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E. M. Forster Quotes

Powerful E. M. Forster for Daily Growth

About E. M. Forster

Edward Morgan "E.M." Forster (1879-1970), an influential British novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic, was born on January 1, 1879, in the city of Chennai, India, to a prominent British family. He spent his early years in colonial India but returned to the UK when he was five due to his mother's health issues. Raised primarily by his grandmother in Stevenage, Forster attended Tonbridge School and then King's College, Cambridge, where he befriended influential intellectuals such as Bertrand Russell and Lytton Strachey. Forster's literary career began with the publication of "The Celestial Omnibus," a collection of short stories, in 1911. His first novel, "Where Angels Fear to Tread" (1905), was initially published anonymously due to societal expectations that men should not write about women's experiences. His most celebrated works, however, were yet to come. Forster's masterpiece, "A Room with a View" (1908), explores the themes of love, class, and social convention through the story of Lucy Honeychurch, who discovers her own romantic desires while on vacation in Italy. His groundbreaking novel "Howards End" (1910) delves deeper into these themes, exploring the relationships between three families and the changing nature of British society at the turn of the 20th century. Forster's magnum opus, "A Passage to India," published in 1924, offers a nuanced portrayal of the complexities of the relationship between England and India during the British Raj. The novel was a critical success but faced controversy due to its depiction of the imperialist regime. Despite publishing only four novels, Forster is considered one of the most important English authors of the 20th century, and his works continue to be widely read and studied today. His unfinished novel "Maurice" (1971), about a gay relationship between two men, was published posthumously and remains a significant piece in the history of LGBTQ+ literature. Forster's exploration of human connections, empathy, and social change continue to resonate deeply with readers around the world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Only connect."

The quote "Only connect" by E.M. Forster encourages people to bridge the gaps between different perspectives, ideas, and relationships in life. It suggests that true understanding and unity can be achieved when we find common ground and eliminate isolation or misunderstanding. In essence, it's a call for empathy, connection, and communication among individuals and communities.

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be as you wish it to be." - from "The Garden of Courtesy"

This quote by E. M. Forster suggests a longing for an idealistic world where everyone's desires and wishes are fulfilled. It emphasizes the concept of empathy and understanding, where one wishes to create an environment that caters to the happiness and contentment of others. Essentially, it highlights the importance of consideration, compassion, and the power of imagination in shaping a harmonious society.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." - from "Love is a Tied Knot"

This quote by E. M. Forster expresses the depth and multiplicity of love, suggesting that love encompasses various aspects or feelings which can't be easily quantified or counted. It underscores the complex nature of human emotions in relationships and encourages an exploration of love beyond simple expressions of affection.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

This quote by E.M. Forster highlights the importance of embracing life with courage, passion, and a sense of adventure. It encourages us to live boldly, take risks, explore new opportunities, and seize each day as an opportunity for growth and discovery. In essence, it suggests that a life lived without taking chances is not truly living at all; rather, it's existing in mediocrity. Embrace the unknown, face challenges head-on, and make your days meaningful by stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the spirit of adventure.

"All I require of a man is that he be human. All I require of a woman is that she be female. Either is to me an unqualified triumph." - from "The Machine Stops"

This quote by E.M. Forster suggests a somewhat ironic perspective on gender roles and expectations in society, especially within the context of his dystopian short story "The Machine Stops". Here, Forster proposes that he only requires basic humanity from any individual - man or woman - implying equality and understanding between genders. However, he also notes a specific requirement for women to be female, which could be interpreted as a commentary on the limitations society places on women's identities and roles in comparison to men. In essence, Forster seems to express his hope for a world where individuals are not defined solely by their gender but rather by their shared humanity.

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

- E. M. Forster

Fire, Night, Books, Curtains

Letters have to pass two tests before they can be classed as good: they must express the personality both of the writer and of the recipient.

- E. M. Forster

Express, Pass, Before, Tests

There lies at the back of every creed something terrible and hard for which the worshipper may one day be required to suffer.

- E. M. Forster

One Day, May, Which, Worshipper

Ideas are fatal to caste.

- E. M. Forster

Ideas, Fatal, Caste

Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return.

- E. M. Forster

Sunshine, Through, Pass, Unknown

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.

- E. M. Forster

Beauty, Best, Accepts, Prima

The more highly public life is organized the lower does its morality sink.

- E. M. Forster

More, Public, Does, Public Life

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man.

- E. M. Forster

Most, Ear, Ever, Beethoven

Only a struggle twists sentimentality and lust together into love.

- E. M. Forster

Love, Only, Twists, Lust

I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I always feel a little man's pleasure when they come a cropper.

- E. M. Forster

Pool, Pleasure, Always, Uniformity

What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?

- E. M. Forster

Nature, Sunrise, Lives, Daily Lives

The sadness of the incomplete, the sadness that is often Life, but should never be Art.

- E. M. Forster

Art, Never, Should, Incomplete

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.

- E. M. Forster

Death, Own, Lives, Nothingness

We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship.

- E. M. Forster

Away, Dangers, We Cannot, Foresee

Charm, in most men and nearly all women, is a decoration.

- E. M. Forster

Women, Charm, Most, Decoration

We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand.

- E. M. Forster

Shadow, Stand, Cast, Wherever

One marvels why the middle classes still insist on so much discomfort for their children at such expense to themselves.

- E. M. Forster

Middle, Still, Classes, Discomfort

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.

- E. M. Forster

Love, Fact, Civilization, Tolerance

Tolerance is a very dull virtue. It is boring. Unlike love, it has always had a bad press. It is negative. It merely means putting up with people, being able to stand things.

- E. M. Forster

Love, Always, Very, Tolerance

It is my fate and perhaps my temperament to sign agreements with fools.

- E. M. Forster

Fate, Temperament, Perhaps, Fools

Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.

- E. M. Forster

Love, Like, Rather, Cambridge

If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.

- E. M. Forster

Country, Choose, Had, Betray

Love and understand the Italians, for the people are more marvellous than the land.

- E. M. Forster

Love, More, Italians, Marvellous

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.

- E. M. Forster

Art, Small, Feel, Right Way

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

- E. M. Forster

Criticism, Variety, Because, Permits

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

- E. M. Forster

Criticism, Variety, Because, Permits

For our vanity is such that we hold our own characters immutable, and we are slow to acknowledge that they have changed, even for the better.

- E. M. Forster

Own, Vanity, Our, Changed

No man can be an agnostic who has a sense of humour.

- E. M. Forster

Man, Sense, Humour, Agnostic

The historian must have some conception of how men who are not historians behave. Otherwise he will move in a world of the dead. He can only gain that conception through personal experience, and he can only use his personal experiences when he is a genius.

- E. M. Forster

Through, Some, Use, Conception

Either life entails courage, or it ceases to be life.

- E. M. Forster

Life, Either, Entails, Ceases

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