Anthony Burgess

laugh world snore sleep alone

“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

destroy written unwrite

“We can destroy what we have written, but we cannot unwrite it.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

important moral choice evil good life opposition

“The important thing is moral choice. Evil has to exist along with good, in order that moral choice may operate. Life is sustained by the grinding opposition of moral entities.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

do like

“But what I do I do because I like to do.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

alone precious modern world

“To be left alone is the most precious thing one can ask of the modern world.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

colors real world screen watch

“It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

expect worst person disappoint

“If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

language record actual liberate imagination

“Language exists less to record the actual than to liberate the imagination.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

art dangerous attraction

“Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions, when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

government believe illusion free will

“We're a government that believes in everybody having the illusion of free will.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

senseless violence prerogative youth energy talent constructive

“Senseless violence is a prerogative of youth, which has much energy but little talent for the constructive.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

devastate spectacular create

“To devastate is easier and more spectacular than to create.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

colonialism enforce rule reason spread colonizers

“Colonialism. The enforced spread of the rule of reason. But who is going to spread it among the colonizers?”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

believe unseen christ christlike potential others

“If you believe in an unseen Christ, you will believe in the unseen Christlike potential of others”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

story reason life freudian motivation

“In a story you had to find a reason, but real life gets on very well without even Freudian motivations.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

bedways rightways homeways

“Bedways is rightways now, so best we go homeways.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

state wither humanity flower

“When the State withers, humanity flowers.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

need money degrees desperation

“We all need money, but there are degrees of desperation.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

english language expressive womb room tomb living three words

“English is a curiously expressive language. Womb, room, tomb. It sums up living in three words.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

five days work bible seventh lord god sixth football

“Five days shalt thou labour, as the Bible says. The seventh day is the Lord thy God's. The sixth day is for football”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

life jumble sensations bad film plot beginning end

“Life to most of us is just a jumble of sensations, like a very bad film with no plot, no real beginning and end.”

― Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)