Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
Letters have to pass two tests before they can be classed as good: they must express the personality both of the writer and of the recipient.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good letters reflect the individuality of both the writer and the recipient.
E. M. Forster emphasizes that a truly effective letter must not only convey the message intended by the writer but also resonate with the personality of the recipient. This duality ensures a personal connection and authenticity in communication, highlighting the art of letter writing as an intimate exchange that captures the essence of both parties involved.
Themes
LettersCommunicationPersonalityWritingExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on effective communication, this quote can illustrate the importance of personal touch in letter writing.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes βA 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
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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