9375 quotes by novelists for you to enjoy

The race of mankind would perish did they cease to aid each other. We cannot exist without mutual help. All therefore that need aid have a right to ask it from their fellow-men; and no one who has the power of granting can refuse it without guilt. Walter Scott

Guilt Power Aid Other We Cannot Would Mutual No-One Perish Without Exist Cease Did Refuse Cannot Race Mankind Ask Help Who Therefore Each Right Need

The half hour between waking and rising has all my life proved propitious to any task which was exercising my invention... It was always when I first opened my eyes that the desired ideas thronged upon me. Walter Scott

I live in Cape Town but my favourite holiday destination is Hermanus, a little seaside town about a 90-minute drive away, over the pass and down to the sea, on the sunshine coast. It's where I love to escape to with my wife for a weekend every now and again. Wilbur Smith

Love Destination Sunshine Wife Drive Down Live Every Favourite About Weekend Over Town Pass Escape Where Again Holiday Little Cape Sea Coast Now Away

The whole structure of African government, as far back as we know, was based on tyranny. One guy ran the show. Chiefs like Chaka and Mzilikazi committed terrible atrocities. That is the tradition from which modern African rulers spring. It won't change easily overnight. Wilbur Smith

Government Change Tyranny Spring Back Ran Rulers Easily Guy Structure Atrocities Like Know Terrible Overnight Tradition Chiefs Committed Modern African Which Far Show Whole Based

It is the nature of truth to struggle to the light. Wilkie Collins

Truth Nature Struggle Light

Peace rules the day, where reason rules the mind. Wilkie Collins

Day Peace Mind Rules Where Reason

Before the Second World War, I believed in the perfectability of social man; that a correct structure of society produced goodwill; and that, therefore, you could remove all social ills by a reorganisation of society. It is possible that I believe something of the same again; but after the war, I did not because I was unable to. William Golding

War You Man World Remove Before Believe Society Correct Unable Possible Something Structure Could Goodwill Because Did Same After Again Social Produced Therefore Ills Believed Second World War World War I Second World War

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

You Sickness Out Disease Childhood Grow

Since most scientists are just a bit religious, and most religious are seldom wholly unscientific, we find humanity in a comical position. His scientific intellect believes in the possibility of miracles inside a black hole, while his religious intellect believes in them outside it. William Golding

Humanity Black Miracles Bit Possibility Find Religious Inside Black Hole Seldom Outside Since Most Scientific Scientists His Intellect Just Hole While Them Wholly Believes Position

But this is life on earth, you can't have everything. William Goldman

Life You Everything Earth

When I was 21, I wanted to write like Kafka. But, unfortunately for me, I wrote like a script editor for 'The Simpsons' who'd briefly joined a religious cult and then discovered Foucault. Such is life. Zadie Smith

Life Me Religious Joined Write Simpsons Like Wrote Editor Cult Discovered Wanted The Simpsons Unfortunately Script Kafka Then

Captain Cook discovered Australia looking for the Terra Incognita. Christopher Columbus thought he was finding India but discovered America. History is full of events that happened because of an imaginary tale. Umberto Eco

History Events Thought Looking Christopher India Finding He Columbus Tale Because Discovered Australia America Happened Cook Full Captain Imaginary

Beauty is boring because it is predictable. Umberto Eco

Beauty Boring Because Predictable

What does culture want? To make infinity comprehensible. Umberto Eco

Culture Comprehensible Make Does Infinity Want

How does a person feel when looking at the sky? He thinks that he doesn't have enough tongues to describe what he sees. Nevertheless, people have never stopping describing the sky, simply listing what they see. Umberto Eco

But now I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth. Umberto Eco

Truth World Made Own Believe Harmless Our Though Mad Attempt Had Come Terrible Underlying Whole Now Enigma Interpret

Translation is the art of failure. Umberto Eco

Art Failure Translation

The comic is the perception of the opposite; humor is the feeling of it. Umberto Eco

Humor Perception Feeling Comic Opposite

Libraries can take the place of God. Umberto Eco

God Libraries Take Place

It is a myth of publishers that people want to read easy things. Umberto Eco

People Myth Easy Read Want Publishers Things

In the United States there's a Puritan ethic and a mythology of success. He who is successful is good. In Latin countries, in Catholic countries, a successful person is a sinner. Umberto Eco

Success Good Latin States Puritan Mythology He Countries Catholic Sinner Person Ethic Successful Successful Person Who United United States

The weapon of suicide bombing is so desperate that you aren't even left with the possibility of taking revenge or punishing anyone; the terrorist is killed along with his victims, his blood mixing with theirs. A. B. Yehoshua

You Revenge Desperate Suicide Punishing Possibility Weapon Taking Along Terrorist His Mixing Blood Left Anyone Victims Even Bombing

Israel is too attached to America, too influenced by America. It should be connected to Europe. America is based on mythology - the free man, the individual, the open frontier. Europe is more conscious of history. Take Britain and Shakespeare. You shape your identity through history. A. B. Yehoshua

History You Man Free Too Shakespeare More Attached Free Man Individual Through Shape Take Open Mythology Identity Israel America Frontier Influenced Should Your Europe Connected Based Conscious Britain

Quotes by Novelists