Insecurity twists meanings and poisons trust. In a closely beleaguered city every sentry is a potential traitor.
Graham GreeneRead
In the taxi I let my hand lie on her leg like a promise, but I had no intention of keeping my promise.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the tension between desire and commitment in romantic relationships.
Graham Greene's quote illustrates the complexity of human relationships, particularly the allure of physical intimacy contrasted with the absence of genuine emotional commitment. It suggests that while one may express affection or desire, the underlying intentions may not align with a vow of fidelity or responsibility, highlighting the often ambiguous nature of romantic encounters.
Themes
PromiseRelationshipsIntimacyCommitmentDesire
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the complexities of modern relationships at a university seminar.
More from Graham Greene
All quotes →It seemed to Scobie that life was immeasurably long. Couldn’t the test of man have been carried out in fewer years? Couldn’t we have committed our first major sin at seven, have ruined ourselves for love or hate at ten, have clutched at redemption on a fifteen-year-old deathbed?
Graham GreeneRead
God is love. I don't say the heart doesn't feel a taste of it, but what a taste. The smallest glass of love mixed with a pint pot of ditch-water. We wouldn't recognize that love. It might even look like hate. It would be enough to scare us - God's love.
Graham GreeneRead
Of two hearts one is always warm and one is always cold: the cold heart is more precious than diamonds: the warm heart has no value and is thrown away.
Graham GreeneRead
Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.
Graham GreeneRead
Champagne, if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector. It encourages a man to be expansive, even reckless, while lie detectors are only a challenge to tell lies successfully.
Graham GreeneRead
Similar quotes
Anger repressed can poison a relationship as surely as the crudest words.
Joyce BrothersRead
You are in a partnership with all other human beings, not a contest to be judged better than some and worse than others.
Wayne DyerRead
Sex prejudice is so ingrained in our society that many who practice it are simply unaware that they are hurting. It is the last socially acceptable prejudice.
Bernice SandlerRead
Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience.
Stephen CoveyRead
Kindness and good nature unite men more effectually and with greater strength than any agreements whatsoever, since thereby the engagements of men's hearts become stronger than the bond and obligation of words.
Thomas MoreRead
So what I say about Tracy is this: Tracy's big challenge is not having a Parkinson's patient for a husband. It's having me for a husband. I happen to be a Parkinson's patient.
Michael J. FoxRead