As a Jew, I believe that every argument has a counterargument. — Howard Jacobson Argument Copy Share Image
A system of thought that accepts no inconsistencies is a frightful thing. — Howard Jacobson System Copy Share Image
Nothing is more interesting in a novel or a play than an affair. — Howard Jacobson Affair Copy Share Image
I like a singalong. And I'm a bit of a sentimentalist for the past myself. — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
There's a problem with narratives. Most that spring to mind are fictional. — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
Our connection to the great myths of our natures is murky. A mother might see the Medea in herself without imagining she… — Howard Jacobson Children Copy Share Image
I wouldn't dream of watching motor racing, cycling, or golf - which aren't truly sports anyway. — Howard Jacobson Dream Copy Share Image
Shake any institution of higher learning, and a dozen boycotters will fall out of it. — Howard Jacobson Education Copy Share Image
Sometimes I felt like my columns were like little novels in themselves. But I wasn't writing what I believed. I'm not interested… — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
Among the many arguments to be made against cultural revolutions is that they are monotonous in spirit and monomaniacal in intention. — Howard Jacobson Intention Copy Share Image
It would be nice if we could all agree to this proposition: popularity is not the same as achievement. — Howard Jacobson Achievement Copy Share Image
I'm an old-fashioned English lit. man. Straight down the line - it's George Eliot, it's Dickens, it's Dr. Johnson, it's Jane Austen. — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
The painter Sidney Nolan once told me I tried too hard. Advice I've been trying hard to follow ever since. — Howard Jacobson Advice Copy Share Image
I would rise, monk-like, at 6 A.M., speak to no one, make tea, and go immediately to my desk from which I… — Howard Jacobson Eyes Copy Share Image
I was young; I was newly married. My Cambridge degree was still warm in my pocket - a roll of parchment guaranteeing… — Howard Jacobson Cambridge Copy Share Image
What it is to see, what liberties are taken when one looks, where looking leaves one vis-a-vis one's subject, or how far… — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
Alone of prejudices, anti-Zionism is sacrosanct. How very dare we distinguish the motivation of one sort from another? Or question, in any… — Howard Jacobson Alone Copy Share Image
If we doubt the power of literature and art to civilise, how come no one has ever been mugged by a person… — Howard Jacobson Art Copy Share Image
Ideally, I would like everyone in the world to read and love my novels. In fact, I can't believe that everyone in… — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
Marriage is like a barbecue. When you light a barbecue, it's very exciting to see the flames. That's lovely, but you have… — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
If you want a good life, don't succeed at anything too early or too well. And don't choose a profession that attracts… — Howard Jacobson Attention Copy Share Image
“He no sooner saw the woman than he saw the aftermath of her - his marriage proposal and her acceptance, the home… — Howard Jacobson Bed sheets Copy Share Image
It is against the spirit of our non-discriminating times to openly prefer one sort of music to another, so let's just say… — Howard Jacobson Age Copy Share Image
I had worked on the markets with my father before going to university, so I possessed an apparent street-smartness, had access to… — Howard Jacobson Father Copy Share Image
Words do not necessarily make us moral. And there have been presidents before who have stumbled over syntax and looked foolish when… — Howard Jacobson Language Copy Share Image
To be clear, I abhor the separation wall. It is an eyesore in itself and makes tangible the failed diplomacy and cruel… — Howard Jacobson Change Copy Share Image
Although, from the point of view of sociology, the overt ambition of 'American Pastoral' - to imagine the impact on a good… — Howard Jacobson Ambition Copy Share Image
The novel is a thing of irony and ambiguity. That's at the heart of 'J', a world that has stopped arguing with… — Howard Jacobson Argument Copy Share Image
“Hephzibah normally left the dishes until the next day. Piled up in the sink so that it was near impossible to fill… — Howard Jacobson Copy Share Image
“… matter out of place, as a famous anthropologist once described dirt.” — Howard Jacobson Anthropologist Copy Share Image
“Faith wasn’t a mystery to him; the mystery to him was holding on to faith. He” — Howard Jacobson Faith Copy Share Image
A healthy culture doesn't memorialise only those it agrees with. — Howard Jacobson Culture Copy Share Image
I could use the company but I can't go through the pain of getting it. — Howard Jacobson Business Copy Share Image
