E. M. Forster on writing

A humanist has four leading characteristics — curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste, and belief in the human race.

Adventures do occur, but not punctually.

Long books, when read, are usually overpraised, because the reader wants to convince others and himself that he has not wasted his time.

To write a good love letter, you ought to begin without knowing what you mean to say and to finish without knowing what you have written.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712–1778

• Love

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

C. S. Lewis1898–1963

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

Benjamin Franklin1706–1790

• Reading