80 quotes
Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love — and to put its trust in life!!
The sea never changes and its works, for all the talk of men, are wrapped in mystery.
Typhoon (1902)
An artist is a man of action, whether he creates a personality, invents an expedient, or finds the issue of a complicated situation.
The Mirror of the Sea (1906)
It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.
An Outcast of the Islands (1896)
The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.
Under Western Eyes (1911)
The world of finance is a mysterious world in which, incredible as the fact may appear, evaporation precedes liquidation.
Victory: An Island Tale (1915)
Every age is fed on illusions, lest men should renounce life early and the human race come to an end.
Victory: An Island Tale (1915)
The real significance of crime is in its being a breach of faith with the community of mankind.
Lord Jim (1900)
It is to be remarked that a good many people are born curiously unfitted for the fate awaiting them on this earth.
Chance (1913)
To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.
But I have never been able to love what was not lovable or hate what was not hateful, out of deference for some general principle.
Being a woman is a terribly difficult trade since it consists principally of dealings with men.
Chance (1913)
A man's real life is that accorded to him in the thoughts of other men by reason of respect or natural love.
Under Western Eyes (1911)
Nations it may be have fashioned their Governments, but the Governments have paid them back in the same coin.
Under Western Eyes (1911)
All idealization makes life poorer. To beautify it is to take away its character of complexity — it is to destroy it.
The Secret Agent (1907)
What all men are really after is some form, or perhaps only some formula, of peace.
Under Western Eyes (1911)
The last thing a woman will consent to discover in a man whom she loves, or on whom she simply depends, is want of courage.
All passion is lost now. The world is mediocre, limp, without force.
The Secret Agent (1907)
Facing it — always facing it — that's the way to get through.
Typhoon (1902)
Protection is the first necessity of opulence and luxury.
The Secret Agent (1907)