Bernard Beckett Quotes

I never appreciated 'positive heroes' in literature. They are almost always cliches, copies of copies, until the model is exhausted. I prefer perplexity, doubt, uncertainty, not just because it provides a more 'productive' literary raw material, but because that is the way we humans really are.

Most consequential choices involve shades of gray, and some fog is often useful in getting things done.

When we don't have information, we go to the simplest outlook, to black and white. But then we have to lie to ourselves. Black is never as black as you're painting it and white is never as white.

I've always said there is a boulevard that exists between compromising your principles and getting everything you want. Now, we should never compromise our principles. And I never have. Those are the things that people vote for you on, that's the core of who you are. But there's always a boulevard between that and getting everything you want.

I am a mixture of idealist and realist.

Well, purity - there's no purity in politics.

Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

To light one candle to God and another to the Devil is the principle of wisdom.

You can't be idealistic in this world and not be crazy.

When it comes to comedy, it might be interesting to know why an airplane works, but really? Maybe it's better not to know why certain things work. Just fly the thing, and if nothing falls apart, you'll be fine.

What is right and what is practicable are two different things.

Human nature is not black and white but black and grey.

The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children.

I don't really do simple. I'm not really interested in simple at the end of the day, because nothing's ever simple, and nothing's ever perfect. People certainly aren't - I would hope, anyway, because that would be boring, wouldn't it?

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

It is unwise to wish everything explained.

If you want the world to exist, you cannot insist upon complete justice.

We suppose mankind more honest than they are.

I think heroes who are not flawed are not believable.

Taking things not as they ought to be, but as they are, I fear it must be allowed that Macchiavelli will always have more disciples than Jesus.

In most cases, people, even wicked people, are far more naive and simple-hearted than one generally assumes. And so are we.

In art as in politics we must deal with people as they are not as we wish them to be. Only by working with the real can you get closer to the ideal.

So much good, so much evil. Just add water.

Only fools think they're wise; the rest of us just muddle through as we can.