence: only the dying moan of the sirens continued for a moment or two to vibrate within the ear. It seemed to Scobie later that this was the ultimate border he had reached in happiness: being in darkness, alone, with the rain falling, without love or pity.

Love Africa Pity Sierra Leone

Hatred seems to work on the same glands as love: it even pro

Hatred seems to work on the same glands as love: it even produces the same actions. If we had not been taught how to interpret the story of the Passion, would we have been able to say from their actions alone whether it was the jealous Judas or the cowardly Peter who loved Christ?

Love Hate Passion Christ

I suppose the love of life which periodically deserts most m

I suppose the love of life which periodically deserts most men was returning: like sexual desire, it moves in cycles.

At the end of what is called the sexual life the only love w

At the end of what is called the sexual life the only love which has lasted is the love which has everything, every disappointment, every failure and every betrayal, which has accepted even the sad fact that in the end there is no desire so deep as the simple desire for companionship.

Life Love Failure Theend

If I stopped loving Him, I would cease to believe in His lov

If I stopped loving Him, I would cease to believe in His love. If I loved God, then I would believe in His love for me. It's not enough to need it. We have to love first, and I don't know how. But I need it, how I need it.

Death never mattered at those times - in the early days I ev

Death never mattered at those times - in the early days I even used to pray for it: the shattering annihilation that would prevent for ever the getting up, the putting on of clothes, the wathchign her torch trail across to the opposite side of the common like the tail-light of a low car driving away.

Love Sex Affair

He gave her a bright fake smile; so much of life was a putti

He gave her a bright fake smile; so much of life was a putting off of unhappiness for another time. Nothing was ever lost by delay. He had a dim idea that perhaps if one delayed long enough, things were taken out of one's hands altogether by death.

Life Death Unhappiness

I doubt if ever one ceases to love, but one can cease to be

I doubt if ever one ceases to love, but one can cease to be in love as easily as one can outgrow an author one admired as a boy.

Love Books Authors Doctor Fischer Of Geneva Graham Greene

Beauty is like success: we can't love it for long.

Beauty is like success: we can't love it for long.

But I'm a bad priest, you see. I know--from experience--how

But I'm a bad priest, you see. I know--from experience--how much beauty Satan carried down with him when he fell. Nobody ever said the fallen angels were the ugly ones. Oh, no, they were just as quick and light and . . .

Beauty Angels Sin Male Beauty

The truth has never been of any real value to any human bein

The truth has never been of any real value to any human being - it is a symbol for mathematicians and philosophers to pursue. In human relations kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths.

Human nature is not black and white but black and grey.

Human nature is not black and white but black and grey.

Heresy is another word for freedom of thought.

Heresy is another word for freedom of thought.

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.

Writing is a form of therapy sometimes I wonder how all thos

Writing is a form of therapy sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.