Joyce Cary Quotes

It is one of those problems of human nature, which may be noted down, but not solved; - although Ralph felt no remorse at that moment for his conduct towards the innocent, true-hearted girl; although his libertine clients had done precisely what he had expected, precisely what he most wished, and precisely what would tend most to his advantage, still he hated them for doing it, from the very bottom of his soul.

Don't ask others to forgive in you a sin they're dying to commit themselves.

There is a guilty conscience behind every brazen word and act and behind every manifestation of self-righteousness.

Part of what I like about the best villains in TV and film is when you feel sorry for them, and that makes you feel even worse for feeling guilty about wanting them to succeed, in some way.

I am ashamed of confessing that I have nothing to confess.

We can only write well about our sins because it is too difficult to recall a virtuous act or even whether it was the result of good or evil motives.

Immorality: the morality of those who are having a better time.

My judges preach against free love openly, practice it secretly.

Puritans should wear fig leaves on their eyes.

The history of the opium fight forms a queer illustration of our National blindness to our own faults, and emphasizes our National tendency to see with amazing clarity, the sins of others, while remaining blind to our own viciousness

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.

The best men are not consistent in good--why should the worst men be consistent in evil?

I think I wear my hypocrisy on my sleeve. I would never say I'm not a complete hypocrite.

We may live like saints, but when it comes to our fantasy life, everybody's got a little larceny in their soul.

I fully embrace myself as a hypocrite.

The sad truth is, there's more Walter White in me than I'd care to admit, because if I truly was as kind as people think I am, I wouldn't be able to write Walter White.

I wanted to write a book about people who have the best intentions and think - really, truly think - that they're doing the right thing. And then they realize that when those ideals come knocking at their windowsill, a lot of times they will suddenly disavow those ideals.

For a long time, I felt that was actually the best I could ever hope for - to pretend to be a good person - because I was quite the opposite.

Snape is vindictive, he's cruel. He's not a big man. But he loves. I like him, but I'd also like to slap him hard.

Many an honest man practices upon himself an amount of deceit sufficient, if practised upon another, and in a little different way, to send him to the state prison.

Do not think about sin, he thought. There are enough problems now without sin. Also I have no understanding of it.

I have written a wicked book, and feel spotless as the lamb.

Ah, well, being conflicted means you can live a shallow life without copping to be a shallow person.

The man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.

Gore Vidal said "Nixon is us, we are Nixon." I think we have to acknowledge that combination of idealism and sleaze; we want to be better than we are, and we sometimes don't face up to the real questions.