The function of a book or a poem or a story is to delight, to enchant, to beguile.
Philip PullmanRead
I told him I was going to betray you, and betray Lyra, and he believed me because I was corrupt and full of wickedness; he looked so deep I felt sure he'd see the truth. But I lied too well. I was lying with every nerve and fiber and everything I'd ever done...I wanted him to find no good in me, and he didn't. There is none.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores themes of betrayal and self-perception, highlighting the complexity of human emotions and motivations.
In this quote, the speaker reflects on a moment of betrayal, expressing a deep internal struggle with their own nature. They acknowledge their corrupted state and the desire to project wickedness onto others, revealing a poignant truth about the human condition: the fear of being misunderstood and the lengths to which one might go to hide perceived flaws. This inner conflict underscores the battle between self-identity and the façade one presents to the world.
Themes
BetrayalWickednessSelf-PerceptionTruthDeception
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion on moral ambiguity, this quote can illustrate the complexities of character motivations.
More from Philip Pullman
All quotes →Education and health were always matters of charity. You educated children and you helped the sick because they were good things to do, not because you were going to make money out of them. If you let the money-making principle, the profit-seeking motive, anywhere near education and health, things go bad.
Philip PullmanRead
To get the best out of life here ...Good grief. There's plenty of it about, so indulge. Give yourself some thing to remember. Fall in love. Fall out of love. Gamble. Get drunk. See how long you can stay awake. Go for long walks at night. Discover what you're afraid of doing, and then do it.
Philip PullmanRead
People should decide on the books' meanings for themselves. They'll find a story that attacks such things as cruelty, oppression, intolerance, unkindness, narrow-mindedness, and celebrates love, kindness, open-mindedness, tolerance, curiosity, human intelligence.
Philip PullmanRead
Lyra learns to her great cost that fantasy isn’t enough. She has been lying all her life, telling stories to people, making up fantasies, and suddenly she comes to a point where that’s not enough. All she can do is tell the truth. She tells the truth about her childhood, about the experiences she had in Oxford, and that is what saves her. True experience, not fantasy - reality, not lies - is what saves us in the end.
Philip PullmanRead
If a coin comes down heads, that means that the possibility of its coming down tails has collapsed. Until that moment the two possibilities were equal. But on another world, it does come down tails. And when that happens, the two worlds split apart.
Philip PullmanRead
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