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James Joyce Quotes

Novelist

James Joyce, born on February 2, 1882, and died on January 13, 1941, was an Irish novelist and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Known for his unique narrative techniques and profound psychological insights, Joyce is celebrated for his contributions to modernist literature. His most famous work is 'Ulysses', which is considered one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century. Other notable works include 'Dubliners' and 'Finnegans Wake'.

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All Men Heart Soul Ifs Art Mind Love Writing Long World Ireland Life Said Ulysses Eye Way Body Knows People Beautiful

Famous James Joyce Quotes

“The romantic temper, so often and so grievously misinterpreted and not more by others than by its own, is an insecure, unsatisfied, and impatient temper which sees no fit abode here for its ideals and chooses therefore to behold them under insensible figures. As a result of this choice it comes to disregard certain limitations. Its figures are blown to wild adventures, lacking the gravity of solid bodies, and the mind that has conceived them ends by disowning them.”

“And the first till last alshemist wrote over every square inch of the only foolscap available, his own body, till by its corrosive sublimation one continuous present tense integument slowly unfolded all marryvoising moodmoulded cyclewheeling history.”

Firsts Body Lasts Available Squares Inches Tense Present Tense

Book:FINNEGANS WAKE & EXILES (Complete Edition): Experimental Novel and Play from the Author of Ulysses, Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man & Chamber Music

Source: FINNEGANS WAKE & EXILES (Complete Edition): Experimental Novel and Play from the Author of Ulysses, Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man & Chamber Music

“But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.”

Body Running Beautiful Fingers Gestures Wire Harps

Book:Dubliners: Top 100 Classic Novels

Source: Dubliners: Top 100 Classic Novels

“When the short days of winter came, dusk fell before we had well eaten our dinners. When we met in the street the houses had grown sombre. The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns. The cold air stung us and we played till our bodies glowed. Our shouts echoed in the silent street.”

Wells Body House Space Air Sky Streets Cold Mets Silent Winter Dinner Colour Lamps Violet Dusk Lanterns Cold Air

Book:The Dead and Other Stories: A Broadview Anthology of British Literature Edition

Source: The Dead and Other Stories: A Broadview Anthology of British Literature Edition

“[A writer is] a priest of eternal imagination, transmuting the daily bread of experience into the radiant body of everliving life.”

Body Imagination Eternal Bread Priests Radiant Daily Bread

Book:Stephen Hero & A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Two Autobiographical Novels): Including Biography of the Author

Source: Stephen Hero & A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Two Autobiographical Novels): Including Biography of the Author

“Mr. Duffy lived a short distance from his body.”

Body Distance

Author:James Joyce

“I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.”

Ifs Knows Body Running Speak Fingers Confused Spokes Gestures Wire Adoration Harps

Book:Dubliners

Source: Dubliners

“He lived at a little distance from his body, regarding his own acts with doubtful side-glances. He had an odd autobiographical habit which led him to compose in his mind from time to time a short sentence about himself containing a subject in the third person and a verb in the past tense.”

Source: The Complete Works of James Joyce: Novels, Short Stories, Plays, Poetry, Essays & Letters: Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Finnegan’s Wake, Dubliners, The Cat and the Devil, Exiles, Chamber Music, Pomes Penyeach, Stephen Hero, Giacomo Joyce, Critical Writings & more

“I done me best when I was let. Thinking always if I go all goes. A hundred cares, a tithe of troubles and is there one who understands me? One in a thousand of years of the nights? All me life I have been lived among them but now they are becoming lothed to me. And I am lothing their little warm tricks. And lothing their mean cosy turns. And all the greedy gushes out through their small souls. And all the lazy leaks down over their brash bodies. How small it's all! And me letting on to meself always. And lilting on all the time.”

Ifs Thinking Years Mean Littles Has Beens Soul Done Body Care Night Turns Trouble Becoming Thousand Hundred Warm Tricks Lazy Greedy Understand Me Leaks Tithe Cosy Brash

Book:A shorter Finnegans wake

Source: A shorter Finnegans wake

“What? Corpus. Body. Corpse. Good idea the Latin. Stupifies them first. Hospice for the dying. They don't seem to chew it; only swallow it down.”

Firsts Ideas Body Seems Dying Latin Good Ideas Corpses Corpus Hospice

Book:Ulysses

Source: Ulysses

“Some people believe that we go on living in another body after death, that we lived before. They call it reincarnation. That we all lived before on the earth thousands of years ago or on some other planet. They say we have forgotten it. Some say they remember their past lives.”

People Years Believe Body Earth Past Remember Planets Goes On Years Ago Forgotten Reincarnation After Death Past Life

Book:Ulysses

Source: Ulysses