It is never possible for a novelist to deny time inside the fabric of his novel: he must cling, however lightly, to the thread of his story, he must touch the interminable tapeworm, otherwise he becomes unintelligible, which, in his case, is a blunder.

Paganism is infectious, more infectious than diphtheria or piety.

This element of surprise or mystery the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called is of great importance in a plot.

Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice.

Unless we remember we cannot understand.

The English countryside, its growth and its destruction, is a genuine and tragic theme.

Those who search for truth are too conscious of the maze to be hard on others...