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Arthur Machen Quotes

Powerful Arthur Machen for Daily Growth

About Arthur Machen

Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist, widely regarded as a pioneer of the modern horror and supernatural fiction genres. Born on February 12, 1863, in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, Wales, Machen was raised in an artistic family that encouraged his early literary endeavors. He attended University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he began publishing poems and short stories. In 1885, Machen moved to London, seeking a career as a professional writer. His early works included poetry collections, such as "The Land of Hope: Sonnets" (1892), and journalistic pieces for various newspapers, including The Times and the Pall Mall Gazette. In 1891, Machen published his first major work, "The Great God Pan," a short story that introduced many themes he would later explore in his career—the supernatural, the uncanny, and the psychological impact of otherworldly experiences. The story was controversial for its time due to its dark and unsettling subject matter. In 1894, Machen published "The Three Impostors," a novel that further developed these themes. It tells the story of three enigmatic figures who claim to be the gods Dionysus, Pan, and Bacchus, and their influence on the lives of ordinary people in London. During World War I, Machen served as a war correspondent for The Times, an experience that deeply affected his views on humanity and warfare. His post-war works often reflected this newfound cynicism. Machen's most famous work is "The Hill of Dreams" (1907), an autobiographical novel that explores themes of memory, dreams, and the supernatural. It remains one of the most enigmatic and influential works in English literature. Arthur Machen died on December 15, 1947, leaving behind a rich and enduring literary legacy that continues to influence writers of horror, fantasy, and supernatural fiction today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"All life is a dream, and dreams themselves are but fleeting phantasms of the soul."

This quote by Arthur Machen suggests that our waking reality is akin to a dream, with both being transient and subjective experiences. It implies that the true essence of life or self is not easily grasped, as it may be elusive and difficult to comprehend, much like dreams. In essence, he is emphasizing the intangible, ephemeral nature of our existence, inviting us to consider the deeper, spiritual aspects of who we are beyond the physical world we inhabit.

"Great things happen at the end of the world, if only one can stay awake to see them."

This quote by Arthur Machen suggests that significant events or transformations may occur towards the end, or climax, of a journey, a story, life, or any cycle. The emphasis is on staying alert, persevering, and remaining vigilant to witness these momentous happenings. It encourages us to not only endure but also to keep our eyes open for meaningful experiences that often unfold at the brink of change.

"To us, life is given as a dream, a vague, shifting, evanescent thing, full of strange figures that come and go; but in reality it is all hard fact, solid and unalterable."

This quote by Arthur Machen suggests that life appears to us as a dream or illusion, filled with fleeting, changing experiences and characters. However, he contends that beneath this subjective experience lies an objective reality – one that is solid, permanent, and unchanging. It implies a profound distinction between our individual, ever-shifting perception of life and its inherent, fundamental nature as a tangible entity.

"We live in dreams, enveloped in mysteries that most men do not understand."

The quote suggests that our reality is largely composed of subjective experiences, perceptions, and beliefs (dreams), which are often complex and not easily grasped by everyone (mysteries). Machen seems to be saying that life is a puzzle wrapped in enigma, implying a deep sense of wonder and humility before the complexity of human existence. In essence, he invites us to question, explore, and appreciate the intricacies and mysteries that surround our daily lives.

"The world we see is but a dream of the senses, which is but a dream of the understanding, which is but a dream of the spirit."

This quote by Arthur Machen suggests that our perception of reality is a series of nested dreams or illusions. The physical world we experience through our senses (the first "dream") is only an interpretation based on how our senses collect and process information. This understanding (the second "dream") is itself based on our cognitive abilities, which construct meaning from the raw data provided by our senses. Ultimately, our perception of reality (the third "dream") is a reflection of our deeper spiritual or philosophical beliefs. In essence, Machen implies that our understanding of the world is not fixed, but rather an ever-evolving interpretation shaped by both our physical and intangible experiences.

If a man dreams that he has committed a sin before which the sun hid his face, it is often safe to conjecture that, in sheer forgetfulness, he wore a red tie, or brown boots with evening dress.

- Arthur Machen

Dress, Committed, Which, Forgetfulness

Now, everybody, I suppose, is aware that in recent years the silly business of divination by dreams has ceased to be a joke and has become a very serious science.

- Arthur Machen

Business, Everybody, Very, Joke

It is all nonsense, to be sure; and so much the greater nonsense inasmuch as the true interpretation of many dreams - not by any means of all dreams - moves, it may be said, in the opposite direction to the method of psycho-analysis.

- Arthur Machen

May, Sure, Means, Opposite Direction

Every branch of human knowledge, if traced up to its source and final principles, vanishes into mystery.

- Arthur Machen

Source, Human Knowledge, Vanishes

It was better, he thought, to fail in attempting exquisite things than to succeed in the department of the utterly contemptible.

- Arthur Machen

Better, Fail, Attempting, Department

For, usually and fitly, the presence of an introduction is held to imply that there is something of consequence and importance to be introduced.

- Arthur Machen

Consequence, Introduced, Presence

Introductions, that is, belong to the masterpieces and classics of the world, to the great and ancient and accepted things; and I am here introducing a short, small story of my own which appeared in The Evening News about ten months ago.

- Arthur Machen

Small, Here, Belong, Evening

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