Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We can only love what we truly understand, which requires knowledge and familiarity, advocating for tolerance in wider societal matters.
E. M. Forster's quote emphasizes that genuine love stems from personal knowledge and understanding; however, in broader contexts such as public affairs and societal rebuilding, this deep emotional connection is often impractical. Therefore, tolerance becomes a necessary and pragmatic approach that allows us to coexist and work together despite knowing only fragments of each other's experiences.
Themes
LoveKnowledgeToleranceRelationshipsUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about community cohesion, this quote can highlight the importance of understanding each other to foster love and tolerance.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes →A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
E. M. ForsterRead
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
E. M. ForsterRead
Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
Don't be mysterious; there isn't the time.
E. M. ForsterRead
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