Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
I believe we shall come to care about people less and less, Helen. The more people one knows, the easier it becomes to replace them. It's one of the curses of London. I quite expect to end my life caring most for a place.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the diminishing emotional connection to people as one becomes more acquainted with many, leading to a greater attachment to places than individuals.
E. M. Forster's quote delves into the complexities of human relationships in urban settings, suggesting that in a vast city like London, the proliferation of acquaintances can lead to a superficial attachment to people. As one gets to know more individuals, the emotional burden of caring for each diminishes, resulting in a paradox where one may end up feeling more connected to their environment than to fellow human beings. This suggests a commentary on the loneliness and detachment that can accompany city life.
Themes
RelationshipsLonelinessUrban LifeAttachmentHuman Connection
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the effects of urban living at a community meeting.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes →A 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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