Malcolm Bradbury Quotes

1932–2000 England

Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury CBE (7 September 1932 – 27 November 2000) was an English comic novelist, screenwriter, literary critic and academic. He pioneered the teaching of creative writing and American studies in British universities.

England
Novelists
Screenwriters

Random Malcolm Bradbury quote

24 quotes

'Oh, everybody exploits somebody,' says Howard, 'in this social order it's part of the human lot.'

The History Man (1975)

"You see, you are an optimist and live on hope. I am a pessimist and live on experience."

Stepping Westward (1965)

'It must be nice to think there is a true reality,' says Miss Callendar. 'I've always found reality a matter of great debate.'

The History Man (1975)

"Well," said Dr Jochum, "you are like all reformers. You like to reform the world because it is easier than trying to reform yourself."

Stepping Westward (1965)

'I think, George,' says Merion, ' the trouble is that you don't have a conflict model of society.'

The History Man (1975)

'The trouble is, it's hard to know you're little,' says Felicity. 'People like to make themselves matter.'

The History Man (1975)

'Look, Felicity,' says Howard, 'there's only one rule. Follow the line of your own desires.'

The History Man (1975)

'All action leads to suffering, someone else's, or one's own.'

The History Man (1975)

With sociology one can do anything and call it work.

Eating People is Wrong (1959)

"Well, yes, surely I think everybody ought to enjoy life as much as it's humanly possible because that's why we exist. I believe."

Stepping Westward (1965)

The English are polite by telling lies. The Americans are polite by telling the truth.

Stepping Westward (1965)

I like the English. They have the most rigid code of immorality in the world.

Eating People is Wrong (1959)

My experience of ships is that on them one makes an interesting discovery about the world. One finds one can do without it completely.

Stepping Westward (1965)

It had always seemed to Louis that a fundamental desire to take postal courses was being sublimated by other people into sexual activity.

Eating People is Wrong (1959)

Genitals are a great distraction to scholarship.

Cuts (1987)

"We got a course in picknicking at the university," said Dr. Bourbon. "It's called Geology, but it's really picknicking."

Stepping Westward (1965)

Jochum had said, "You keep asking the universe 'How ought I to live?' But it can't answer."

Stepping Westward (1965)

To you liberals, of course, goats are just sheep from broken homes.

The After Dinner Game (1975)

I've often thought that my scruples about stealing books were the only thing that stood in the way of my being a really great scholar.

Eating People is Wrong (1959)

In Slaka, sex is just politics with the clothes off.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Malcolm Bradbury (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.