Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
It is easy to sympathize at a distance,' said an old gentleman with a beard. 'I value more the kind word that is spoken close to my ear.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of genuine, personal communication over distant sympathy.
E. M. Forster's quote highlights the difference between superficial sympathy expressed from afar and meaningful, intimate support that comes from direct human connection. It suggests that true compassion holds more value when it is shared in close proximity, where the words can have a more profound impact and foster deeper relationships.
Themes
SympathyCommunicationRelationshipsKindnessSupport
In practice
Example use cases
In a public talk about the importance of empathy, you could quote this to illustrate genuine care.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes βA poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
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One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
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Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.
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The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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