Welcome to a collection of insightful and thought-provoking quotes by the renowned Irish-British author, Elizabeth Bowen. Delving into the depths of human emotions and societal intricacies, Bowen’s literary works have left an indelible mark on readers worldwide. With a keen eye for detail and a profound understanding of the complexities of the human condition, Bowen’s words resonate with timeless wisdom and poetic elegance.
Throughout her career, Elizabeth Bowen crafted narratives that skillfully navigated the nuances of relationships, identity, and the shifting landscapes of the 20th century. From the evocative descriptions of her characters’ inner turmoil to the poignant exploration of love and loss, Bowen’s writing captivates and enchants readers, inviting them to contemplate life’s mysteries and complexities.
Below, you will find a curated selection of Elizabeth Bowen’s most memorable quotes, each offering a glimpse into her profound insight and literary craftsmanship. Whether you seek inspiration, introspection, or simply appreciate the beauty of language, these quotes are sure to resonate and inspire. Feel free to copy, share, or adorn them with your own creative flair.
Art is one thing that can go on mattering once it has stopped hurting. Elizabeth Bowen
Fantasy is toxic: the private cruelty and the world war both have their start in the heated brain. Elizabeth Bowen
If a theme or idea is too near the surface, the novel becomes simply a tract illustrating an idea. Elizabeth Bowen
Silences have a climax, when you have got to speak. Elizabeth Bowen
Education is not so important as people think. Elizabeth Bowen
I think the main thing, don’t you, is to keep the show on the road. Elizabeth Bowen
Pity the selfishness of lovers: it is brief, a forlorn hope; it is impossible. Elizabeth Bowen
Never to lie is to have no lock on your door, you are never wholly alone. Elizabeth Bowen
The heart may think it knows better: the senses know that absence blots people out. We really have no absent friends. Elizabeth Bowen
One can live in the shadow of an idea without grasping it. Elizabeth Bowen
Ireland is a great country to die or be married in. Elizabeth Bowen
I became, and remain, my characters’ close and intent watcher: their director, never. Their creator I cannot feel that I was, or am. Elizabeth Bowen
Nobody speaks the truth when there is something they must have. Elizabeth Bowen
The best that an individual can do is to concentrate on what he or she can do, in the course of a burning effort to do it better. Elizabeth Bowen
Language is a mixture of statement and evocation. Elizabeth Bowen
Meeting people unlike oneself does not enlarge one’s outlook; it only confirms one’s idea that one is unique. Elizabeth Bowen
The wish to lead out one’s lover must be a tribal feeling; the wish to be seen as loved is part of one’s self-respect. Elizabeth Bowen
There is no end to the violations committed by children on children, quietly talking alone. Elizabeth Bowen
Nobody can be kinder than the narcissist while you react to life in his own terms. Elizabeth Bowen
Who is ever adequate? We all create situations each other can’t live up to, then break our hearts at them because they don’t. Elizabeth Bowen
Intimacies between women often go backwards, beginning in revelations and ending in small talk. Elizabeth Bowen
Illusions are art, for the feeling person, and it is by art that we live, if we do. Elizabeth Bowen
Fate is not an eagle, it creeps like a rat. Elizabeth Bowen
Jealousy is no more than feeling alone against smiling enemies. Elizabeth Bowen
When you love someone all your saved up wishes start coming out. Elizabeth Bowen
No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye. Elizabeth Bowen
Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day. Elizabeth Bowen
That is partly why women marry – to keep up the fiction of being in the hub of things. Elizabeth Bowen
Nothing can happen nowhere. The locale of the happening always colours the happening, and often, to a degree, shapes it. Elizabeth Bowen
If you look at life one way, there is always cause for alarm. Elizabeth Bowen
The importance to the writer of first writing must be out of all proportion of the actual value of what is written. Elizabeth Bowen
The innocent are so few that two of them seldom meet – when they do meet, their victims lie strewn all round. Elizabeth Bowen
All your youth you want to have your greatness taken for granted; when you find it taken for granted, you are unnerved. Elizabeth Bowen
Mechanical difficulties with language are the outcome of internal difficulties with thought. Elizabeth Bowen
We are minor in everything but our passions. Elizabeth Bowen
Experience isn’t interesting until it begins to repeat itself. In fact, till it does that, it hardly is experience. Elizabeth Bowen
It is not helpful to help a friend by putting coins in his pockets when he has got holes in his pockets. Elizabeth Bowen