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John Fowles

John Fowles Quotes

Novelist

John Fowles was an English novelist known for his unique narrative techniques and profound psychological insights. His works often explore themes of human nature, morality, and existentialism, with 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and 'The Magus' being his most famous works.

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All Men World Ifs Life People Art Knows Thinking War Beautiful Love Past Sex Writing Feelings Hate John Fowles The Magus Death Want

Famous John Fowles Quotes

“He is solid; immovable, iron-willed. He showed me one day his killing bottle. I'm imprisoned in it. Fluttering against the glass. Because I can see through it I still think I can escape. I have hope. But it's all an illusion. A thick round wall of glass.”

Thinking Stills I Can Wall One Day Illusion Killing Rounds Glasses Iron Bottles Thick Because I Can Having Hope Fluttering

Book:The Collector

Source: The Collector

“Think. In a minute from now you could be saying, I risked death. I threw for life, and I won life. It is a very wonderful feeling. To have survived.”

Thinking Feelings Wonderful Minutes Survived

Book:The Magus

Source: The Magus

“I think we are just insects, we live a bit and then die and that’s the lot. There’s no mercy in things. There’s not even a Great Beyond. There’s nothing.”

Thinking Dies Bits Mercy Insects

Book:The Collector

Source: The Collector

“I just think of things as beautiful or not. Can't you understand? I don't think of good or bad. Just of beautiful or ugly. I think a lot of nice things are ugly and a lot of nasty things are beautiful.”

Thinking Beautiful Nice Ugly Nasty Nice Things

Book:The Collector

Source: The Collector

“I have a strange illusion quite often. I think I've become deaf. I have to make a little noise to prove I'm not. I clear my throat to show myself that everything is normal. It's like the little Japanese girl they found in the ruins of Hiroshima. Everything dead; and she was singing to her doll.”

Thinking Littles Shows Girl Found Clear Strange Prove Normal Singing Illusion Noise Ruins Throat Deaf Dolls Hiroshima

Author:John Fowles

“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.”

“People knew less of each other, perhaps, but they felt more free of each other, and so were more individual. The entire world was not for them only a push or a switch away. Strangers were strange, and sometimes with an exciting, beautiful strangeness. It may be better for humanity that we should communicate more and more.”

People Thinking World Should May Sometimes Beautiful Humanity Individual Space Greater Too Much Strange Exciting Communicate Stranger Enjoyed Isolation Ancestor Heretic Strangeness Envied

Author:John Fowles

“Another reason I think the novel will survive is that the reader has to work in a novel. In a film, you are presented with someone else's imagination exactly bodied out. The marvelous thing about a novel is that every reader will imagine even the very simplest sentence slightly differently.”

Thinking Reason Film Imagination Novel Imagine Reader Empathy Sentences Apathy Marvelous Simplest Marvelous Things

Author:John Fowles

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

Thinking Men Life Attitude Planets Fool Fellows Equality Fellow Man

Author:John Fowles

“But I think the most harmful change brought about by Victorian science in our attitude to nature lies in the demand that our relation with it must be purposive, industrious, always seeking greater knowledge.”

Thinking Lying Nature Attitude Environment Greater Demand Relation Seeking Victorian Industrious

Author:John Fowles

“I think it is interesting that we have come back to star- and space ships. Jet will do for a transport shorthand; yet when man really reaches, across the vast seas of space, he still reaches in ships.”

Thinking Men Stills Stars Space Interesting Sea Ships Jet Transport Star Gazing Shorthand

Book:Wormholes

Source: Wormholes

“I don't think the English like me. I sold a colossal best seller in America, and they never really forgave me.”

Thinking America Like Me Sellers Colossal Best Sellers

Author:John Fowles

About the Author

Born: March 31, 1926
Died: November 5, 2005
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 257

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Books & Sources

The MagusRelated source material

The CollectorRelated source material

The French Lieutenant’s WomanRelated source material

THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMANRelated source material

Daniel MartinRelated source material

The AristosRelated source material

THE FRENCH LIEUTENTANT'S WOMANRelated source material

WormholesRelated source material

The TreeRelated source material

ÁristosRelated source material

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