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I have often noticed that a bribe...has that effect — it changes a relation. The man who offers a bribe gives away a little of his own importance; the bribe once accepted, he becomes the inferior, like a man who has paid for a woman.

— Graham Greene The Comedians (1966)

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More quotes by Graham Greene

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.

The Power and the Glory (1940)

Our worst enemies here are not the ignorant and the simple, however cruel; our worst enemies are the intelligent and corrupt.

The Human Factor (1978)

The world is not black and white. More like black and grey.

Cynicism is cheap—you can buy it at any Monoprix store—it’s built into all poor-quality goods.

The Comedians (1966)

A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment from which to look back or from which to look ahead.

The End of the Affair (1951)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Graham Greene (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.