Elizabeth Bowen Ideas Quotations

One can live in the shadow of an idea without grasping it.

Meeting people unlike oneself does not enlarge one's outlook; it only confirms one's idea that one is unique.

If a theme or idea is too near the surface, the novel becomes simply a tract illustrating an idea.

whenever possible I avoid talking. Reprieve from talking is my idea of a holiday. At risk of seeming unsociable, which I am, I admit I love to be left in a beatific trance, when I am in one. Friendly Romans recognize that wish.

Some ideas, like dandelions in lawns, strike tenaciously: you may pull off the top but the root remains, drives down suckers and may even sprout again.