Anita Brookner Quotes

Powerful Anita Brookner for Daily Growth

About Anita Brookner

Anita Brookner (1928-2017) was a British novelist, art historian, and critic who became renowned for her intricate portrayals of solitary, intelligent women navigating the complexities of modern life. Born in Paris to Jewish parents, she spent most of her childhood in London due to the family's evacuation during World War II. Her early years were marked by a deep love for literature and art, influences that would significantly shape her writing career. Brookner earned a degree in French Literature at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she developed her unique literary voice. She later pursued a Ph.D. in Art History from University College London. Before focusing on fiction, she worked as a lecturer and curator at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where her expertise in European art would often find its way into her novels. Brookner's literary debut came in 1968 with "A Start in Life," followed by a series of critically acclaimed works such as "Hotel du Lac" (1984), which won the Booker Prize, and "Losing Time" (1997). Her novels are characterized by their introspective characters, subtle wit, and precise prose. They explore themes like identity, solitude, memory, and art, often set against a backdrop of cultural refinement and intellectualism. In addition to her literary achievements, Brookner was a fellow of the British Academy and received multiple honors for her contributions to literature, including a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1984. Her final novel, "The Drive of Our Days," was published posthumously in 2017, serving as a fitting testament to her enduring legacy. Anita Brookner's work continues to resonate with readers today, leaving a lasting impact on contemporary fiction.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Life is infinitely more interesting than any of our constructions about it."

This quote by Anita Brookner highlights the idea that the real-life experiences we encounter are inherently richer and more captivating than the preconceived notions or theories we construct about them. In essence, it suggests that the world is full of mysteries and complexities that cannot be fully grasped or understood through intellectual or theoretical analysis alone, but rather require direct engagement and exploration to truly appreciate its depth and beauty.


"Style is a very simple way of saying complicated things."

This quote suggests that a unique, distinct, and well-crafted style (in any form - writing, art, fashion, etc.) allows one to express complex thoughts, emotions, or ideas in a clear and accessible manner. It implies that simplicity doesn't equate to shallow or easy, but rather, it's the ability to effectively convey profound depth through a well-honed style. In other words, an elegant and straightforward approach can make difficult concepts more relatable and understandable to others.


"In real life, we are all living in a small corner of the world, where we are both the protagonist and the scenery."

Anita Brookner's quote suggests that we all have our unique experiences and perspectives within the vastness of existence, much like characters in a novel. We play the role of the protagonist, navigating our personal journeys, while simultaneously being a part of the backdrop or scenery – the world around us that shapes and influences us. This quote highlights the interconnectedness between ourselves and our surroundings, as well as the idea that our individual lives are essential narratives within the grand tapestry of humanity.


"Art is the means of making order out of chaos."

This quote by Anita Brookner suggests that art serves as a tool for imposing structure, coherence, or understanding on the world, which can often be chaotic or overwhelming. By creating art, individuals are able to take the raw, unorganized elements of life and transform them into something meaningful, beautiful, and purposeful. In essence, art allows us to make sense of our experiences, and in doing so, find order and harmony amidst the chaos of existence.


"Art is the great distraction, a way of forgetting our own failures and those of others."

Anita Brookner suggests that art serves as an escape or diversion from personal and collective disappointments and shortcomings, offering individuals a means to momentarily forget their own flaws and the missteps of others. This interpretation underscores the transformative power of art in helping people cope with life's challenges and providing them with temporary relief and solace.


I'm not very popular, because they're bleak and they're mournful and all the rest of it and I get censorious reviews. But I'm only writing fiction. I'm not making munitions, so I think it's acceptable.

- Anita Brookner

Rest, Think, Very, Mournful

People say that I am always serious and depressing, but it seems to me that the English are never serious - they are flippant, complacent, ineffable, but never serious, which is sometimes maddening.

- Anita Brookner

Sometimes, Always, Which, Complacent

Writing novels preserves you in a state of innocence - a lot passes you by - simply because your attention is otherwise diverted.

- Anita Brookner

Innocence, Your, Otherwise, Diverted

A man of such obvious and exemplary charm must be a liar.

- Anita Brookner

Charm, Obvious, Must, Exemplary

A complete woman is probably not a very admirable creature. She is manipulative, uses other people to get her own way, and works within whatever system she is in.

- Anita Brookner

Woman, Other, Very, Admirable

Old men should have more care to end life well than to live long.

- Anita Brookner

Men, Old, More, Old Men

I was brought up to look after my parents. My family were Polish Jews, and we lived with my grandmother, with uncles and aunts and cousins all around, and I thought everybody lived like that.

- Anita Brookner

Thought, Everybody, Brought, Aunts

I was a teacher most of my life, which I loved. I had a very happy working life, and when I retired, I thought I must do something, and I've always read a lot of fiction - you learn so much from fiction. My sentimental education came mostly from fiction, I should say, so I thought I'd try.

- Anita Brookner

My Life, Very, Mostly, Sentimental

Great writers are the saints for the godless.

- Anita Brookner

Great, Saints, Writers, Godless

You can never betray the people who are dead, so you go on being a public Jew; the dead can't answer slurs, but I'm here. I would love to think that Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, but he doesn't.

- Anita Brookner

Love, Dead, Here, Betray

In real life, of course, it is the hare that wins. Every time. Look around you.

- Anita Brookner

Real Life, Course, Wins, Every Time

I never learnt Hebrew because my health was fragile, and it was thought that learning Hebrew would be an added burden. I regret it, because I would like to be able to join in fully. Not that I am a believer, but I would like to be.

- Anita Brookner

Regret, Thought, Added, Fully

I've never got on very well with Jane Austen.

- Anita Brookner

Never, Well, Very, Austen

No blame should attach to telling the truth. But it does, it does.

- Anita Brookner

Truth, Telling, Does, Attach

It is my contention that Aesop was writing for the tortoise market. hares have no time to read.

- Anita Brookner

Market, Tortoise, Read, Contention

In real life, it is the hare who wins. Every time. Look around you. And in any case it is my contention that Aesop was writing for the tortoise market. Hares have no time to read. They are too busy winning the game.

- Anita Brookner

Game, No Time, Around, Contention

All good fortune is a gift of the gods, and you don't win the favor of the ancient gods by being good, but by being bold.

- Anita Brookner

Gift, Fortune, Gods, Good Fortune

Accountability in friendship is the equivalent of love without strategy.

- Anita Brookner

Love, Friendship, Equivalent, Strategy

Real love is a pilgrimage. It happens when there is no strategy, but it is very rare because most people are strategists.

- Anita Brookner

Love, Real, Very, Strategy

The lessons taught in great books are misleading. The commerce in life is rarely so simple and never so just.

- Anita Brookner

Great, Simple, Commerce, Lessons

Life... is not simply a series of exciting new ventures. The future is not always a whole new ball game. There tends to be unfinished business. One trails all sorts of things around with one, things that simply won't be got rid of.

- Anita Brookner

Game, New, Always, Ventures

The essence of romantic love is that wonderful beginning, after which sadness and impossibility may become the rule.

- Anita Brookner

Love, Romantic, Which, Love Is

You have no idea how promising the world begins to look once you have decided to have it all for yourself. And how much healthier your decisions are once they become entirely selfish.

- Anita Brookner

Idea, Your, Healthier, Entirely

Existentialism is about being a saint without God; being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society.

- Anita Brookner

Own, Saint, About, Sanction

I'm a middle-class, middle-brow novelist. And that's it. It amuses me.

- Anita Brookner

Me, Middle-Class, Novelist

It will be a pity if women in the more conventional mould are to be phased out, for there will never be anyone to go home to.

- Anita Brookner

Will, More, Go Home, Phased

What is interesting about self-analysis is that it leads nowhere - it is an art form in itself.

- Anita Brookner

Art, Nowhere, Itself, Art Form

Like many rich men, he thought in anecdotes; like many simple women, she thought in terms of biography.

- Anita Brookner

Thought, She, Like, Anecdotes

Good women always think it is their fault when someone else is being offensive. Bad women never take the blame for anything.

- Anita Brookner

Think, Always, Offensive, Blame

There are moments when you feel free, moments when you have energy, moments when you have hope, but you can't rely on any of these things to see you through. Circumstances do that.

- Anita Brookner

Circumstances, Through, Feel, Rely

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