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Quote by Will Self

“I think I now understand why it is that the young are so very nostalgic. They have so little by way of personal history that they polish it up and make it shine like a treasured heirloom.”

Quote by Will Self

Author

Will Self is a British author known for his distinctive style and sharp wit. His works span across various genres including novels, non-fiction, short stories, and plays. Born on September 26, 1961, Self's writing often delves into the complexities of modern society and the darker aspects of human nature. more

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“I write as someone who has no more time for repressive Islam than he does for repressive Christianity or Judaism, but at least look at the face in the hijab - and try to imagine the one beneath the niqab - before you depersonalise its wearer.”

Writing Trying Looks Doe Faces Christianity Imagine Islam More Time Judaism Hijab Niqab

Author:Will Self

“I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to predictive texting for a - acceptable to some - synonym.”

Phones Neglect Seconds Acceptable Resorts Texting Fiddle Insert Synonym

Author:Will Self

“I'm very happy for whatever plaudits might come the way of my work, but I never ever sit down to write x with y in view - whether it's a reader, a prize or a sale.”

Way Writing Might Views Reader Prize Very Happy

Author:Will Self

“Ideologists of all kinds find a strange sort of comfort in the madness of the crowd; it confirms them in their suspicion that history, far from being made by the great mass of individuals - as Marx averred - is rather unmade by a single massive individual, a collective Other, who stands in stark contrast to you and he.”

Kind Made Individual Strange Comfort Mass Madness Crowds All Kinds Collectives Massive Contrast Suspicion Starks

Author:Will Self

“If the government announced that it was going to allocate a vast tranche of education funding purely to the pupils at the best public schools, there would be a national outcry - and yet this is precisely what the Olympics represents in terms of sports funding.”

Ifs Government Would Be School Sports Term Olympics Public School Funding Pupils Education Funding

Author:Will Self

“If we bought everything on the Internet, our eyes and mouths and nostrils would probably begin to film over with a tegument - one initially tissue-thin and capable of being removed each morning, but which gradually thickened and hardened until we were imprisoned in our own tiny minds.”

Ifs Mind Eye Film Morning Internet Capable Mouths Tiny Tissues Hardened

Author:Will Self

“In our benighted age, when films about amusement park rides and electronic fidgets scoop the honours, perhaps Hollywood redux is the best we can hope for.”

Age Film Hollywood Parks Honour Amusement Amusement Parks

Author:Will Self

“In truth, even if they have an imperfect insight into their own methods, I still slightly mistrust writers of fiction who are assured literary critics; it makes me suspect that they favour the word over the world it should describe. Such scribes fall victim too easily to the solecism of equating style with morality.”

Ifs World Should Stills Fall Fiction Style Morality Method Victim Critics Insight Suspects Imperfect Favour Assured Mistrust Scribes

Author:Will Self

“It is fair to say that insofar as sport is taken seriously by those who play it, then to that extent their conduct in play - their ability to deal with loss or victory, their ability to meld strategic thinking and brute force - can be taken as a small-scale model of how they, or others like them, might behave in life.”

Thinking Play Might Force Sports Loss Ability Deals Taken Victory Models Fairs Scales Behave Strategic Brutes Brute Force Strategic Thinking

Author:Will Self

“It might be an idea for all literary critics to read the books they analyse aloud - it certainly helps to fix them in the mind, while providing a readymade seminar with your audience.”

Mind Book Ideas Helping Might Audience Critics Providing Seminars

Author:Will Self