Malcolm Bradbury

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

[A]nd the traffic noise that boomed in through the window was another reminder of what his spirit knew, that he was but a grain of sand in someone else's desert.

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

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

With sociology one can do anything and call it work.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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