Penelope Fitzgerald
Penelope Fitzgerald
Penelope Fitzgeraldwas a Booker Prize–winning English novelist, poet, essayist and biographer. In 2008, The Times included her in a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". In 2012, The Observer named her final novel, The Blue Flower, as one of "the ten best historical novels"...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth17 December 1916
safe morality guides
Morality is seldom a safe guide for human conduct.
exactly external people
However, no two people see the external world in exactly the same way. To every separate person a thing is what he thinks it is - in other words, not a thing, but a think.
giving dying succeed
Surely you have to succeed, if you give everything you have.' 'I don't see why. Everyone has to give everything they have eventually. They have to die. Dying can't be called a success.
believe eye blue
More than that, I believe that the grass is green because green is restful to the human eye, that the sky is blue to give us an idea of the infinite. And that blood is red so that murder will be more easily detected and criminals will be brought to justice. Yes, and I believe that I shall live forever, but I shall live without reason.
men air advice
A word of advice. If, as a young man, student, you are tormented by a desire for women, it is best to get out into the fresh air as much as possible.
moments duty
Duty is what no-one else will do at the moment.
given
Experiences aren't given to us to be 'got over,' otherwise they would hardly be experiences.
dark glasses mad
Behind their dark glass, the mad own nothing.
mean ideas important
It's very good for an idea to be commonplace. The important thing is that a new idea should develop out of what is already there so that it soon becomes an old acquaintance. Old acquaintances aren't by any means always welcome, but at least one can't be mistaken as to who or what they are.
science gossip scientist
If they don't depend on true evidence, scientists are no better than gossips.
writing thinking biographies
On the whole, I think you should write biographies of those you admire and respect, and novels about human beings who you think are sadly mistaken.
punishment unjust forgotten
An unjust punishment is never forgotten.
book blood purpose
A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life, and as such it must surely be a necessary commodity.
mind body ifs
The body, then, has a mind of its own. It must follow, then, that the Mind has a body of its own, even if it’s like nothing that we can see around us, or have ever seen.