Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
Human relations are impossible. When they are real they are uncomfortable, and when they are comfortable they are unreal. It was for the journey into solitude that the human soul was created.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Human relationships can be paradoxical, often feeling uncomfortable yet being essential for genuine connection.
This quote by E.M. Forster suggests that human relationships exist in a complex state where true connections can be uncomfortable and challenging, leading to the notion that when relationships feel easy or comfortable, they may lack authenticity. Forster's reflection on solitude indicates that the journey of the soul requires introspection and a deeper understanding of oneself, suggesting that solitude is a vital component of human experience.
Themes
Human RelationsSolitudeAuthenticityConnectionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the challenges of authentic relationships, this quote can highlight the complexities involved.
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.
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One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
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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
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.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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