Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
Words deserted him immediately. He could only speak when he was not asked to.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that he struggles with communication when put under pressure to speak.
This quote by E. M. Forster reflects the complexities of human communication, particularly how anxiety or pressure can inhibit one's ability to express themselves. It illustrates the idea that sometimes silence can be more comfortable or even necessary, especially when the expectation to articulate thoughts becomes overwhelming.
Themes
CommunicationSilenceExpressivenessAnxietyPressure
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be cited in a discussion on public speaking anxieties.
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.
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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.
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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.
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One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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