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Top 500 E. M. Forster Quotes (2026 Update)
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E. M. Forster Quote: “When love flies it is remembered not as love but as something else.”

301. “When love flies it is remembered not as love but as something else.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “I am certainly an ought and not a must.”

302. “I am certainly an ought and not a must.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Like every true performer, she was intoxicated by the mere feel of the notes: they were fingers caressing her own; and by touch, not by sound alone, did she come to her desire.”

303. “Like every true performer, she was intoxicated by the mere feel of the notes: they were fingers caressing her own; and by touch, not by sound alone, did she come to her desire.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “I have always been like the Greeks and didn’t know.”

304. “I have always been like the Greeks and didn’t know.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “She watched the moon, whose radiance stained with primrose the purple of the surrounding sky. In England the moon had seemed dead and alien; here she was caught in the shawl of night together with earth and all the other stars.”

305. “She watched the moon, whose radiance stained with primrose the purple of the surrounding sky. In England the moon had seemed dead and alien; here she was caught in the shawl of night together with earth and all the other stars.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Charm, in most men and nearly all women, is a decoration.”

306. “Charm, in most men and nearly all women, is a decoration.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Mr Abrahams was a preparatory schoolmaster of the old-fashioned sort. He cared neither for work nor games, but fed his boys well and saw that they did not misbehave. The rest he left to the parents, and did not speculate how much the parents were leaving to him. Amid mutual compliments the boys passed out into a public school, healthy but backward, to receive upon undefended flesh the first blows of the world.”

307. “Mr Abrahams was a preparatory schoolmaster of the old-fashioned sort. He cared neither for work nor games, but fed his boys well and saw that they did not misbehave. The rest he left to the parents, and did not speculate how much the parents were leaving to him. Amid mutual compliments the boys passed out into a public school, healthy but backward, to receive upon undefended flesh the first blows of the world.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Then she lay on her back and gazed at the cloudless sky. Mr. Beebe, whose opinion of her rose daily, whispered to his niece that that was the proper way to behave if any little thing went wrong.”

308. “Then she lay on her back and gazed at the cloudless sky. Mr. Beebe, whose opinion of her rose daily, whispered to his niece that that was the proper way to behave if any little thing went wrong.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “She loved him absolutely, perhaps for half an hour.”

309. “She loved him absolutely, perhaps for half an hour.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “He had known so much about her once -what she thought, how she felt, the reasons for her actions. And now he only knew that he loved her, and all the other knowledge seemed passing from him just as he needed it most.”

310. “He had known so much about her once -what she thought, how she felt, the reasons for her actions. And now he only knew that he loved her, and all the other knowledge seemed passing from him just as he needed it most.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “One marvels why the middle classes still insist on so much discomfort for their children at such expense to themselves.”

311. “One marvels why the middle classes still insist on so much discomfort for their children at such expense to themselves.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Science, when applied to personal relationships, is always just wrong .”

312. “Science, when applied to personal relationships, is always just wrong .”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Love is the best, and the more she let herself love him, the more chance was there that he would set his soul in order.”

313. “Love is the best, and the more she let herself love him, the more chance was there that he would set his soul in order.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Beauty ought to look a little surprised: it is the emotion that best suits her face. The beauty who does not look surprised, who accepts her position as her due – she reminds us too much of a prima donna.”

314. “Beauty ought to look a little surprised: it is the emotion that best suits her face. The beauty who does not look surprised, who accepts her position as her due – she reminds us too much of a prima donna.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “The sort of poetry I seek resides in objects man can’t touch.”

315. “The sort of poetry I seek resides in objects man can’t touch.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Men were not gods after all, but as human and as clumsy as girls.”

316. “Men were not gods after all, but as human and as clumsy as girls.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “The Arts are not drugs. They are not guaranteed to act when taken. Something as mysterious and capricious as the creative impulse has to be released before they can act.”

317. “The Arts are not drugs. They are not guaranteed to act when taken. Something as mysterious and capricious as the creative impulse has to be released before they can act.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Then she turned westward, to gaze at the swirling gold. Just where the river rounded the hill the sun caught it. Fairyland must lie above the bend, and its precious liquid was pouring towards them past Charles’s bathing shed.”

318. “Then she turned westward, to gaze at the swirling gold. Just where the river rounded the hill the sun caught it. Fairyland must lie above the bend, and its precious liquid was pouring towards them past Charles’s bathing shed.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “The kingdom of music is not the kingdom of this world.”

319. “The kingdom of music is not the kingdom of this world.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “But this time I’m not to blame; I want you to believe that. I simply slipped into those violets. No, I want to be really truthful. I am a little to blame. The sky, you know, was gold, and the ground all blue, and for a moment he looked like some one in a book.”

320. “But this time I’m not to blame; I want you to believe that. I simply slipped into those violets. No, I want to be really truthful. I am a little to blame. The sky, you know, was gold, and the ground all blue, and for a moment he looked like some one in a book.”

— E. M. Forster

Featured in: Book Quotes

E. M. Forster Quote: “One has two duties – to be worried and not to be worried.”

321. “One has two duties – to be worried and not to be worried.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “All that is observable in a man-that is to say his actions and such of his spiritual existence as can be deduced from his actions-falls into the domain of history.”

322. “All that is observable in a man-that is to say his actions and such of his spiritual existence as can be deduced from his actions-falls into the domain of history.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “It’s not what people do to you, but what they mean, that hurts.”

323. “It’s not what people do to you, but what they mean, that hurts.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “We reach in desperation beyond the fog, beyond the very stars, the voids of the universe are ransacked to justify the monster, and stamped with a human face. London is religions opportunity – not the decorous religion of theologians, but an anthropomorphic, crude. Yes, the continuous flow would be tolerable if a man of our own sort – not anyone pompous or tearful – were caring for us up in the sky.”

324. “We reach in desperation beyond the fog, beyond the very stars, the voids of the universe are ransacked to justify the monster, and stamped with a human face. London is religions opportunity – not the decorous religion of theologians, but an anthropomorphic, crude. Yes, the continuous flow would be tolerable if a man of our own sort – not anyone pompous or tearful – were caring for us up in the sky.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Travel was a species of warfare.”

325. “Travel was a species of warfare.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice, and we welcome ‘nerves’ or any other shibboleth that will cloak our personal desire.”

326. “Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice, and we welcome ‘nerves’ or any other shibboleth that will cloak our personal desire.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “They must live outside class, without relations or money; they must work and stick to each other till death. But England belonged to them. That, besides companionship, was their reward. Her air and sky were theirs, not the timorous millions’ who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls.”

327. “They must live outside class, without relations or money; they must work and stick to each other till death. But England belonged to them. That, besides companionship, was their reward. Her air and sky were theirs, not the timorous millions’ who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “I did not fear that I might tread upon a live rail and be killed. I feared something far more intangible-doing what was not contemplated by the Machine. Then I said to myself, “Man is the measure”, and I went, and after many visits I found an opening.”

328. “I did not fear that I might tread upon a live rail and be killed. I feared something far more intangible-doing what was not contemplated by the Machine. Then I said to myself, “Man is the measure”, and I went, and after many visits I found an opening.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Reformers who are obsessed with purity and cannot see that their obsession is impure.”

329. “Reformers who are obsessed with purity and cannot see that their obsession is impure.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “No man can be an agnostic who has a sense of humour.”

330. “No man can be an agnostic who has a sense of humour.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Happiness in the ordinary sense is not what one needs in life, though one is right to aim at it. The true satisfaction is to come through, and see those whom one lives come through.”

331. “Happiness in the ordinary sense is not what one needs in life, though one is right to aim at it. The true satisfaction is to come through, and see those whom one lives come through.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “There’s nothing like a debate to teach one quickness. I often wish I had gone in for them when I was a youngster. It would have helped me no end.”

332. “There’s nothing like a debate to teach one quickness. I often wish I had gone in for them when I was a youngster. It would have helped me no end.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “They cared for no one, they were outside humanity, and death, had it come, would only have continued their pursuit of a retreating horizon.”

333. “They cared for no one, they were outside humanity, and death, had it come, would only have continued their pursuit of a retreating horizon.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “A happy ending was imperative.”

334. “A happy ending was imperative.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “But books meant so much for him he forgot that they were a bewilderment to others.”

335. “But books meant so much for him he forgot that they were a bewilderment to others.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Had he lived some centuries ago, in the brightly coloured civilizations of the past, he would have had a definite status, his rank and his income would have corresponded. But in his day the angel of Democracy had arisen, enshadowing the classes with leathern wings, and proclaiming, “All men are equal – all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas...”

336. “Had he lived some centuries ago, in the brightly coloured civilizations of the past, he would have had a definite status, his rank and his income would have corresponded. But in his day the angel of Democracy had arisen, enshadowing the classes with leathern wings, and proclaiming, “All men are equal – all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas...”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “It is easy to face Death and Fate, and the things that sound so dreadful. It is on my muddles that I look back with horror – on thethings that I might have avoided.”

337. “It is easy to face Death and Fate, and the things that sound so dreadful. It is on my muddles that I look back with horror – on thethings that I might have avoided.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Of course he despised the world as a whole; every thoughtful man should; it is almost a test of refinement.”

338. “Of course he despised the world as a whole; every thoughtful man should; it is almost a test of refinement.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Hardship is vanishing, but so is style, and the two are more closely connected than the present generation supposes.”

339. “Hardship is vanishing, but so is style, and the two are more closely connected than the present generation supposes.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Life – No, I’ve nothing to teach you about it for the moment. May be writing about it another week.”

340. “Life – No, I’ve nothing to teach you about it for the moment. May be writing about it another week.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Here had lived an elder race, to which we look back with disquietude. The country which we visit at week-ends was really a home to it, and the graver sides of life, the deaths, the partings, the yearnings for love, have their deepest expression in the heart of the fields.”

341. “Here had lived an elder race, to which we look back with disquietude. The country which we visit at week-ends was really a home to it, and the graver sides of life, the deaths, the partings, the yearnings for love, have their deepest expression in the heart of the fields.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “A slow nature such as Maurice’s appears insensitive, for it needs time even to feel. Its instinct is to assume that nothing either for good or evil has happened, and to resist the invader. Once gripped, it feels acutely, and its sensations in love are particularly profound. Given time, it can know and impart ecstasy; given time, it can sink to the heart of Hell.”

342. “A slow nature such as Maurice’s appears insensitive, for it needs time even to feel. Its instinct is to assume that nothing either for good or evil has happened, and to resist the invader. Once gripped, it feels acutely, and its sensations in love are particularly profound. Given time, it can know and impart ecstasy; given time, it can sink to the heart of Hell.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Madness is not for everyone, but Maurice’s proved the thunderbolt that dispels the clouds. The storm had been working up not for three days as he supposed, but for six years. It had brewed in the insecurities of being where no eye pierces, his surroundings had thickened it. It had burst and he had not died. The brilliancy of day was around him, he stood upon the mountain range that overshadows youth, he saw.”

343. “Madness is not for everyone, but Maurice’s proved the thunderbolt that dispels the clouds. The storm had been working up not for three days as he supposed, but for six years. It had brewed in the insecurities of being where no eye pierces, his surroundings had thickened it. It had burst and he had not died. The brilliancy of day was around him, he stood upon the mountain range that overshadows youth, he saw.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Your soul, dear Lucy! I hate the word now, because of all the cant with which superstition has wrapped it round. But we have souls, and I see you ruining yours. I cannot bear it.”

344. “Your soul, dear Lucy! I hate the word now, because of all the cant with which superstition has wrapped it round. But we have souls, and I see you ruining yours. I cannot bear it.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “I only wish the poets would say this too: love is of the body; not the body, but of the the body. Ah! the misery that would be saved if we confessed that! Ah! for a little directness to liberate the soul!”

345. “I only wish the poets would say this too: love is of the body; not the body, but of the the body. Ah! the misery that would be saved if we confessed that! Ah! for a little directness to liberate the soul!”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “It is my fate and perhaps my temperament to sign agreements with fools.”

346. “It is my fate and perhaps my temperament to sign agreements with fools.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “Actual life is full of false clues and sign-posts that lead nowhere.”

347. “Actual life is full of false clues and sign-posts that lead nowhere.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “He had awoken too late for happiness, but not for strength, and could feel an austere joy, as of a warrior who is homeless but stands fully armed.”

348. “He had awoken too late for happiness, but not for strength, and could feel an austere joy, as of a warrior who is homeless but stands fully armed.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “All this fame and money, which have so thrilled me when they came to others, leave me cold when they come to me. I am not an ascetic, but I don’t know what to do with them, and my daily life has never been so trying, and there is no one to fill it emotionally.”

349. “All this fame and money, which have so thrilled me when they came to others, leave me cold when they come to me. I am not an ascetic, but I don’t know what to do with them, and my daily life has never been so trying, and there is no one to fill it emotionally.”

— E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster Quote: “To attribute these two great developments to the Central Committee, is to take a very narrow view of civilization. The Central Committee announced the developments, it is true, but they were no more the cause of them than were the kings of the imperialistic period the cause of war.”

350. “To attribute these two great developments to the Central Committee, is to take a very narrow view of civilization. The Central Committee announced the developments, it is true, but they were no more the cause of them than were the kings of the imperialistic period the cause of war.”

— E. M. Forster

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