E. M. Forster Quotes

A collection of quotes by E. M. Forster.

E. M. Forster, born Edward Morgan Forster on January 1, 1879, in London, England, was an acclaimed British writer known for his novels and essays exploring social and class differences of the time, as well as themes of homosexuality and personal freedom. Forster's father died when he was just two years old, and he was raised by his mother and aunts, which greatly influenced his upbringing. After studying at Tonbridge School and King's College, Cambridge, Forster embarked on a career as a writer.

Forster's works include several noteworthy novels, such as "A Room with a View," "Howards End," and "A Passage to India," which are regarded as classics of English literature. These novels often address the tensions and conflicts between different social classes and the restraints society places on personal relationships and individual freedom. Additionally, Forster's writing often revealed his progressive and liberal views on various issues.

Outside of his novels, Forster was an active essayist and critic, covering a wide range of topics such as politics, literature, and culture. He was known for his clear and engaging writing style, as well as his ability to present complex ideas in a concise manner. Forster's personal life remained private, but it is widely believed that his novels, particularly "Maurice," reflect his own experiences and struggles with his homosexuality.

E. M. Forster passed away on June 7, 1970, leaving behind a remarkable literary legacy that continues to captivate readers and provoke thoughtful discussions on social issues.

We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand.

We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand.

It isn't possible to love and to part. You will wish that it

It isn't possible to love and to part. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know from experience that the poets are right: love is eternal.

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

Only people who have been allowed to practise freedom can ha

Only people who have been allowed to practise freedom can have the grown-up look in their eyes.

I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between be

I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.

The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we

The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.

Beauty ought to look a little surprised: it is the emotion t

Beauty ought to look a little surprised: it is the emotion that best suits her face. The beauty who does not look surprised, who accepts her position as her due - she reminds us too much of a prima donna.

As long as learning is connected with earning, as long as ce

As long as learning is connected with earning, as long as certain jobs can only be reached through exams, so long must we take this examination system seriously. If another ladder to employment was contrived, much so-called education would disappear, and no one would be a penny the stupider.

At night, when the curtains are drawn and the fire flickers,

At night, when the curtains are drawn and the fire flickers, my books attain a collective dignity.

Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and

Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.

The four characteristics of humanism are curiosity, a free m

The four characteristics of humanism are curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste, and belief in the human race.

What puzzles me most is your criticism that he showed 'no se

What puzzles me most is your criticism that he showed 'no sense of engagement'. I haven't met the expression before, and feel bound to comment on its totalitarian tang. Engagement not with the truth as the speaker apprehends it, but with the alleged opinion of the majority of listeners.

Truth Majority

I am the means and not the end. I am the food and not the li

I am the means and not the end. I am the food and not the life. Stand by yourself, as that boy has stood. I cannot save you. For poetry is a spirit; and they that would worship it must worship in spirit and in truth.

Life Food Poetry Truth Theend

Science, when applied to personal relationships, is always j

Science, when applied to personal relationships, is always just wrong.

Science Wrongs

Pain is good, I'd say, when it's incidental to Love. In 'I g

Pain is good, I'd say, when it's incidental to Love. In 'I give up my life for my friend' it is my friend, not my death, that matters. And sometimes I needn't give up my life for him, I can live for him, and with him, and the power of the spirit is then equally manifested, I should think.

Life Death Power Love Pain

To make us feel small in the right way is a function of art

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.

Art

I have no mystic faith in the people. I have in the individu

I have no mystic faith in the people. I have in the individual.

Faith

Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice...

Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice...

Life

People have their own deaths as well as their own lives, and

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.

Death

One is certain of nothing but the truth of one's own emotion

One is certain of nothing but the truth of one's own emotions.

Truth