103 Quotes by Anita Brookner

The self-fulfilled woman is far from reality.

A man can go from being a lover to being a stranger in three moves flat but a woman under the guise of friendship will engage in acts of duplicity which come to light very much later. There are different species of self-justification.

Problems of human behavior still continue to baffle us, but at least in the Library we have them properly filed.

Always let them think of you as singing and dancing.

What is interesting about self-analysis is that it leads nowhere -- it is an art form in itself.

She was not aware of loneliness so much as of endeavour: her future career as a writer, of which there was as yet no sign, would, she thought, in time validate her entire existence. Until then she would adopt – had already adopted – a regime which would steel her against rejection and disappointment.

There are moments when you feel free, moments when you have energy, moments when you have hope, but you can’t rely on any of these things to see you through. Circumstances do that.

All good fortune is a gift of the gods, and you don’t win the favor of the ancient gods by being good, but by being bold.

Life is a pilgrimage and if you don’t play by the rules you don’t find the Road to Damascus, you find the Crown of Thorns.