208 Quotes by Will Self

There's a flip side to having prominent public intellectuals, which is that they start meddling in politics and often with quite disastrous results.

There is something mysteriously powerful that can happen when young, inchoate minds come into contact with older and more worldly ones in a spirit of intellectual and creative endeavour - if I believed in progress, I suppose that's what I'd call it.

It could be argued that every age gets the comfort savagery writer it deserves.

The fictional work is a kind of actor that wears a satirical garb but can put on other costumes as well.

Who'd want to be a modernist writer in the English-speaking world?

Without a shadow of doubt, Trafalgar Square has to be one of the most crap urban public spaces in the world.

I do have a fantasy life in which I can grout bathrooms - but not for a living.

I loathe computers more and more, so I have one I can shut down and shelve like a book.

I don't think in terms of that bizarre tautology 'value for money' in my literary and journalistic work - and nor will I in my academic role. However, if I don't believe I'm helping my students towards a fuller and more empowering relationship with the world, then I'll resign.