Quotes from John Fowles

I am talking about the general psychological health of the species, man. He needs the existence of mysteries. Not their solution.

That was the tragedy. Not that one man had the courage to be evil. But that millions had not the courage to be good.

The practise of an art is essential to the whole man, not because of what art is but because of what art does to the artist.

Only fools think our attitude to our fellow men is a thing distinct from our attitude to 'lesser' life on this planet.

Evolution did not intend trees to grow singly. Far more than ourselves they are social creatures, and no more natural as isolated specimens than man is as a marooned sailor or hermit.

The ordinary man is the curse of civilization.

There comes a time in each life like a point of fulcrum. At that time you must accept yourself. It is not any more what you will become. It is what you are and always will be.

We all write poems; it is simply that poets are the ones who write in words.

All pasts are like poems; one can derive a thousand things, but not live in them.

Adulthood is not an age, but a stage of knowledge of self.

The privileges of knowledge have to be bought at the cost of the consolations of ignorance.

His statement to himself should have been, 'I possess this now, therefore I am happy', instead of what it so Victorianly was: "I cannot possess this for ever, and therefore am sad."

They're beautiful. But sad.' Everything's sad if you make it so, I said.

Science disembodies; art embodies.

The word is the most imprecise of signs. Only a science-obsessed age could fail to comprehend that this is its great virtue, not its defect.

You wish to be liked. I wish simply to be. One day you will know what that means, perhaps. And you will smile. Not against me. But with me.

Because a star explodes and a thousand worlds like ours die, we know this world is. That is the smile: that what might not be, is.

If you want to be true to life, start lying about it

In essence the Renaissance was simply the green end of one of civilization's hardest winters.

That's the trouble with provincial life. Everyone knows everyone and there is no mystery. No romance.

There are only two races on this planet - the intelligent and the stupid.

Though I like the various forms of football in the world, I don't think they begin to compare with these two great Anglo-Saxon ball games for sophisticated elegance and symbolism. Baseball and cricket are beautiful and highly stylized medieval war substitutes, chess made flesh, a mixture of proud chivalry and base — in both senses — greed. With football we are back to the monotonous clashing armor of the brontosaurus.

The human race is unimportant. It is the self that must not be betrayed." "I suppose one could say that Hitler didn't betray his self." "You are right. He did not. But millions of Germans did betray their selves. That was the tragedy. Not that one man had the courage to be evil. But that millions had not the courage to be good.

To write poetry and to commit suicide, apparently so contradictory, had really been the same, attempts at escape.