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William Golding Quotes

Novelist

William Golding was an English novelist, best known for his novel 'Lord of the Flies'. His works often explore themes of human nature, morality, and civilization.

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All Men Ifs Thinking Novel Knows Piggy People Lord Writing Book Long Lord Of The Flies Fire Has Beens Language Life Mean Stories Three Two

Famous William Golding Quotes

“As for the fear, you'll have to put up with that like the rest of us.”

Thinking Humility Anxiety

Author:William Golding

“I think there might even come a time when I would read Virgil again. Ovid's Metamorphoses, perhaps, not because the music goes round and round and never comes out, but because it's an extraordinary picture of ceaseless change that never comes to an end.”

Thinking Ends Might Extraordinary Rounds Metamorphosis

Author:William Golding

“As far as the novel is concerned in my own country, I think it's in a pretty healthy state.”

Thinking Country States My Own Novel Healthy Concerned

Author:William Golding

“Graham Greene at 82 years old was still writing, and I don't think anyone can deny the force, the expertise, and the unique quality of his writing, if you take his complete oeuvre.”

Ifs Thinking Writing Years Stills Force Quality Unique Deny Expertise

Author:William Golding

“Then you have people coming up like Malcolm Bradbury, a relatively young writer who deals with the academic scene and deals with it, I think, brilliantly.”

People Thinking Young Deals Scene Academic Young Writers Bradbury

Author:William Golding

“I don't think they [contemporary writers] read me either. I mean, if we're concerned genuinely with writing, I think we probably get on with our work.”

Ifs Thinking Writing Mean Concerned Contemporary

Author:William Golding

“I mean, if we're concerned genuinely with writing, I think we probably get on with our work. I think this is very true of English writers, but perhaps not so true of French writers, who seem to read each other passionately, extensively, and endlessly, and who then talk about it to each other - which is splendid.”

Ifs Thinking Writing Mean Seems Concerned Splendid Very True

Author:William Golding

“Maybe half a dozen think they are a community, but, in general terms, I think English writers tend to face outwards, away from each other, and write in their own patch, as it were.”

Thinking Writing Faces Term Community Half Dozen Patches Away From Each Other

Author:William Golding

“I think they've got 250 languages in Nigeria, and so English is a sort of lingua franca between the 250 languages.”

Thinking Language Nigeria

Author:William Golding

“One thing should be put firmly. Where people have commented on that novel [The Paper Men], they generally criticize the poor academic, Rick L. Tucker, who is savaged by the author, Wilfred Barclay. I don't think people have noticed that I have been far ruder about Barclay than I have been about Tucker. Tucker is a fool, but Barclay is a swine. The author really gets his come-uppance.”

People Thinking Men Should Has Beens Poor Novel One Thing Fool Paper Criticize Academic Swine

Author:William Golding

“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?”

Thinking Reason Lord Reason Why Beast Fancy Hunts Piggy Fancy Things

Author:William Golding

“The trouble was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise.”

Ifs Thinking Wise Trouble Chiefs Being Wise

Book:Lord of the Flies

Source: Lord of the Flies

“I'm scared of him," said Piggy, "and that's why I know him. If you're scared of someone you hate him but you can't stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he's all right really, an' then when you see him again; it's like asthma an' you can't breathe.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Said Kids Hate Scared Breathe Hate Him Asthma Piggy Someone You Hate

Book:Lord of the Flies: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Source: Lord of the Flies: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

“I do like people to read the books twice, because I write my novels about ideas which concern me deeply and I think are important, and therefore I want people to take them seriously. And to read it twice of course is taking it seriously.”

People Thinking Want Writing Important Book Ideas Courses Novel Concern

Author:William Golding

“Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.”

“I do think that art that doesn't communicate is useless.”

Thinking Art Communicate Useless

Book:Talk: conversations with William Golding

Source: Talk: conversations with William Golding

“I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been.”

Thinking Men Has Beens Women Equal Men And Women Foolish Superiors Novelists Pretending Strong Women Superiority Women Strength

Author:William Golding

About the Author

Born: September 19, 1911
Died: June 19, 1993
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 200

Books & Sources

Lord of the FliesRelated source material

Lord of the Flies: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)Related source material

Lord of the Flies : Text , Criticism , Giossary and NotesRelated source material

The PyramidRelated source material

DARKNESS VISIBLERelated source material

Free FallRelated source material

Moving TargetRelated source material

Rites of PassageRelated source material

The SpireRelated source material

Talk: conversations with William GoldingRelated source material

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